Bonu Decaires

Bonu has been our doula for both of our pregnancies/births and, frankly, I can't imagine what we would have done without her.  She provided a warmth and duty of care that really put my wife at ease from initial meeting, through labor and delivery, and post-partum communication/visits.  There are so many variables to delivery that it just makes sense to have an expert and empathetic advocate counseling you - even in a scenario where you love your OB (which we do). In one instance she deduced that my wife was nearly ready to start pushing when our PA thought that labor was slowing - the wireless monitor wasn't keeping up with our quick-moving baby.  Had we not had her we likely would have been convinced to speed up an already very quick labor. Following both of our deliveries she has been a confident voice of reason and a seasoned sounding board. As a husband I was not sold on the value of a doula before my wife's first delivery but that didn't last long.  If we end up with another pregnancy, calling Bonu will be amongst the first things we do.

Bonu was my doula for my first birth, and she is truly amazing. I was so anxious about labor, and from our first meeting, Bonu immediately put me at ease. She is easygoing and funny, and she has a depth of knowledge and experience. She answered all my questions and concerns throughout the pregnancy, and she offered great advice for both labor and postpartum. Once labor began, the original plan was to have her join me and my partner at home and travel with us to the hospital, but things progressed suddenly overnight and we ended up just meeting at the hospital. Labor at the hospital ended up taking nearly 24 hours, and Bonu remained with me until a couple hours after my baby was born. She eased labor pains with counter pressure, a TENS machine, different positions, and time in the shower. She helped us communicate with nurses and doctors, talk through difficult decisions (which sometimes need to be made very quickly), and know when to push back to ask for more options or more information. Baby and I came out of labor healthy, and I am so grateful I had Bonu to guide and support us. I can't recommend her enough!!

Before I met Bonu; she was recommended to me by so many birthing educators that I knew she must be something special. On our first intro phone call, my husband and I both immediately felt at ease with her. The start of a trusting relationship for all three of us! I truly cannot imagine having the birth I had (and hoped for) without Bonu. From prenatal support, resources & thoughtful discussion to the care she put in to helping me craft my birth plan and helped me understand how I wanted to be supported -- it gave me space to thoughtfully prepare. She was a text away when my contractions started in the middle of the night, joined us at our home when I was ready for in person support - and I truly believe my labor progressed because of the security I felt having her with us. She helped my husband support me, and together we stayed in the comfort of our home while I coped. Together we traveled to the hospital, where we arrived and I was 9cm and almost ready to push! I truly felt the most amazing community of women with Bonu, my midwife and nurse cheering me on as I brought my little guy into the world. On the other side of birth, she continues to be a support person for us on our breastfeeding and newborn care journey. I feel like Bonu is a dear friend at this point, and would recommend her to ANYONE! May we all be so lucky to have this kind of support for birth.

As we approached the birth of our first child, we wanted to make sure that we had the best support system and team in place to help us navigate all the unknowns and uncertainties we would surely face. Bonu came highly recommended to us and surpassed all expectations. We ended up having our baby in the midst of the coronavirus shutdown and Bonu was quick to not only adapt the support process to the unique time we found ourselves in but was an invaluable source of information on the rapidly changing hospital and health landscape. At every step, she was an impressive guide: providing a vast amount of information that we could refer to, always available to go over what to expect next, and answer questions about what we were experiencing. Also, she asked us a lot of questions in the initial sessions/meetings … important because expectant parents don’t always know what questions to ask or what topics to bring up. Finally, she has an awesome personality (warm, empathetic, upbeat) and during what is surely an anxious time for all first time parents, a great personality in a doula goes a LONG way to making the whole experience less stressful. We highly recommend making Bonu a part of your birth team!

Bonu is a wonderful, wise, sensitive, and empowering Doula. I'm in awe of her experience and calm under pressure. She was our Doula for both of our children, and I do mean OUR Doula; her presence was a huge source of comfort for me. As the husband, of course I want to help my wife however I can, but my experience with birth is limited. Following Bonu's advice, energy, and lead made it possible for both my wife and I to have the best, safest, and most healing birth experience possible. She will forever hold a special place in my heart for the amazing gift her wisdom has bestowed upon our family.

I am still fully digesting my birth experience, but one thing I know for sure is that without Bonu, there is no way I could have had the natural birth I set out to have. Bonu provided an incredible amount of education and support leading up to the birth experience. Once I started going into labor, Bonu arrived and was hands on, fully present, and invested in giving her all to me during my 16 hour labor and delivery. She was compasionate and supportive and didn't mind getting messy. I delivered at the Birthing Center at Mount Sinai West and all the staff were familar and happy to have Bonu on their team. During the course of my labor, Bonu really helped me manage my pain and kept me motivated during moments where I wanted to give up. She also helped my water break at just the right time, which allowed the birth to progress at an optimal and managable pace. Following the birth, Bonu checked in everyday for the first week or so and provided a lot of follow up support when I was stuggling with breastfeeding. Without a doubt Bonu is an incredible asset to anyone's birthing team and I am so greatful to have found her. If and when I have another child, I will for sure work with her again!

Bonu worked with my family for the pregnancy, labor, delivery, and post-partum care of both my son and daughter. Bonu was a wealth of knowledge at every step of the way in both unique situations - helping me to care for my pregnant body,helping to ease my anxieties pre-labor so that I could view my labor and delivery experience positivelyKeeping me calm, provididing pain relief and offering helpful advice during labor itselfadvocating for me, my family and baby if/when labor and delivery took unexpected turnsproviding tons of research on self-care and baby care especially post-partumresponding to my many questions as a new mom Bonly is simply fantastic and I attribute much of my positive pregnancy and labor and delivery experience to her support!

Bonu was our doula for the births of both of my sons (2007 and 2011). For the first birth, I wanted a very experienced doula who was also comfortable with homebirth. Bonu was such a great match, and was with us for 24 hours of my 34 hour labor! She and my husband were really the perfect team for me. My second labor was so different from the first, and it was once again the perfect decision to have her with us. I couldn't imagine it any other way. If you are seeking a birth doula who is calm, wise, commited, and energetic, try meeting Bonu and see if she is the right match for you.

Bonu is wonderful! She helped me achieve my goal of giving birth naturally, and I am certain that I wouldn't have been able to do it without her. Aside from helping me through the birth physically, she kept us calm and focused, acted as a advocate for me when I was too wrapped up in the birth to advocate for myself, and provided help with nursing. She provided a thorough pre-birth 'interview' to obtain information regarding my ideal birth plan. She stayed in touch through the final weeks of pregnancy, and on the actual day, she worked hard to ensure that I was comfortable, and that everything was proceeding as much to plan as possible. Bonu came back to visit us a week or so after the birth of my son, for a follow up. I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking for a doula. She is so knowledgeable, and she used this knowledge to help reduce the pain of childbirth through various techniques, and made me feel calm, confident, and secure throughout my birth experience. Natural childbirth is a daunting task, but she helped me through it. If I am lucky enough to have another child, I will definitely want Bonu by my side!