Michelle Backen

Michelle is simply incredible. My goal from the start for this pregnancy (my first) was to achieve a natural, unmedicated birth. I can say with absolute certainty that Michelle's support, calming presence, and active involvement in labor was ESSENTIAL in achieving that goal. She was perhaps the single most important external factor in having the birth experience I wanted. She has the most calming and centered presence of anyone we've ever met, with a confidence and depth of knowledge that is flat-out impressive. Throughout our prenatal visits, she took great care to get to know both me and my husband, our desires for labor, and what we would need from her. She helped us put our desires into words with our birth plan and prepare for what to expect at the hospital. She was always incredibly responsive and always punctual, right up to the big day. During a painful early labor, she was instantly available over the phone for help with suggestions to ease the discomfort. She helped us decide when to head to the hospital, and she even beat us there, waiting for us at labor & delivery. I CANNOT emphasize enough how helpful and important her presence was during labor. She guided me through transition by helping me find my mantra that kept me in the zone. Most significant of all was her help during pushing. My pushing had stalled out with some horrible leg cramps and I was getting frustrated. Michelle got me into a position we never would have considered without her - a push/pull position using a rebozo scarf wrapped around a squat bar, while my husband massaged my legs with a lacrosse ball (that she brought). This relieved the pain and got everything moving. Shortly after that, my son was born! I wish I had more than 2,000 characters to write this review. I could write 20,000 or more about what a great doula Michelle is. Set up an interview with her right now! You won't regret it!

I cannot possibly recommend Michelle enough; my husband and I both agree that she was the best money we spent during my entire pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum time. I was in early labor for about 2.5 weeks, and it was beyond helpful to have Michelle available on call to help navigate those signs, as well as the emotions that came with so many physical ups and downs in the final weeks of my pregnancy. She was so calming, knowledgeable, and reassuring. I felt such a sense of peace and confidence in my body's ability to handle labor and delivery, after every conversation with her. She was always available, including for 2am calls about surprise symptoms the night before my water broke, and was always checking in after each OB appointment she knew I had. I went into the hospital feeling confident knowing I would have her as an advocate for me there, and that she truly understood my wishes. During labor at the hospital, she enabled me to have the experience I wanted. I was able to labor in the bathtub for over an hour in such a natural and calming environment, and she was so quick and proactive to help suggest coping techniques and when I didn't know how to keep going. When I did finally ask for the epidural there were no questions asked, and she got the process started with the nurse on that right away. I so appreciated her balance of encouraging me that my body could handle this, but also supporting any decisions I made during labor. As soon as baby boy was out she helped with breastfeeding, which I think got us off on such a good foot. Michelle came to our house twice after the birth to help with breastfeeding and process my birth experience, and both of those visits were so healing for me. I truly believe Michelle was the key to my positive labor and delivery experience, that I will forever remember as a beautiful time, and I will be grateful for that for the rest of my life.

Michelle was the perfect addition to our birth team! She helped me and my partner feel empowered through the whole birth process, even when things did not go according to my hopes, she helped us weigh options and make informed decisions. Her calm, consistent presence throughout the process was so helpful in keeping me grounded and reminding me that my body was made to birth my baby. She is an amazing doula and I definitely plan to work with her again if we choose to further expand our family!

Michelle was the perfect addition to our birth team! She helped me and my partner feel empowered through the whole birth process, even when things did not go according to my hopes, she helped us weigh options and make informed decisions. Her calm, consistent presence throughout the process was so helpful in keeping me grounded and reminding me that my body was made to birth my baby. She is an amazing doula and I definitely plan to work with her again if we choose to further expand our family!

Working with Michelle felt like a friend was there to help us through the final months of our pregnancy, labor and delivery. From the beginning of our working together, Michelle was very communicative, checking in on a regular basis until our first scheduled in-person meeting. Michelle listened to our thoughts and wishes for our birth plan and provided suggestions or information based on her knowledge and experience, but was never pushy. When our guess (due) date came and went and we had to schedule an induction, Michelle made it a point to schedule extra time to meet with us to discuss changes to our birth plan, and provide tips, tricks and positioning to see if we could get labor to begin naturally. She always made herself available for questions, even late in the evening/early in the morning. The day of our induction, Michelle was checking in regularly with us, and spent 14 hours at the hospital with us, through labor and a few hours after our son was born. Again, Michelle helped provide us with information and suggestions based on her experience and additionally was a huge source of support for my husband. She made sure we were eating, drinking and resting when we could. Michelle was always well timed with an encouraging word or suggestion and helped make our entire birth experience exactly what we were hoping for. We could not imagine going through this labor and delivery experience without the help of Michelle and would highly recommend her!

We are truly grateful to Michelle for helping us have a wonderful birth experience. She took the time to get to know us and our desires for the birth, and was open-minded about supporting the experience that we wanted to have. She also provided resources during my pregnancy on things like dealing with nausea and finding good prenatal workouts. On the big day, she went above and beyond, meeting us at the hospital before labor had kicked off because I thought my water may have broken. At the hospital, she asked the right questions so I could go back home with ideas for getting labor moving. Then, she provided guidance to make sure we got back to the hospital at the right time. Overall, she was a calming and peaceful presence. She anticipated my needs while I was in labor and clearly had a wealth of experience to ensure we made informed decisions. After we went home with baby, Michelle visited twice and continued to provide really essential support. We talked about everything from dealing with painful latches to postpartum anxiety. She also gave us detailed notes and beautiful photos from the birth. I am so glad we found Michelle, and plan on recommending her to friends who are looking for a doula.

We had a wonderful experience working with Michelle as our doula, and we would highly recommend her to anyone looking to hire a doula!  Michelle was extremely helpful throughout the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences, and I am so grateful we had her on our team.  Even though this was my second pregnancy, the resources and information that she shared at our prenatal meetings were so helpful in preparing for birth and thinking through our birth preferences.  When we learned that we would need to schedule an induction at 38 weeks, Michelle was flexible in adjusting the schedule of our prenatal meetings and helped us to mentally prepare for an induction. Throughout my labor, Michelle brought a sense of calming, peace, and support which was just what I had been hoping for in my doula and in my overall birth experience.  She helped to suggest different positions to labor in, which seemed to help keep my labor progressing, and also made sure we took time to rest when possible.  I was hoping to have an unmedicated hospital birth, and with Michelle’s support I was able to have that experience. I am also so appreciative of the postpartum support that Michelle was able to offer to us, especially the in-person support with breastfeeding, debriefing my labor and delivery (and sharing amazing photos), and responding to questions and sharing resources over text.  Overall, Michelle’s support was invaluable and helped contribute to a positive birth experience.  If we have a third child, I wouldn’t hesitate to hire Michelle and Erin again.

Michelle was a wonderful resource for us with the birth of our first baby. It was such a comfort to know we had someone on our side, there to help us work through decisions, and someone who could spend much more time with us than our medical care providers. She helped us find ways to stand up for our values and pursue our best experience, and she gave us the tools we needed to prepare for birth and navigate each stage of it. We would have felt lost without her!

My husband and I were on the fence of hiring a doula. We didn’t know if we needed one or would want a complete stranger with us during our first child birth. It definitely was the right choice! We are both so thankful and relieved we chose Michelle to be with us during this time. I found Michelle on DoulaMatch and after our first consultation via Zoom I knew she would be a good fit. Her calm, supportive, and caring personality was exactly what we needed. Like most birthing stories, it did not go as planned. I ended up needing to be induced, with other complications leading to bed rest and only allowed to lay on my right side. I remember how discouraged I was knowing that our doula was coming and all I could do was just lay there, thinking it was such a waste of her time and our money. All of this worry and stress vanished as soon as Michelle got to the hospital. Her presence was so comforting that I felt better immediately. We did different maneuvers to where I eventually could move around and stand again! Such a relief! We had wonderful conversations that were a great distraction, she ordered food for us and my husband was able to go off and take breaks as needed. She never left my side, and she did it in a way where she was present when I needed her but also at a distance where I didn’t feel overwhelmed. She was very supportive of my husband and helped him take care of me. I know he was very thankful she was there as it took the pressure off of him and he was able to be present without worrying if he was doing it “right” or “wrong”. She took photos throughout and kept notes of everything that took place, keeping track of what procedures were done at what time. Nice to have an outline of the birthing process, as it’s easy to forget what all happened in those 36 hours of labor. If you’re on the fence like we were, hire Michelle. You won’t regret it! :)

We are so grateful for Michelle! I know my words won't do her justice because she really is truly wonderful! But I'll try. We were pregnant with our first baby and interviewed a few doulas but decided to work with Michelle because we felt a calming presence with her that made us feel very comfortable. We had a lot of anxiety about the first baby and Michelle was so empathetic and knowledgeable and non-judgmental; she took the time and care to answer our all questions, send us resources, and check in on how both me and my husband were doing in the weeks leading up to our due date. Nothing about our labor experience went how we were expecting (should have figured that!). Baby was 10 days past his due date and Michelle helped us navigate all the stress and anticipation that came with that. She reminded us to focus on self care and gave us some stretches/exercises we could do to try to encourage labor. We decided to induce on day 10, and encountered some complications and challenges with labor and delivery. We couldn't have done it without Michelle! She provided immense support during the unexpected complications and the tools/resources she had provided us before really helped us feel more comfortable in our decision making when it was game time. Michelle continued to check in on us after we got home from the hospital and hit a few more hiccups. She was there for us with more resources and emotional support in processing the eventful labor. She also documented our delivery experience with photos and a detailed timeline, which was such a treasure to have afterward since it felt like such a whirlwind at the time! I could go on! But really, Michelle is so genuine, knowledgeable, and kind, and it was such a blessing for her to be a part of our experience. We will definitely choose to work with Michelle again for our next pregnancy, and cannot recommend her enough!

We weren't sure about hiring a doula at first, but decided that for our first birth the support would probably be helpful. It turns out the support was essential. My labor was about 32 hours and took place over two nights with a 20-ish hour stall during the day. It was a huge relief having Erin as a backup since we ended up needing her to come to the birth center for the first night while Michelle rested from another client. Both her and Erin provided me with mental and physical support during all stages of labor. I can confidently say I would not have had the birth I planned for without their help. We also very much enjoyed and valued the postpartum visits and advice. We felt very supported as we made the transition to a family of 3. We will absolutely be using them for our next birth! Thank you Erin and Michelle!

Going into my first birth experience hoping for an unmedicated birth I knew I needed to hire a doula. When I met Michelle we clicked instantly and she made me feel comfortable and open to share/ask any questions I had. She is personable and has such a sweet, calming presence. After she came to meet my husband we knew that we had made the right choice. She provided support throughout the weeks leading up to my son's birth and would check in on me and provide info that I needed. She coached my husband through what to do while I was still in early labor at home and met us at the birth center. She was present and hands on. She was everything I needed to get through such an intense experience! She was comforting and so knowledgeable about how to keep my labor progressing with different positions but also knew when I need to just rest/relax through contractions. I can confidently say my birth experience was positive and I felt I remained as calm as possible because of her. I couldn't have done it without her! I would recommend Michelle to anyone and everyone! She is amazing :)

We were expecting in the first weeks of February 2022 but low and behold our 2nd baby decided he was on his way and we had him in the last week of January. In anticipation of this baby we started looking for a dula early. During our first pregnancy we decided to look into having a dula but were suggesting to get a dula in training. This turned out to be a blessing as she was a great help. So second time around we started to look into dulas early on. We came across Michelle and desided to send her an email. With that we began the process of having Michelle work wth us to be there for the birth of our son. Now I have to touch on the unprecedented times we are in with COVID, video conferences and social distancing being the norm. We still were able to video chat with Michelle but everyone in our household ended up getting COVID which prevented Michelle from coming to meet us face to face. Instead the first time we actually got to meet her was during labor. Thank goodness Michelle took alot of good notes during our video call and was well prepared when she arrived at the hospital. Oh I have to also mention that our plannd hospital was full and we were rerouted to another one at 240am so on the fly we had to update Michelle of the change as we were driving. After we arrive at the hospital with a few mins Michelle arrive. She was awesome tending to our needs and make sure our birth when off without a hitch. She played a key role in the birth of out son. If we ever need the services of a dula again we would definitely look to having Michelle with us. Lastly we would recommend her to anyone looking to have a dula assisting in the birth of their child. She was kind, informative and all around a great person to have with us in the moments you need that person with experience to guild you in the birthing process. I hope our store helps you in making a decision to have a dula and someone like Michelle would be a great person to have at your side as well.

We had a 10 out of 10 experience with Michelle. She is so naturally caring and devoted to her career. Her genuineness, calm demeanor, soothing voice, and flexibility were all we were looking for. She answered many questions, provided support in person with visuals, handouts, and hands-on examples of things we would practice and do. I would recommend Michelle to ANYONE. She came ready to the hospital with EVERYTHING that we both needed. I do not regret hiring her through our first birth experience. She made it memorable and I will never forget her level of support for the both of us.

My husband and I had the most wonderful experience with Michelle as our doula! We honestly can't say enough good things about her. She was so open, kind, supportive and understanding from the moment we met her. We first met on a Zoom call in which she explained her process about working with birthing families. She was super knowledgeable and helped us feel really informed about what it looks like to work with a doula. Our next visit was in person (in our home!) and Michelle gave us an even more in depth picture of her process and the kinds of support she could offer us. She asked us about what our ideal birth looked like, what our goals were, and how we hoped she could support us during labor and birth. We appreciated Michelle's intentionality with these things prior to birth because it helped us prepare and know that we were all on the same page. When labor day came, Michelle was available to talk and text as much as needed. She met us at the birth center right when we needed her and stayed with us for the remainder of active labor. My labor ended up being super long (46 hours) and included a hospital transfer and C-section. Michelle was with us for every bit of it, and we so needed her to stay calm and hopeful as things continued changing. She was a constant support through contractions, providing counter pressure whenever I needed it. She was tireless throughout my long labor and stayed positive through every turn. She listened as I cried and helped my husband and I make informed decisions as labor progressed. I truly believe that I was able to handle all the unexpected events and trials of labor due to Michelle's presence. My husband and I would recommend Michelle to ANYONE looking for a supportive, caring and trustworthy doula for your birth. You won't regret choosing her! She is wonderful.