Anna Hourihan

We have a baby who was and is so, so loved and cared for by Anna. As first time human-parents with no family nearby, we were so lucky to have Anna support and empower us for the first few weeks of our life as a family. She was there the second night we got home from the hospital (and would have been there the first if we'd asked!) and was steady, compassionate, encyclopedically informed, and intuitive about our baby's needs (and mine, too). She took care of me postpartum, guided me through both a mastitis and a thrush diagnosis, helped us with an unthinkable number of things ranging from: car seat  fit and inserts, latching and pumping and combo feeding support, baby's first bath, sleep habits, baby wearing (!!), and cloth diapering... she was there for all of my middle of the night (and late night, and early morning) questions and typed up the answers to send me the next day so I could reference them. She introduced us to side-lying feeding at night which we still do to this day. Above all she helped us be present to bond with our baby. She did this by modeling it, but also by allowing us the time and space to be with him while she took care of organizing and cleaning pump parts and baby things, and helping us sleep so that we could be more present while awake. Working with Anna was such a gift, and she really set us up to be the parents we are today. When I snuggle my contented kid, I see Anna's influence! -- both by helping us become more confident and competent parents, and by being a secure and loving presence in our child's life. Anna is incredible. Bonus: if you work with her, you get to know a wonderful human in addition to having the best doula support you could ask for.

We cannot recommend Anna enough. She fit seamlessly into our family. I particularly appreciate Anna's style of how she interacts with the families she works with. She really let me decide how and when I wanted her help all while remaining so flexible and compassionate. If you are on the fence about having a doula, don't be, Anna gave us peace of mind and just an overall break so we could really enjoy the beginning of parenthood. We plan to use her again when we have our second child and are excited to have her back in our home. Thank you Anna, we are forever grateful. ??

Anna helped us out with our infant baby from weeks 2-9 (2024). We are so grateful to have her support in those early days. Privately we dubbed her the Baby Whisperer: Anna could soothe baby far more quickly than we could, immediately upon meeting him. Baby L is our second child, our first is a 6yo., and Anna was wonderful with our older child, too. At the start of each visit she'd ask about what we need help with that day. At the end of each visit she would summarize what was accomplished so we were fully in the loop. She checked in along the way, had thoughtful questions and suggestions at each visit. She also had many tips re: baby care logistics, knew about products to suggest (but never pressured/pushed any purchase). I appreciated her honesty so much: she shared her thoughts - pros and cons - for products or approaches, and was knowledgeable on varying perspectives so that we could make our own choices. She took great care of me (postpartum mom), too: she always checked on me to see how I am doing, made room for conversations. She would gently suggest that I take naps to recharge, but also offered baby snuggle time if that was what I needed. Anna has loads of lactation support knowledge. Nursing/pumping was the hardest of my postpartum journey. When I mentioned passing that I really loved a particular hands-free pump that I no longer own, she found one that was being donated so I could have one again. She also helped out with a project I dreaded: sorting out boxes of baby clothes for keep/donate/recycle based on the season and our baby's growth. She did all this efficiently without compromising her primary duties. Through it all, she was a rock for those frazzled, early days of having a new baby. Too bad that we didn't get to work with her when we had our first child! Anna is a gem and I highly recommend her work. We're so grateful to meet her and receive her support.

Choosing to work with Anna for our postpartum months was the best decision we ever could have made. Anna was present and available for our family to build a sense of safety even before our baby arrived. She has an authenticity, warmth, and just "gets it" vibe about her- this means that she's always ready to give you some really helpful infancy/early childhood/feeding tips in an educational/informative way, or she's ready to listen and hold you as you feel big feelings...OR she's ready to chop up veggies so you can rest your body and feed your baby. Anna is wonderful. Did I say that Anna is wonderful? She's wonderful! Anna is communicative and flexible and is also ready to talk you through 11 pm panic moments (ie. omg I think my milk is low, what do I do?!) She meets you where you are at, always. In those early days, when everything is new and intense, everyone needs an Anna in their corner. Thank you, Anna. Your presence created a loving imprint for our little family.

We hired Anna to provide postpartum support following the birth of our second child. We chose to work with Anna because of her warm and understanding demeanor, her early childhood teaching experience (and thus knowledge of child development), her knowledge of babies and toddlers and sibling dynamics (she has littles of her own), and her flexibility to assist with a variety of baby-care and mother-care needs. We cannot say enough about Anna; she was an absolute godsend! Our toddler took to her immediately and she was quickly a trusted person in our household. She stepped in after my spouse went back to work and helped me recover physically and emotionally from the second birth pretty quickly. She coached me on integrating a second child while being gentle and understanding with my first. She brought so much care and nourishment to our home - making family meals and helping with laundry, even helping me move around small furniture to update our tight quarters. It is fair to say that she is an important part of our family memories now! We appreciate Anna so much for all the patience, understanding, and pure love that she brought into our little home. We have appreciated her loving support, and any family expecting a new addition would be lucky to have her as a doula. ??

Anna was a Godsend after the birth of my second. I had experienced post partum anxiety with my first son and knew I needed someone calm and steady to keep me company in the first few weeks after birth. Anna stepped in and filled all of our gaps - sometimes it was cleaning, sometimes keeping my oldest entertained, and sometimes it was just sitting and talking. Her knowledge and empathy helped make breastfeeding and the transition to two kids easier. Her openness about her own experience helped me identify and get help with a health issue I wouldn't have known to get help for otherwise. I can't recommend her enough!

Hiring Anna has hands down been the best decision we could have made for our family as we welcomed our third child. With two active boys ages 2 and 5 plus a newborn, there is no way we would have gotten through the first few months as a family of 5 without her support. Every time Anna walked into the chaos of our house, she brought a positive warmth that made it all feel manageable again. She would quickly assess where we were at as a family and seamlessly jump in to fill the gaps. Mountains of laundry started, snacks made for the big kids, bottles fed to the baby, listening to mom work through the current challenges and offering guidance and support… whatever it is she’s able to adapt to the needs of your family at any moment and bring a warmth, competence and completely judgement free approach. In particular, Anna excels at helping the big kids work through the changes and supporting the parents in navigating the big feelings that come up with a new baby. I feel so grateful we have had Anna’s support over the past few months and credit her with helping us move through this transition with less stress and chaos.

Anna was amazing! From answering questions to guidance on wraps, she does it all. She brings a warm, gentle approach to doulaing. Some days we spent our sessions just talking about the struggles of being a new parent, other days she did basic house choirs while we napped. I cannot recommend Anna more. We would have been lost without her.

Anna worked with me after the birth of my 2nd child. She helped me figure out the best ways to be gentle with my body after a c section: from how to get in and out of bed, to finding creative ways for my older one to get in and out of the bath and a kitchen chair without me lifting him. She was also helpful in normalizing the reactions of my older one to the new sibling and helped us prioritize daily 'special time' with the older one. Anna helped me figure out some different ways of baby wearing and went on our first walk around the block with us. And so importantly, she enabled us to get rest in those early days, putting the baby in her wrap and helping to tidy our space while I got sleep. Anna helped us think through a realistic pumping/feeding plan for the baby when it felt impossible. She was ready and willing to help us wherever it was most needed, and we're really glad for it.

First time mum here! From overseas, so no family around! This made finding postpartum support super important. I found Anna via fb and was quickly struck by how highly she came recommended. I was only starting to contemplate doula care but after 30mins on the phone with Anna, I was already sure I wanted her help! Sure enough, after a month, I am now hoping she'll consider caring for our son when he’s older! Here are things Anna did: pet care; cooking; laundry & dishes (general house upkeep); baby care (diapers, bath, etc); knowledge-sharing, troubleshooting & education (especially info about/troubleshooting breastfeeding); groceries/errands; baby equipment set-up & demo (I had NO idea how to use a breast pump or baby carrier!); moral support & resource sharing (she has a wealth of resources and never fails to follow-through). Here are things to know about Anna: she's an amazing cook—made many healthy, delicious meals that kept us sane & nourished; she is “naturally good” with kids but also a trained professional; she is herself a parent so “gets it”; talking to her about ANYTHING is easy..she’s a great listener, super considerate, and is wonderful about troubleshooting/offering different advice & perspectives; she’s a quick thinker & adaptable; she’s generous & kind; she’s warm & makes you feel at ease; she anticipates and considers your needs based on your situation; she is incredibly encouraging. I always felt so confident after her visits! We saw Anna twice a week for 5 weeks, and it was the perfect amount of time to get us on our feet. By the end, she had set us up so well for success. I can’t emphasize enough how good Anna is at her job, and what a delightful person she is to have around. She has a natural instinct for knowing EXACTLY how to help. I truly can’t imagine how we would have survived our 4th trimester without her.

Everyone needs a doula, and everyone deserves a doula like Anna.   Hiring her after the birth of my second child made the biggest difference in why my postpartum experience was much easier this time around. I have cried on her shoulder, my baby has peed on her, and my toddler has talked to her about poop. She is completely unfazed. An actual text I sent my spouse when he checked in from the office reads: "Anna days are the best days. The kitchen is clean, the dishes are done, the laundry is folded, the kids' laundry is away, the baby is asleep, and I am showered. AND I have good ideas about how to manage the toddler's newest behavior challenge."

Anna was the most amazing post-partum doula we could have dreamed of for our first child. From the moment we got home from the hospital, she was always there for us, providing virtually any type of assistance that we needed. Whether it was caring for our baby boy, tidying up around the house, providing valuable feeding tips, or just being a shoulder to lean on during tough times, we knew we could trust and rely on Anna. Anna has extensive knowledge of babycare which was invaluable to us. As new parents, we learned practically everything from her, from diapering, feeding, babywearing to a variety of baby-soothing techniques. She also always has great recommendations for anything baby-care related, from IBCLCs to great baby products. Anna cares immensely about the parents' wellbeing as well. Besides letting us rest while she is at our home, she also has great suggestions on how to get more rest and get other support. Anna is extremely empathetic and kind. There were many complex emotions in the early days of becoming a mom, and I always felt comfortable sharing those with her. She is a great listener, and also always has intelligent things to say. The only difficult part of the process was saying good-bye when our time was up! We are forever grateful for Anna's kindness, helpfulness, empathy and hands-on support during the entire time that we worked with her. We would highly recommend that future mothers hire Anna to help support the entire household!

I loved having Anna as my post-partum doula. I actually started with another doula, and Anna had originally come in as a substitute, but I soon switched to Anna as my primary doula. When she came in she was immediately, warm and comforting. Anna was happy to help with anything, like dishes, meal prep, laundry, just watching the babies as I napped. She even came in when I had a stomach bug and took care of me while I was sick, this is something that never happens when you are a mother! She got to know me and my two sons very well, and related to my struggles with dealing with two that made me feel seen and heard, and never judged.  Her years of working in child care have given her the skill set to efficiently deal with the babies (such as diaper changes, feedings etc)and then tend to the mom. You can also tell that even after all these years in child care she still loves it. You should hire Anna.

Anna was my post-partum doula for my third birth. When our latest arrived, we had a 4 year old and a 2 year old. My 2 year old had a freak backyard accident and was admitted to the hopsital with a skull fracture when I was 39 weeks pregnant. My husband spent the week with him while I held down the fort at home and traveled back and forth to the hospital. Anna was AMAZINGLY supportive for our family during this time. She helped cover childcare, meals, transportation and more and really looked out for our emotional well-being. She visited me in the hospital to sit with me and my 2 year old so my husband could shower and take a break. She helped me process and seek resources to process the anxiety about bringing a new baby in during an upheaval. She was a LIFELINE. Fortunately, baby #3 held off til 41 weeks and our 2 year old was home for a week before he became a big brother. It will still a big transition for the middle kid, and Anna worked with us a TON on that. She helped with childcare, she helped me process the transition and mom guilt stuff related to siblings and new babies, she came over to be an extra set of adult hands to help with the chaos of early evenings during those early days. MOST HELPFULLY and not to be understated, she helped my husband and I work out how to strucutre her time with us to get us the support we needed (some sleep, some downtime, some special kid time). She is a super helpful babywearing expert. And we also had some early feeding issues that Anna worked on with us by listening, supporting, problem-solving, referring out to great resources, and helping me to organize and implement my plan for addressing them. Anna is kind, knowledgable, and not afraid to jump in. Her combination of intelligence, curiousity, helpfulness, empathy, and practical support makers her THE BEST kind of postpartum helper and I recommend her to everyone!