Helena Fonseca

We hired Helena as our postpartum doula and she was amazing! Working with Helena gives you a sense of comfort and confidence. She is knowledgeable, encouraging, gentle, kind, and really a cheerleader for your family. As a first time mom, I was so appreciative of her guidance and especially the way she helped build up my confidence. In the hospital, you get a lot of feedback about what is working or not working, but once you are home with your little one it can feel overwhelming wondering "am I doing this right" or "is this normal?" etc. Helena was there to reassure us! Helena seems to just have a knowing intuition about what your family needs in any given moment - she will jump into action mode by taking over tasks in the home or offer a cuddly lap for your baby while you get some rest yourself. I will be forever grateful for her snacks and lunches. She makes sure everyone in the family is nourished! Our son arrived a month early and Helena didn't skip a beat, reaching out to us in the hospital and adjusting the start-date for postpartum care. Helena is fantastic at what she does and is such a professional, but she also feels like a friend of the family by the end. We miss her already!

Helena worked with us for three months postpartum, and it was a wonderful experience for our family. After just a few visits she felt like a friend. She was able to care for our baby, our toddler, and cook for us all at the same time somehow. She is one of our toddlers favorite people. She made us feel genuinely cared for, and we miss her already.

This testimonial feels like a millennium overdue, but it's just about a year. I've gotten caught up in the whirlwind that is Motherhood and it's taken me far too long to thank Helena. She was my absolute savior during what ended up being a pretty traumatic birth experience. From the moment we met via Zoom I knew she was perfect, I was instantly comfortable with her. Very mellow & friendly, with a medical background. The perfect balance of alternative & Western medicine. My birth did not go as planned. I tried for a peaceful water birth at a lovely birth center, but because my baby girl got stuck & started exhibiting signs of distress, we ended up having to shift to Swedish Hospital instead. While we were at the birth center, Helena was my personal angel. My mother and partner were also there, but I felt the most comfortable with Helena by my side during the most intense moments. Her gentleness & professionalism & support were unwavering, not only for me, but for my mom & guy as well. When we had to go to the hospital, where I ended up having an emergency C-section, she was there the whole time. Her presence kept me sane & calm in the middle of this insane ordeal. When my baby ended up aspirating contaminated amniotic fluid & had to be rushed off via ambulance to the Children's Hospital she stayed long past the regular time to help communicate with my family & comfort me when I didn't know if my baby was going to be okay. I was stuck at the hospital post-op & she stayed with me until my mother arrived. Afterwards she continuously checked in on us as my baby fought like a champion in the NICU. I'm forever grateful to her for her kindness & support on the hardest day of my life so far. We just celebrated Maliya's first birthday, and she's as healthy as can be. Hire Helena, because she'll be there no matter what happens. Thank you Helena. Love, Rylie, Chad & Maliya

We couldn’t have been more fortunate to have gotten to know and work with Helena.  I don’t know what we would have done without her, especially when our son needed additional care and we needed additional support and rest.  She didn’t hesitate to jump in, learn newly-required feeding techniques and care, and change her schedule to work additional nights, during a time that was particularly challenging for us.  She was so caring, kind, thoughtful, and fun and easy to talk with.  She was always very attentive, positive, and a wonderful communicator. Thank you so much, Helena, for everything—for all of the support you provided our entire family as well as for your huge heart!

Giving birth is definitely one of the most powerful experiences a woman may have in her life. I can say without question that giving birth to my child was empowering and heart touching - and Helena's work was paramount for me to achieve this outcome. Our preparatory meetings were crucial for me to understand, as a first time mom, giving birth in a foreign country, exactly what to expect in many, many different scenarios that may come up as labor progresses, while also learning to keep an open mind about possible changes in plan. Her experience in top-notch hospitals (and also in birth centers, even though that was not our choice) allowed myself and my husband to feel prepared and to identify which aspects of birth were most important to us so that any important decision was made in advance, in an informed way. Throughout the process, I felt listened to, respected in every single way, and cared for. This is where Helena goes above and beyond - she truly cared for the well being of the entire family - this is priceless! On the day my daughter was born, I can't even imagine how it would've been if Helena was not there! She was there supporting me *all the time*, right by my side, and proposing different coping mechanics that really helped. Our midwife even told us she would keep a distance - since Helena was doing such a nice job that she didn't want to spoil it! Post birth, Helena kindly made sure we had something to eat before leaving the hospital, even though the hospital's cafeteria was already closed, and it was such a long day since I labored for long hours! If you're looking for someone who truly cares, who is a phenomenal human being, look no further! I'm proud to tell my daughter that even before her own dad, she was carried by aunt Helena (per his request, of course)! We love her and are forever thankful for her kindness and care!

Helena was our back-up doula on the very off chance that we might need one. Well, we experienced that very off chance and had to call Helena out of the blue on the way to the hospital to see if there was any way she could come meet us at the hospital ASAP. I still get a bit choked up thinking how traumatic our birth experience would have been if Helena hadn't shown up (literally and figuraticely) like she did. In spite of only having met her once prior (via Zoom), when Helena arrived it miraculously was like she had been with us the whole time. She calmed us down (no small task) and talked us through the scenarios in front of us in an incredibly clear, reassuring and empowering way, so we were comfortable with the decisions the doctors were somewhat aggressively urging us to make. Speaking of which, she also helped push for more time and space for us to make these decisions. And of the flip side, she also was very respectful but honest when it was becoming time to make the difficult decisions before us. She was also great at guiding us through various techniques to help my wife through the induction and labor process. Even a couple of the nurses stopped by to learn a foot and leg massage technique she taught us to address edema! The amount of time and attention Helena dedicated to us at the hospital (and the support by phone she provided when she couldn't be there in person) was absolutely incredible. It never felt like she was trying to get out the door, even when she had come straight off from a long shift; if anything, it felt like she kept finding reasons to stay. Helena was a hero for our family.

Where does one even start? Helena was an absolute dream. Our family LOVED her, she was like apart of the family. She is amazing with moms + little ones. She was there to help with anything & everything (cleaning, cooking, chaning diapers, burping baby, and even being a great nap spot :)), and we can't put into words how much we appreciate everything she did for us. She is patient, kind and very knowedgable. Always able & willing to share resources on anything I needed, from baby things to breastfeeding, to honestly anything. I wish we could hire Helena to be with us everyday, she makes me look forward to having a little one in the future. Cannot wait to work with her again!

Helena was an absolute dream to work with!! From the moment I met her, I knew she would be a perfect fit for our family: kind, smart, experienced, so caring - not only for our sweet baby girl, but for me and my postpartum recovery. After having a night doula for a few nights with my first child, I knew I would need a night doula for our second (if I wanted to keep my sanity) Helena was simply amazing. From the first meeting, she’s picking up details and helping with tips. She found out little one didn’t JUST like to be swaddled, she wanted to be extra cozy in a THICK swaddle - and after that change, she started sleeping more through the night! Extra shout out for Helena’s leadership and mobilizing her amazing network: Because our girl was born early, Helena was able to reach out and coordinate other doulas to help me out until our time, she truly has an amazing wonderful doula community!!! Basically Helena is pure magic!!!! She saved us and took such wonderful care of our baby, she’s family now. Meet with her, you’ll see!!! We love you Helena!!!

Helena is a wonderful and talented doula.  She is knowledgeable, calm, resourceful and bright spirited.  My son absolutely loved her!  Her historical experience as an OT in Brazil added an incredible wealth of knowledge in development and infant mechanics.  She taught me so many new ways to play with and engage my son and really helped normalize "new mom" questions and fears.  I wish Helena could stay with us forever!

Helena is amazing. We feel so lucky that we got to go through our first pregnancy and birth with her. Her warm, professional, and passionate personality made it an easy decision to go with her. We could not have made a better choice. She had us all prepared for the birthing experience and we ended up needing all of it. Our little guy just wouldn't come out, so we tried everyng Helena had worked on with us. She gave probably and hour long massage while we were trying to get little guy to get in the right position. In the end he didn't move from "face presentation", a rare position where his face was pointed down and not the crown of his head, so after trying everything, it had to be a C-section. It was unexpected and it would have been much more traumatic if we hadn’t had Helena. She was there to translate and add detail to what the nurses said, which is very needed with so much going on. She always made sure that we were comfortable with the decisions we made while in labor. During and after the labor itself, Helena was a source of endless comfort for both of us, an we are forever greatful. We still text her pictures and updates many months later, as she asked us to do! Because she truly cares about everyone she helps.

We hit it off with Helena right from our first Zoom meeting. She is warm, friendly, knowledgeable and sweet - not to mention funny! We decided to contract her as a birth doula as well as a postpartum doula. It was by far the best money we spent when it came to preparing for childbirth and afterwards. This was our first pregnancy so we had so much to learn and were filled with a lot of anxiety. She made sure we were informed and understood all our options, encouraged us to talk more to our healthcare providers and helped us think through questions we could ask, and referred us to other resources we could check out, including ones on her website. I really appreciated how she didn’t push us in one direction or another but how she provided completely nonjudgmental support and stressed that the most important thing was us feeling empowered to make an informed decision, as well as being flexible if things changed along the way, which ended up being very important. I had planned for as natural a birth I could have in a hospital, but ended up needing to be induced at 39 weeks due to high blood pressure. We were in the hospital for several days waiting for the induction to progress which was incredibly anxiety inducing and frustrating for me, and Helena was there every step of the way — decorating the room so it was more calming, empowering us to communicate our boundaries to providers, walking me through different birth positions and helping me through contractions. I honestly don’t think I could have made it through labor without her.  She helped turn the experience into a positive one and I will be forever grateful for that. She also has a great bond with our little one who calms down instantly when she holds her, to the point where we started calling her our baby whisperer. We call her “Tia Helena” (Auntie Helena) as she now feels like part of the family.

We interviewed several doulas prior to the birth of our first child. We were looking for someone who would help be an advocate and offer support since our family is out of town. As soon as we spoke to Helena I felt she was a great fit. She is the dream combination of equal parts personable, friendly, and extremely professional. I really only have good things to say about her. We got a lot out of the prebirth support she provided, as we got a lot of deep education about labor, body mechanics, many different coping strategies, etc. A big goal of mine was to deliver without an epidural and I really don't think I could have done this without Helena's support. She was amazing through my labor and spent hours making sure I stayed comfortable and hydrated and also made sure my husband was taken care of. She listened to me and took it very seriously when I felt like I was ready to push (I was!). I was very lucky to have the birth I dreamed of, sometimes that can't happen due to extenuating circumstances, but I think Helena was a major factor in our positive birth experience. I also want to say that Helena's personality is second to none. She brings a joy, lightheartedness, and love that is so unique and special, but she was also very good at giving us space to experience the labor fully and enjoy our newborn. I felt so comfortable around her even during a time that is so personal and intimate. Thank you Helena!

Helena was a fantastic doula for us and helped make our birth experience much easier. She visited our home for a couple pre-birth sessions to help us prepare. For the birth it was wonderful have an expert keep us calm and we got through it with much less stress than we would have had on our own. We also had her come by a few times after the birth to give us advice on caring for a newborn and she had many good suggestions to help make our lives easier and help our infant daughter be healthier and happier. We hope to have more children in the future and would love to have Helena be our doula again!

I am so glad that I was able to find Helena Fiorini last minute! Even on short notice, you were able to help me with my needs and fast approaching due date. You were very helpful in creating a plan with our needs in mind,  fitting us into your busy schedule for educational sessions, and making sure there was backup plan if things went sideways. Your approach to education was phenomenal. Specially for my husband, as it helped him and me as well, feel more comfortable with the whole process. During the birthday, you were spot on with helping me mentally as it’s what I needed help with the most. Overcoming mental obstacles, and being a beacon back to a process we agreed to do, guiding me through mental hurdles as pain can override everything one planned to do in the moment. To sum it up, from the beginning you were open minded, professional, a a great teacher, resourceful and accommodating to our needs. It went as planned, the process was not as bad as I thought it would be, and now I have a positive experience from this all, thanks to you! I will recommend you to anyone needing a doula, anytime!  - Monique Thompson

Helena far exceeded our hopes for care by providing education, comfort, and insight that helped build our confidence as first time parents. My wife and I were not sure what to expect from a doula but we knew we needed help in the first couple of weeks with our newborn. From the initial interview, Helena's positive and caring nature was evident and reassuring. Prior to birth, Helena stopped by to check-out our set-up, offered some very helpful suggestions, and sat with us for a conversation about newborn care. She listened to our story, understood our abilities and needs, and helped us build the confidence to care for our little potato. On her first overnight visit, it was hard to image trusting anyone to take care of our little guy while we slept. At her final visit, we could not have imaged what we would have done without the support of someone we had grown to trust.

Helena was incredibly kind and uplifting from our first meeting. I could not have gotten through the 22-hour unmedicated labor without her, and she guided us through the gentle unplanned C-section. Helena supported us amazingly through the entire process, and made me feel safe and cared for and respected, and she and my partner were such a good team looking out for one another. She joined us for postpartum support as well, and that was a godsend in those first sleepless and rocky early weeks. We love love love her and recommend her to all our friends!

Helena supported me and my husband as our birth doula for our first child. We have a lot of friends who had traumatic birth stories, so once we found out we were expecting we were excited but also extremely anxious about the actual process of bringing a baby into the world. I also wanted to have an unmedicated birth, but wasn’t confident in whether I would be able to cope well when I went into labor. Helena was extremely responsive and helped coach me and my husband through the early laboring process in the peace of our home. Once admitted at the hospital, Helena jumped right in providing counter pressure, trying different laboring positions, walking me through different breathing exercises, guiding me through helpful visualizations, and many others. She is also trained in using the TENS unit which I ended up relying heavily on when contractions became very close together. She was so intuitive throughout the whole process, knowing when to change things up and the right things to say to keep me and my husband grounded. She was attentive down to details like ordering extra food so that we’d have a good meal after the kitchen closed. When it came time to push, irrational thoughts of “I’m not ready for this!” and “I don’t want to poop!” came rushing into my mind and Helena helped to reassure me once again and quell these thoughts. My daughter entered the world screaming and wide eyed with Helena and my husband by my side, it is a moment I will always cherish. The overarching theme is that thanks to Helena’s presence my husband and I both felt very calm despite a few tense moments throughout the whole process. She helped us practice for the big day, held our hands (literally at times), showed so much compassion throughout, and empowered me to have a positive experience. We would not have been able to achieve this without Helena in the picture. I would highly recommend Helena as a birth doula!

Helena is a person that radiates joy and care. From the very first meeting on zoom, it was clear that she was going to be an important part of our child's birth. In the final trimester, she came to our house for some labor & delivery education twice, sessions that included practical practice on labor positioning, techniques my husband could use to keep me comfortable, and what the baby would be doing during delivery. Fast forward to the delivery room, she always seemed to know what I needed, whether it was white noise while I was in the tub, counter pressure during particularly intense surges, or pep talks when I'd been pushing for a while. My husband also relied on her a ton; it was our first child, so neither of us were really emotionally prepared for everything that would happen. Having Helena on our team made it so much easier.

As first time parents, my husband and I were eager to find a doula to help us through labor and delivery. We are so grateful to have found Helena. She was warm and nuturing throughout the entire process. It was so helpful to meet with her throughout my pregnancy as an extra source of support and guidance. Helena was a great resource to prepare for labor; she taught us different laboring positions and techniques leading up to my due date. Although I was open to using pain medication, I ended up not needing any during labor and delivery because of the support Helena provided. The birthing experience was more wonderful than I ever could have imagined... all thanks to Helena. Helena exceeded our expectations and listened carefully to our preferences - she gave us space once our daughter was delivered so we could enjoy those special moments between just the three of us. If you are looking for a passionate, kind, and knowledgable doula, I highly recommend Helena. If I am lucky enough to have more children, I will definitely seek Helena as our doula again.

Helena was amazing! As a new father, I can truly say that we couldn't have gone through the birth of our first child without her by our sides. She was so kind, thoughtful, and communicative through the whole process, from first meetings, through birth and postpartum visit. Her knowledge and expertise really showed when the day finally came to meet my daughter. She jumped into action and kept us on plan and on task, even small things like making sure we had ordered food for us. We were fortunate enough to be able to have followed our birth plan as expected and we attribute a lot of that to Helena. Thank you so much!

We had the opportunity to work with Helena for 5 weeks upon the arrival of our newborn (and first child) from  May - June of 2022.  Our only regret was that we did not secure a longer period with her as she was nothing but an absolute pleasure to partner with! We could not be more grateful for our time together with her as she took the time to really understand what we were looking for in a postpartum doula. She exceeded our expectations and did an amazing job communicating with us throughout the process. She was a huge help with all the things and did a phenomenal job looking after my wife alongside our son and myself. From nursing, swaddling, changing diapers, helping him get as much sleep as possible to helping us organize and clean up our son's stuff along with caring for our many plants...she really did it all! On top of all this were the copious notes that Helena dutifully kept and shared with us each morning helping us keep track of how our son was doing.  Most importantly, Helena did a great job integrating into our lives which was one of the most important things we were looking for. Attentive, understanding, patient and nurturing are some of the ways we'd describe Helena. To say we looked forward to her arrival each evening would be an understatement. Hiring Helena was a great investment for our sanity and well being. We're so happy to have found her and to have her be part of our family during our son's first month. Any family would be lucky to have her support!

We hired Helena as our postpartum doula for our second baby. She came about 3x a week for two months. In this time, she empowered me to be a better mom, helped me prioritize my basic needs, and was an excellent resource and advocate during that fourth trimester. I really struggled after my first with PPD and knew I needed someone to help me this time around. She was supportive, incredibly kind and very knowledgeable. She became someone I really trusted with my kids and someone I really enjoyed spending time with as well. She really did become like family to us - we already miss her so much! If you are wondering if having a postpartum doula is worth it, trust me it is and Helena makes the best postpartum partner!

We are first time parents and glad we choose Helena as our doula. She is well experienced and enjoys helping her clients. Helena spent time with us to understood what our needs are to start with and guided my wife and I in the final trimester. She helped us with the exercises and massages to cope well with the pain. Her pre labor visits were super helpful to us. She is always available and constantly checks on her clients. Helena is punctual, I am surprised and relieved to see her in the hospital within 30 mins after I informed that we got admitted in the hospital. She guided us very well throughout the labor, making proper use of things available at the hospital. Helena stayed with us in the hospital till we got shifted to post partum room. She not only took care of my wife but me as well by suggesting me to rest and keeping me well educated and not letting me panic in the labor room. I highly recommend Helena! She is awesome and takes very good care of her clients.

Helena was an amazing postpartum doula. She came into our lives at a difficult time — my husband and I were transitioning back to work right as our baby went through a sleep regression and right as my mom ended up in the hospital. The sleepless nights, the pressure to perform at work, and the stress over my mom’s health took a toll, and we decided we needed support. That’s when Helena arrived. From the moment she took our baby into her arms, I knew he’d be in the kindest, gentlest hands. Helena played with him, sang to him, walked with him, held him, hugged him, fed him, changed him, laughed with him — and even got him to nap, something we had been struggling with for weeks. Our little boy was in love with her, and so were we! She made us traditional Brazilian food, she helped with laundry, she organized his clothing, she gave us so many amazing baby care tips (from how to calm him to sleep to how to trim his nails), and she even let me cry on her shoulder when sleep-deprivation got the best of me. She’s a truly wonderful person, through and through. I’ve never met someone I’ve instantly liked so much and felt so comfortable with, and I would recommend her to anyone. She’s warm, reliable, smart, loving, gentle, organized, energetic, engaging, and a true gift to any family that hires her. I'll forever be grateful to her.

Helena was our birthing and post partum doula. As first time parents we experienced a range of emotions but Helena was there to give us information, teach us how to advocate for our wants and needs while in the hospital, and helped in calming our anxieties in the delivery room. She got us food and even took photos to help us document our intimate moments which we greatly appreciated. After our daughter was born we leaned on Helena to help us in navigating our newborn. We booked her for night shifts which allowed us to sleep and get over our initial fatigue while asking her all of the questions from basic to the complex in caring for our child. Helena went out of her way to ask probing questions of us and tailored her care to our needs while making everyone feel comfortable and at ease.  My only regret is that we didn't have her in our lives more often and we are sorry to see her go. I could not recommend her highly enough.

We used Helena as a postpartum doula for our twin boys and I only have wonderful things to say about her! Helena was fantastic in supporting our family and caring for our boys. She was punctual, attentive, thorough, and summarized the care. She even cleaned the bottles and organized the baby clothes. Highly recommend Helena!

My experience with Helena as a postpartum doula was wonderful and I would highly recommend her. She supported us on our first night home from the hospital and 2-3 nights a week for several weeks thereafter. She has a very calming demeanor that made both baby and parents feel at ease right away. Helena is a very compassionate and caring person, always letting our son know before picking him up and then doing so slowly and gently. As a result, our son was very comfortable in her arms from day one. Helena took wonderful care not just of my son, but of me as well. She always noticed when I was feeling off and would figure out how to best support me - whether that was to provide a listening ear, a hug, or to take the baby and help me get some rest. She always offered me snacks and drinks throughout the night to fuel the many feedings in the first few weeks and often prepared a simple breakfast for me before leaving in the morning. Our whole family felt supported by Helena and we looked forward to the nights when we knew she'd be arriving. She taught my mom how to bottle feed, recognize hungry cues, and soothe my son so that my mom could better support me on days & nights when Helena wasn't there. She even made a special birthday decoration for our daughter's second birthday, which was so thoughtful! We were fortunate enough to get to know Helena even better when she agreed to travel with us to California to support us for a long weekend while we attended an important family event. It was a first for both of us, and I really appreciated how flexible she was with us and how openly we were able to communicate about expectations and duties while traveling. I would highly recommend Helena for both day time and night time support.

Helena is a joy to work with. Not only was she amazing with our baby boy, but she also went above and beyond to make sure my wife and I felt comfortable. She's a great listener but also knows the right suggestions to give us to help calm and soothe our little one. Where I often struggled to calm our baby when he was fussy, he just seemed to melt in her arms. Every night she came over, my wife and I were able to get great rest and wake up feeling refreshed. Helena also has a wonderful personality and is so easy to get along with. I can't recommend her enough for your next doula!

Helena made me feel really comfortable during my postpartum. On the first day, her consideration for little things like making sure I had water/snacks near me during nursing/pumping to checking with us if we need anything from grocery/pharmacy during her drive here made me feel really supported. She is great with the baby and plays with her and feeds her and makes her sleep easily. Meanwhile she helps with the laundry and the bottles too. I would love to have her again to help us.

Helena was a valuable presence during the birth of our daugher. She provided very helpful information prior to the birth to help us prepare and was there for us during the entire birthing time. She counted contractions and helped with whatever needed to be tended to so that my partner could focus on supporting me. She seemed to have an intuition about when to step in and when to give space, which made her presnece very natural and helpful. She also took beautiful photographs during the birht that we will cherish forever! We are very grateful that she was part of our birth experience.

My husband and I had our first baby in August this year. I had a lot of anxiety about the birthing process going into the last trimester of my pregnancy. Having had two previous miscarriages, I felt nervous about how things would go once we were in labor and things were getting moving. We had interviewed 5 or 6 other doulas, all of whom seemed like nice, qualified people, but Helena stood out to us immediately. I am at times awkward meeting new people, but both my husband and I felt immediately at ease with Helena. Though there were some whom we talked with with more extensive experience, we knew right away that she was the right personal fit for us.Through the whole rest of the pregnancy and delivery, she proved a huge support for us. Although we got thrown a curveball at week 37- we moved from talking about labor to the reality that we would have to have a scheduled c-section because of a footling breech presentation- Helena was with us the whole way. She had lots of informational and personal support to offer us, attended multiple external cephalic versions with us, was very flexible with her schedule and heavily researched anything new to her. Her warmth and calm helped me move through a change in situation I initially felt would be disappointing and her presence helped to ease the pressure for both my husband and I. Her positivity, attentiveness and interest in providing parents with the best support possible helped us to focus on the process of bringing our daughter into the world and let go of all our worries. On top of all that, she took some really wonderful photos of our daughter being delivered. In a time period where family is often not able to be present, having Helena with us was the best possible second. She brought with her knowledge and kindness. She made us feel like family, and we couldn’t have been more happy to have her be the first person (other than our doctors) our baby met in the world. Thank you, Helena!

Helena is amazing! I honestly didn't think that we would find a doula that would be a good fit but then we found Helena. She is caring, knowledgeable, flexible, attentive, and fullly engaged in supporting our family throughout the birthing experience. She was a huge help in preparing us as first time parents for all aspects of our labor and birth. We feel lucky to have been able to work with her and really appreciate how supportive she was as we began our new journey as parents. If you are looking for a doula, Helena is the right one for you. :)

My husband and I had our first son in July/2019, and because we were so inexperienced, we were debating if having a support person during the birth would be necessary. Getting closer to my due date, anxiety started kicking in then we were sure we needed an extra pair of hands helping us in the delivery room. So that’s how we decided to ask Helena if she would be interested in helping us on such a special and intensive day, given her previous experiences in Brazil and the fact that she is the most loving and caring person we know. She said yes right away. In the following weeks, she met with us in our home and helped me write my birth plan. She gave us so much guidance in preparing for birth and motherhood while helping us stay calm and feel confident thru the last stages of my pregnancy. Once in the hospital, she was always advocating for ourselves and making sure I got access to each and every resource available, assuring we were going thru labor the most efficient and comfortable way possible. She was 100% present, giving us support every step of the way. Helena was fundamental during the hours I was in labor helping us in every aspect, from our wellbeing, making sure we were eating and drinking, to communicating with our relatives keeping them informed of what was happening in the delivery room. She even took amazing pictures of us and made sure I looked my best in every click. After the birth, she was constantly checking in to see how we were doing and giving us tremendous support on my postpartum months. We are truly thankful for all the amazing work Helena did and would recommend her to anyone. Her care, support, and genuine heart were fundamental in order to always remember this stage of our lives as beautiful, special, and meaningful. We can’t wait to have her with us on the birth of our second baby!