Testimonials

We are so grateful to share these positive doula testimonials from our past clients. A positive birth and postpartum experience is our main priority.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Peace and Serenity Partners’ placement of our nanny. She is everything we needed and more. Not only is she the perfect fit for our family, she loves our kiddo as her own. She came in like Mary Poppins and has truly joined “the team” and we couldn’t be more grateful. The placement process was a breeze – Melissa got to work even before I had contracted her for the placement since she knew the urgency (with me now 38 weeks pregnant) of us needing someone to help with our one year old and she even took into consideration all of my little nit picky details and found us the absolutely perfect person. Truly can’t be more grateful both for our new nanny and Peace and Serenity. They truly gave me… well… peace and serenity 🙂 Would highly recommend them to any and all moms for their affordability, customer service, immediate response, professionalism, dedication to making the right connection, and so much more.
-Rachel H

Melissa is amazing! She is an awesome combination of deep knowledge, responsiveness and positivity. She is a true joy to work with and has been a wonderful asset to us (including postpartum!). Melissa has been our virtual Doula and it feels like she’s been right with us through every stage of the labor and postpartum process. Whether it be real-time laboring positions, breastfeeding/lactation tips, labor recovery, or immunization intel, Melissa is so full of knowledge (and is surrounded by a team of experts to add an additional layer of intel’) and swiftly shares it right when you need it the most! Highly recommend; thank you, Melissa!!
-Nikki G

Melissa paired us with the perfect Nanny! Its like she was in my head and knew exactly what I wanted! Our Nanny was prompt and went above and beyond! If you are looking for a dedicated Nanny look no further!
-Cassie M
I went into labor around 6pm. While I was having contractions at home, my husband was texting Melissa screenshots of the contraction counter. We drove to the hospital at midnight, & called Melissa on the way. The nurses took me up to triage while my husband parked the car. Melissa & my husband walked in at exactly the same time. She was very prepared though I don’t think any of us had a clue that I would be almost 9 cm upon our arrival at the hospital. Melissa had a very calming presence throughout my labor & delivery. The baby was posterior asynclitic. So, it was a long labor but thankfully Melissa rubbed my back, coached me through various position changes, & strongly encouraged me to use oxygen when needed. She also got along with the doctors & nurses beautifully. Our daughter was born at 7:25am & Melissa stayed throughout the entire process. I had the birth I wanted & my husband & I are so grateful to have had the opportunity to have Melissa by our side. Melissa was also amazing with all of my first-time Mom newborn questions. I think I even texted her a couple of times in the middle of the night & she was quick to respond with helpful information. Melissa, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
–Leah K.

Melissa is such a wonderful doula and true friend to our family. We loved our experience with her and cannot say enough good things about her. My husband and I just had our fourth child and Melissa had such a hugely positive impact on our home birth experience I couldn’t imagine having anyone else at future births. She is calm, educated, capable, and most importantly affective with her training to make labor and delivery the smoothest and most positive experience it can be. I would highly recommend Melissa, or any one of the doulas in her team, to be there for you too. Anyone would be so fortunate to work with them, I know my family is!
-Courtney F
I knew that if I ever carried a child I wanted a doula. Once I was pregnant my wife and I talked about getting a doula and how to find the right one. She was not sold on the whole idea of a doula but since I was the one carrying the baby and the one that would labor and deliver she was on board with getting me what I wanted and needed. Within the first five minutes of Melissa arriving at the hospital my wife turned to me and said “this was the best decision we ever made”. My labor was not particularly complicated but it was exhausting and painful and overwhelming and having Melissa there kept me sane. I know there were several times I screamed and cried during a contraction “I can’t do this” and I remember her calm and even saying “You ARE doing thing” while squeezing my hips to relieve the pressure. It seems like a simple thing but it was the exact reassurance I needed. If you are thinking that Melissa might be a good fit for you reach out and you will see within minutes how knowledgable she is while still being a grounding presence.
-Lisa C

The wonderful team at Peace and Serenity are there to help you navigate through the journey of conception through postpartum. They are a group of educated, knowledgeable, and capable humans who will ease any worry one might have while starting a family or giving birth. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time or sixth time going through this process they are here to help. My husband and I just had our fourth child and Melissa had such a hugely positive impact on our home birth experience I couldn’t imagine having anyone else at future births. She is calm, educated, capable, and most importantly affective with her training to make labor and delivery the smoothest and most positive experience it can be. I would highly recommend Melissa, or any one of the doulas in her team, to be there for you too. Anyone would be so fortunate to work with them, I know my family is!
-Cortney Hasner

When Sheena joined our family as a nanny we felt like she was part of the family. She fit in immediately and the kids LOVE her! Here we are almost 2 years later and she is our nanny and house manager! We would fall apart without hermetically! Thank you Melissa for an amazing fit to our family!
-Jenna W

Melissa is an amazing doula. We had our first baby recently and had heard the wisdom of having a doula. Hands down, the best decision we made. While giving birth is in many ways, nothing new under the sun, it is indeed very new for the parents! Melissa is a superb educator, communicator and coach! Armed with knowledge it took the mystic (in a good way) out of what would happen during pre labor, labor and post labor! To me, knowledge is power and Melissa has it in spades. I myself am not prone to being an emotional sappy female. So, I was not initially even sure I needed a doula. I can do this myself right? Good old, fashion grit and gumption. Well, as a woman of strong constitution and stability, it was, like I said, the best decision we made. To have someone, and not just anyone. To have Melissa helping, encouraging, cheering you on while in labor was immense. I don’t think it takes a village but it does indeed take tride, true and solid people to help make labor an experience where you feel empowered. Thank you Melissa, for the passion and dedication you pour into your career/calling.
-Amanda Groff

This is the first ever feedback I share online. However, this is the least I can do for Melissa following her invaluable input into our family’s life. My wife Lena and I had a beautiful baby girl a month ago. Our decision to ask for Melissa’s help was a last minute one and driven by the change in my work arrangements and a risk that I won’t be able to be there when the labor starts. As such, we approached Melissa, and, luckily for us, she was able to accommodate our last-minute request. After all, I managed to join Lena for the labor, however, I cannot imagine it without Melissa being there. We were a week past expected date when decided to induce. Not to go into all ‘fun’ details – we had a long 48 hours journey delivering Nicole. Lena was a trooper. So was Melissa. She did not leave us for a second soothing, talking, supporting my wife (and me) all this time. Having an enormous experience, she always explained and answered all our questions. Surprisingly, we had many despite courses and books. Even though we had a great team supporting us at the hospital, each medical facility has its own procedures that doesn’t always put mother’s wishes first. Melissa was great to navigate those and recommend the best solution for us. As you can imagine, after 24 hours we were falling apart. However, Melissa guarded my wife all the way through, giving me a possibility to rest when feasible. She stayed with us for a few hours after the delivery making sure the mom and the baby were doing fine. Few days later, Melissa joined us at our house to support our adjustment to new life and answer more of our questions. She was a huge help with setting up the feeding among many other things. I can go on and on, but to summarize – Melissa is superb. If you ever considered a doula – I’d highly recommend going for it and choosing Melissa. She is wonderful and will make a difference
-Sergi Shemyakina

Melissa is phenomenal! We had the best experience, when my husband & I invited her to be our birth doula & provide postpartum support. If you want a knowledgeable, caring, fully engaged, responsible and responsive person to be your doula – Melissa is the one. Over the course of several weeks before & after birth of our baby this November, Melissa became our trusted advisor & reliable friend. I can’t say enough of good things about her & the priceless support she provided. I highly recommend her services & here’re a few reasons why: 1)During pre-labor support Melissa took the time to discuss the topics I missed in my birth plan, advised on practices common for the hospital of choice to learn my preferences on those, suggested options on various matters without pushing me towards one or another. 2) What I appreciate the most is that during 48 hours of my induced labor that ended with a great healthy (though exhausting and painful) birth, Melissa was 100% focused & engaged. During all this time she never took a break besides grabbing a quick snack or a brief nap to stay functional. Even then, she was half-awake & kept an eye on what was happening with me. Only thanks to her I wasn’t started on a dose of Pitocin significantly higher than the prescribed one! 3) Not only before the birth & while at the hospital, but even weeks after Melissa was super responsive & generously shared her knowledge, answered millions of questions about everything baby-related. This gave me a sense that she cares, it’s not “just business” & I can count on her any time. Summing all of this up, Melissa is super reliable, knowledgeable, her conduct is outstanding, her personality is lovely: kind, caring, respectful. You can count on her being 100% dedicated to providing you with the best support. We were super lucky to have Melissa by our side during & after birth. I wish you the same!
-Olena Shemyakina

Although my husband and I didn’t meet Melissa until 9.5 months after having a baby girl, I can only imagine the support she would have given during labor. We contacted a Doula to help us with sleep teaching Delaney. Delaney had gotten so out of a normal sleep pattern that I had slept a cumulative of 8 hours for a week all while working a full time job. Needless to say, I was maxed out and needed immediate help. Melissa was contacted and made arrangements to be at our house that next night. From the moment she showed up, our whole family felt comfortable with her. Her presence alone calmed us and we knew we would be ok. She is extremely knowledgeable about all things baby. She has been available day and night as we correct bad sleep habits. She has truly empowered me. I can not thank Melissa enough for being there for us, especially such short notice. Melissa is truly a miracle and I would highly recommend her services to anyone before, during or after birth.
-Lizzy DeLorme

We needed help! We had just had twins 3 weeks before we met Melissa and she came the same day we met her! She was so helpful, calm and zen! She was patient and helped us immensely. She cared for them at night while we were able to get a bit of shut eye and also helped guide us during the day. She taught us how to comfort them, what gas cries looked like and even how to massage their tummy’s to help when they were gassy. She helped me get them to latch on my breast without a nipple shield and taught me how to breastfeed laying down! She was with us for 10 weeks and we will forever be grateful! She was a ray of sunshine when all we saw was a tornado! Thank you a million times Melissa!!
-Julie Hepren

Melissa was our birth and postpartum doula for our son that was born a few months ago! She was always present and available and helped guide us through our birth plan and birth decisions. She made my birth experience flow and helped me to remain calm. She was also a huge support for my husband. She helped to teach him and made him feel very included in the entire process. Then when our son was born she was our lifeline! She helped us with comfort measures and helped me immensley with breastfeeding. As a first time mom breastfeeding was extremely new to me even though I read several books and took a class. I learned more from Melissa in just one postpartum shift with her then I did in my class or any books I read. She is truly a gem and we are so so grateful to have had her not just during our pregnancy, labor and birth, but also postpartum. We wouldn’t have kept our sanity without her!! Thank you a thousand times Melissa!!
-Daisy Constance

First off let me say that Melissa is our hero!! She was the postpartum doula for us to help us with our triplets and she saved us! We were exhausted, confused and very unorganized and she came in and helped us find a schedule that worked for us, helped us with our routine and helped with comfort measures! She also helped me boost my milk supply!! I have yet, after 3 months to supplement much at all! I am amazed by her knowledge and her amazing bedside manner. She has been such a blessing! If you are in need of a postpartum doula call Melissa! You won’t regret it! I promise you that!
-Marie Connard

Where do I begin? I go on and on almost every day to my co workers, friends and family about what an amazing asset Melissa was to my wifes birth of our daughter and also how much she helped us after we brought her home. She taught us childbirth education classes in our home and helped us prepare and be confident for my wife’s birth, she was there during the birth both at home while she labored and when we went to the birth center and she was so so valuable after we brought our baby girl home. Her helps was the most amazing gift and we are so thankful to her! She helped empower and encourage both of us while my wife was in labor! She is the reason my wife had the natural birth she wanted so badly. She instructed us through position change and helped me help my wife by showing me comfort measures and guiding me. She was also beyond amazing when we got home. We thought we were prepared but until you have a child, you never really know what you are getting yourself into. Melissa was there to help us the first month and taught us about breastfeeding (helped me to help my wife with breastfeeding which I didn’t even know I could do), comfort measures, swaddling…everything!! If you want someone who is clearly dedicated and passionate about doula work, Melissa is the only option! We will forever be in her debt and no amount of money can compare to how she helped us. She will, without a doubt, be there for all of our other births and postpartum periods because we couldn’t imagine her not being a part of it all!
-Edger Sanchez

Let me start by saying…WE LOVE MELISSA!! She had become an adopted member of our family!! From the moment we started email communications my wife and I already knew she was the Doula for us, then when we met we clicked like we were family. This entire pregnancy and birth has been incredible! She just gets us! She respected our wishes and helped to advocate for us. She allowed our birth experience to be our own and didn’t insert her personal option into anything! Our birth experience was ideal! From laboring at home with Melissa to going to the hospital and having our son. She labored with us at home and when we got to the hospital she set up our birth suite and made it feel so serene and spa like! It was the perfect environment and she did it without any direction. She just knew! She took the time to really get to know us during the pregnancy and she just got knew what to do and did it before we even knew we needed it! She read our body language perfectly! We joke all the time (but are serious) and call her the doula ninja! We truly appreciate EVERYTHING she has done for us and even named our son Bailey after her!! If you don’t hire Melissa as your doula you are really missing out!
-Leslie Garabaldi

Melissa was my fabulous doula and was instrumental in helping me achieve the empowering, natural birth that I desired and planned for. I simply cannot say enough good things about this amazing woman: she never left my side during labor and delivery and always knew the right words to say to keep me focused and positive. She even got the baby to turn from a posterior position to an anterior position WHILE I WAS IN LABOR by taking me through the Miles Circuit. This made my labor so much more bearable and I’m sure much shorter than it would have been had my baby stayed posterior. With Melissa’s help, I progressed from 3cm dilated to 9.5cm dilated in about 8 hours, which isn’t bad for a first time mom. She was amazingly helpful during the pushing phase of labor as well, which was by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Pushing lasted 3 hours for me and when I reached the point of “I can’t do this!”, Melissa was right there to remind me I was stronger than I ever imagined and that I was more than capable of bringing my baby into the world. And she was right! My wish for every woman is that they have someone as support, sweet, strong, knowledgeable, dependable, and wise as Melissa at their birth. I cannot overstate how much her presence made a difference in my prenatal and birthing experience.
-Natalie Curran

As a first time Mom I had a lot of questions and doubts about being able to give birth naturally. Hiring Melissa to be our doula was the best decision that we could have made. We took her childbirth class and she was available to answer any questions I had leading up to the big day, and to help put together our birth plan. She was so supportive to both my husband and I during labor and delivery, and our birth experience could not have gone better. I don’t think I would have been able to achieve an unmedicated natural birth without her. We also had her take labor and birth photos, which are now such an amazing memory we get to have forever. I would definitely recommend her to anyone who is looking to have the birth experience they really want. We will definitely be using her again for our next birth 🙂
-Hannah Schranz Oanca

We cannot recommend Melissa enough! She has been such an incredible support during labor. She helped me to stay focused, and my husband to support me better with very helpful massages. My labor was quite long and I really don’t know what it would have been without her! She is incredible!
-Giada Zurlo

I was there for the end of my sister’s pregnancy and her labor/birth, and Melissa was her doula. Melissa is AMAZING at what she does, and I can’t recommend her enough. She knew exactly how to encourage my sister, Natalie, throughout the labor and was able to phrase everything in a positive (rather than scary) way. My mom was also present, and both she and I can’t imagine the labor and delivery without Melissa there. Melissa was by Natalie’s side for hours and was even able to lead her through different positions that ultimately caused baby to turn over so that she was no longer posterior! Melissa sat on the bed with my sister during pushing and directed her to “grab her baby” as soon as she started to come out–it was such a beautiful moment. She did not leave the birthing center until Natalie established nursing with her baby. I will also add that Melissa has an absolute wealth of knowledge about labor, birth, and even nursing. She is wonderful! Thank you, Melissa!
-Molly Doran

Melissa Bailey gets the highest rating possible. She was my daughter’s doula (my first grandchild!), and she not only got the baby to turn into the right position for birth — posterior to anterior–(which surely made labor faster and easier), she kept my daughter calm and focused throughout, always knowing the right thing to say and do. She was amazing– and that is an understatement. I wish every woman could have Melissa as their doula. She made a huge difference, and I look forward so much to seeing her again for grandchild number 2! We LOVE her.
-Nancy Gillard Doran

Melissa is amazing! She truly loves what she does and is so passionate. She was there for me every step of the way. I had “false labor” for weeks before my actual delivery and she talked me through it all! During labor she was heaven sent! She was very supportive about all my decisions! She is very knowledgeable about everything dealing with labor and helped me make some important decisions during labor. Not only that but she is very “proactive” during labor. Helping me change positions and doing everything possible to help my labor progress. I had an amazing birth experience and she is one of the reasons why! Not only is she great before and during birth, but also after. She is always right there with any help she can give and always responds quickly. From questions about my healing body to newborn questions, she is a priceless source!! You will not regret letting her be a part of your birth story!! Thank you melissa for being a part of ours!
-Martha Anne Godwin Johnson

For the last 4.5 months Ive been thinking of how I can possibly describe in words my experience with Melissa and the truth is there just arent words. The short version of a long story is that Melissa Bailey was physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually present for all 36hrs of my labor. My first 22hrs were unmedicated at a birth center, then a hospital transfer, 4hrs of pushing, an emergent vacuum-assisted birth, and an immediate transfer to the NICU for my son (he is perfectly healthy now). My labor was PHYSICAL. I had true back labor the entire time. The only way I could get through each contraction was with hip squeezes and sacral pressure. This meant Melissa and my husband really didn’t get a break during my labor and worked together as a team through EVERY. SINGLE. CONTRACTION. When Melissa first arrived during labor I confided in her my deepest darkest doubt–that despite all my preparation, meditation, trust in the birth process and medical knowledge (I’m an ICU nurse)–maybe I couldnt do this. She looked at me and said “you can and you are.” She was so confident in me that I never doubted myself again.

During pregnancy she reassured and educated me; during labor she empowered me; during my post partum period she set me free from the guilt I felt about my son’s complications by giving me an honest picture of his birth that wasn’t shrouded in the trauma I felt from having a birth experience that was the opposite of what I had planned. This woman is AMAZING. There just arent words to describe how incredibly devoted, sincere and present she is during her work. Her skillset is immense but its her delivery that is most impressive because it is effortless and done with such heart. Could I have done it without her? She would be the first to tell you “yes.” But I know that Melissa changed my life forever by what she did for my family in our most vulnerable hours. We would be honored for her to be at the birth of our next child.
-Emma Wright

My husband and I were so excited to learn we were pregnant with our first baby. We were also very nervous about what laid ahead. We interviewed other doulas but as soon as we met Melissa, our minds and our hearts immediately felt at ease. She made me feel more excited than nervous, and was just a fountain of knowledge about everything birth, pregnancy, and baby. Melissa was in touch with me throughout my pregnancy and answered any and all questions that I had for her (and I had a lot!). I had a long labor and she was with us every step of the way. She was supportive, professional, respectful, and kind. When I needed space during the intense parts of labor, she gave me space. When I needed her to be my cheerleader, she was there counting down each contraction. She knew different positions I could try that would make me more comfortable and help progress the labor. When it came time to make difficult decisions, Melissa was there to help talk us through them and be a sounding board, utilizing her experience and knowledge for us to lean on. When my son was eventually born via c-section, Melissa was so supportive and stayed the whole time, helping me afterwards to establish breastfeeding and even fed me food in the postpartum room. She is a loving caretaker, teacher, and friend.
I could not have made it as far as I did without Melissa and I highly recommend her services if you are thinking about using a doula. I would hire again in a heartbeat.
-Emily Winslow

Melissa was a lifesaver for me and my family! Our baby would only sleep in MY arms, so I was dozing in the recliner with her almost all night – my husband would do his best to take her for two hours in the middle of the night so I could at least get two hours in my bed. I was so exhausted that I was crying at the drop of a hat. Then when the baby was one week old, my husband became sick and could hardly help. I was absolutely at my breaking point and hired a postpartum Doula, only to have her arrive and leave again when she found out my husband was sick. After I was crying uncontrollably for most of the next day, a friend of mine found Melissa! Melissa was able to come the next night and gave me a desperately needed night of good sleep! Equally importantly, she was able to get the baby to accept the swaddle (which she wouldn’t accept when we did it) AND to sleep in the swing, a big step up from sleeping in my arms! And she gave us tips for how to eventually move her from the swing into the rock’n’play sleeper. Melissa was calm, reassuring, warm, and caring, and very good with the baby. So far she has come two other nights just to help us get some sleep. The baby is now 12 weeks old and while we are still exhausted, we are surviving, in large part thanks to Melissa!
-Lea Ray

My husband and I were directed to Melissa for a private “Bringing home baby” class before the birth of our son in December and I’m so glad that we had the pleasure of working with her; she made us feel confident and at ease with what lied ahead for us. I appreciated that Melissa was professional while still being warm and approachable and had a great sense of humor. Our time was used efficiently and we felt very comfortable asking the “dumb” questions. I highly recommend her prenatal doula services!
-Janie Smith Brooks