Montgomery, Isabelle

My husband and I are so incredibly grateful we found Isabelle!  After a very traumatic birth experience with my first baby I knew I needed more support and preparation for my second baby's birth.  Isabelle provided all of that and more.  She gave us so many resources that helped us to feel prepared.  Looking back, that was absolutely essential in helping my pregnancy be a healthy one as I was so much less stressed and nervous about my labor and delivery experience.  Isabelle helped me cultivate my perfect birth plan and several back up plans as well.  During my actual labor experience she was pivotal in keeping my spirits up and helping me cope with the pain.  She helped my husband have a more hands on role as well, he was much more involved in helping me through each contraction and I felt so much more connected to him through the whole experience than I did with my first baby when my husband didn’t know what to do and could only watch helplessly.  Everything about this labor and delivery experience was everything I’d ever hoped it could be.  I did get an epidural and even then Isabelle’s presence was still absolutely essential.  I would recommend that anyone planning to have a medicated birth still hire Isabelle as their doula, she was right there with crucial medical knowledge and knew how to help me cope with the pain of getting an epidural and pushing my baby out while being numb.  Her knowledge, expertise, and comforting presence resulted in my dream birth becoming a reality.  Thank you, Isabelle!

Isabelle was amazing from interviewing through post partum. When I say she went the extra mile in all things, here are a few examples. First, she took the time to become VBAC certified. That meant a lot to me because it was a positive experience with a VBAC that I was seeking. Second, she provided so many valuable educational resources  on birth and her opinions were always professional and kind. Third, during early labor and after my call to her, she came within her timeframe she promised in her contract and was extremely respectful of my voice on what comfort measures worked and didn't. She was an essential support on my birth team! She was hands on the entire 4 hours she was with me, constantly helped make sure I was comfortable (as much as you can be during labor), reminded me to breathe, gave encouragement, reminded me and others of the birth plan when needed, and even helped make sure to keep me hydrated during active labor. She stayed through delivery of the placenta and even for a little while after to make sure I was comfortable before taking her leave. She loves and cares for her clients! You see and feel that. She contributed to the entire experience at our birth center birth and I'm so grateful she was part of my birth team ??

Isabelle is an amazing Doula! If I have anymore babies, I will use her again and again. She is such a calming presence with an amazing empathetic and loving demeanor. My goals for this birth were 1) to see what my body was capable of since my other births involved induction (ie. labor at home, avoid induction and pain medication if possible, etc.) And 2) utilize Energy work and eastern ideas to create an energetic and spiritual experience. Both were achieved and Isabelle is largely to thank for that! All the prenatal visits helped me, my husband, and Isabelle get on the same page with all of our expectations and goals. Everything Isabelle offered and walked us through created peace of mind knowing she understood what kind of birth I was hoping to have. This was a huge load off knowing she held space for it, respected it, and saw a path forward to achieve it so I could focus on enjoying the process of pregnancy. My birth ended up being abrupt and fast. Isabelle was there to offer her calming presence, a lot of counter pressure, and beautiful items to add to the ambient and calm decor I brought with me to the hospital. Her attention to detail and thoughtfulness is amazing. I appreciate everything she offered and am so grateful I found her! She was the perfect fit for this birth!

I could not be more grateful for Isabelle. She is the most thoughtful and caring person. She's always one step ahead and takes care of the biggest and the smallest tasks to make things more comfortable for mama and baby. I am constantly impressed by her knowledge and heavily trust her advice. Isabelle is so passionate about helping mothers and her actions clearly show it. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, caring, and reliable doula, I absolutely would recommend Isabelle. It was an honor to have her be a part of my birth.

I can’t imagine going through pregnancy and birth without Isabelle’s amazing support! My husband and I went back and forth about hiring a doula, and I’m so glad we decided to hire Isabelle—she was 100% worth it. Isabelle went above and beyond in every way imaginable. One of the most important things to me in a doula was flexibility—I didn’t want to be pressured into any sort of birth plan. I was planning to have an unmedicated birth, but wanted a doula who would support me if I decided to change plans, and Isabelle did just that. She provided the perfect balance of both supporting me in my birth preferences and giving me resources and guidance when I wasn’t sure what my preferences were. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at seven months pregnant and had to schedule a 37-week induction, and I was feeling super disappointed and discouraged. Isabelle validated my feelings and also helped me realize that a lot of my wishes for my birth were still possible. Then when my water broke unexpectedly at 36 weeks, she supported me through 3 hours of very intense labor. There were so many times during my birthing time that I said “I can’t do it” but each time Isabelle was there to say “you ARE doing it!” Throughout it all, she guided me to trust my body and was the positive and calming presence that my partner and I needed! She was truly like a friend to me as I started my journey into motherhood. If you want an empowering pregnancy and birth that you can look back on and smile at, then trust me: you want Isabelle on your birth team!

I will forever be grateful for the presence of Isabelle during my labor and delivery experience. I truly feel as though she is one of my earth angels. Leading up to delivery she helped me define what it was I wanted from my birth experience and I got exactly that. She also made sure to help my husband before I went into labor  teaching him different techniques with rebozo as well as counter pressure. I had planned and prepared to deliver at a birth center but due to baby’s positioning and heart rate we had to do a very last minute transfer to the hospital (I was already pushing as we were transferring). Thanks to Isabelle and the rest of my birth team what could have been an extremely stressful and scary situation became a huge part of what I loved most about my delivery. As we were packing up to head to the hospital Isabelle reassured me that she had all of my birth preferences and birth plan ready to go to relay to the hospital staff and she’d be with me every step of the way. My husband had to drop me off at the entrance of the hospital and Isabelle took me upstairs and inside to my room  literally holding me up as I was having contractions and pushing. During my labor it was like she could sense what I needed right when I needed it , whether it was counter pressure, words of encouragement, finding an oil for me to smell or all of them at once. I truly could not have been more happy with having Isabelle as my doula. She made it so my one and only focus was connecting with my baby and birthing him safely and took care of literally everything else. What a blessing.

Isabelle was amazing during my pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey.She is amazing with counter preassure and it was used for all my contractions. She was helpful to remind me of changing positions and gave position options every time to see if I'd like to try any. She offered other comfort things as well for inbetween contractions.She is detail oriented and everytime I began to tense up (when I didn't know I was) she would remind me to relax and how to breathe again. She watches for subtle cues and is quick to respond in any situation.She makes you feel empowered and strong, like you can take the world on. She uses affirmations when needed and reminds you that you can do it as well as checking to make sure you're doing well mentally.During my postpartum she made sure we had everything we needed and has always been a phone call away. She was a great person to have on my team and was also a great friend through it all. If I plan to expand my family once more im sure I will be calling her again.