The trust, support, and warmth I felt from Aileen during my pregnancy, VBAC birth and beyond is invaluable. She met me at the level I needed to be at every step of the way. She has such an amazing healing touch which brought me back to my center of focus during my birthing time. My birth wouldn’t have been the same without her!” - Jo Lock Kucala
Aileen was both my doula last year for the birth of my son, and also the instructor for the Hypnobabies classes my husband and I took (we are first-time parents). I wanted to have a natural childbirth but also wasn't sure I would follow through with it in the moment, and Aileen was wonderful in making it clear that my birth could happen how I wanted it to, and there was no pressure to do it a certain way or in alignment with anyone else's philosophy.
I gave birth in a hospital under the care of midwives, and it was extremely comforting to have Aileen there in the room. She made sure I ate and drank, she stayed with me so my husband could take bathroom and food breaks, and she helped advocate for things I wanted in the room like a birthing tub, low lights, music, essential oils, etc.
I ended up having a natural childbirth without any medication, which was an intense and indescribable experience. I was able to move around and be present for the whole experience, and my son was born healthy and happy (albeit with the cord wrapped around his neck, which the midwife took care of as soon as I could push him out). Aileen also took photos of the birth. It was something I didn't think to ask about ahead of time, but I'm so happy to have those photos now and I love to go back and look at them when I want to remind myself of the experience.
She also came to visit us in the hospital the next day to check on how things were going, like breastfeeding. She helped us get our son into his car seat for the first time, which we had no idea how to do :) If we decide to have another child someday I will definitely ask Aileen to be our doula again. She's a great person with a ton of knowledge and experience to share on pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing.” - Katrina Schleisman
Aileen is an amazing doula: kind, calm, nurturing and knowledgeable. Aileen was with us for the birth of our third boy and we are so grateful to have had her be part of his birth. She had a knack for knowing when to comfort me, when to give me space, and when to guide my husband on what he could do to help. We trusted Aileen and felt very comfortable discussing the pros and cons of any decision we needed to make along the way. She never judged us or made us feel uncomfortable about any of our decisions. We were so fortunate to have found Aileen and thankful to her for helping make our little ones birth go as we had hoped.” - Deborah Runck
When it came to our birth experience I could not have asked for a better person to be a part of our family journey. When I first met Aileen I knew immediately that she was going to play a big part in our birth in some way just by the conversation and warm energy she provided during our first meeting. On the night before our sons birth Aileen was a life saver. As a partner you want to be there in every way for your spouse however there are some things that need some additional support and attention that only those with a special gift can provide and Aileen is one of these people. Whenever my Wife needed something tath I was unable to provide she stepped in and provided the care and supoprt that my wife needed. As I stood back and watched her interact with my wife I could not help but be in awe of how caring, compassionate and understanding she was of what my wife was going through. When my wife was ready to move to the birth center she was ready to go at the drop of a hat and made sure that I did not forget anything that I was so worried about forgetting in all of the craziness that comes with having a baby.
Once we got to the birth center this support only grew as she was doing things that I would not have even thought about for my wife that helped provide her the extra comfor she needed to get through the tough times of our birth. I cannot say enough about how helpful Aileen was to both me and my partner. If you are considering her to be a part of your birth I recommend that you just meet one time with her and you will understand where I am coming from. I respect and appreciate the work she does so much more after what she did for my wife and I and would recommend her to anyone I come across who is even questioning haveing a doula. The support she provided is unmeasurable and Aileen is someone I am truly grateful to have welcomed her into both my family's life and our birth journey.” - Nate Seefeldt
Aileen was so great at the birth of our daughter. I had decided last minute that I wanted a doula present after I found out that my mother wasn't going to be able to be in the room with me. I did a google search and there she was! We decided to have Aileen be a part of the birth for number of reasons, 1. She shares the same name as my mother. 2. I wanted to have my placenta encapsulated and 3. She had this warm, caring, and friendly presence when we first met her. She was the whole package! It was difficut to get my husband to agree as he didn't think it was necessary but after the birth he completely agreed that having her there made a huge difference. She helped coach me through my contractions and helped make me feel as comfortable as possible without me having to tell her what I needed or I didn't even realize what I needed. She kept my husband and I informed and provided when it came to making medical decisions. I was able to deliver without the use of pain meds which I don't think would have been possible without her support. We are so happy that she was able to be a part of the birthing process! I defintely recommend her to anyone looking for a doula!” - Rhiannon Blackdeer
Aileen has such a warm and compassionate energy and I couldn‘t be happier that I hired her to be my hypno-doula. She was professional and courteous in communicating rates, scheduling and her service offerings. After our initial meeting, I knew she would be supportive, kind and knowledgeable throughout my pregnancy and during my birthing time. Aileen used all the cues I had practiced in my Hypnobabies home study and it was a great comfort to me. Her presence is soft, maternal and unyieldingly caring. You can tell she really loves bringing babies into the world! She also encapsulated the placenta for me and got it to me the next day to help my energy, healing and milk supply. Thank you, Aileen!” - Ashley Chambliss
My husband and I are so thankful we chose to have Aileen support us for the birth of our first child. We were anxious, excited and there were many steps in the birthing process we did not expect. There were also several stressful points along the birthing process, and Aileen helped me to relax and reminded me of my options. This was extremely helpful in keeping to our birth plan. As a result of Aileens help we went on to have succesfull natural birth(aside from nitrous oxide) and I am sure I could not have done so without Aileen as our doula. My husband and I look forward to having Aileen at our next birth.” - Suzanne Zaayer
Aileen was my Doula for my birth in September. This pregnancy was a suprise and my partner and I were unsure if we were ready for it. We had just gone through some huge life changes including moving, graduating from college, a major health treatment and the unexpected death of one of my best friends who was like a sister to me. I have worked in reproductive health care since the premature birth of my son 8 years ago. That birth was traumatic for me because it included an emergency birth with a nicu stay. I felt that I was not supported at the time. Imagining doing that again without my sister was scary to me. In choosing a Doula my mind kept returning to Aileens energy. I told my midwives she makes me feel loved and cared for, like I could cuddle in her shawl. One thing I dealt with with this pregnancy was trauma based anxiety. Aileen really helped with that. Her experience with people and hypnobabies was wonderful. We had planned a home birth and our son had different ideas. He was born very quickly in our bathroom with my partner and I. He was blue when he was born and my body went into shock. We quickly did a hospital transfer to care for him and me. My partner stayed home until we could get care for our other child. All of my fears about my previous hospital birth were there. Aileen was by my side updating my partner with what was happening. Having her and my midwives there was the most supportive thing. Once my partner got to the hospital Aileen helped us with the decisions we were faced with. Once we came home she helped with preparing my placenta and guiding me in regards to my own mental health. She was so wonderful with my partner and my whole family. Aileen understands people and is so empathetic and kind, not to mention that her realness is so refreshing. She always makes me laugh. Aileen will always have a place in our family and maybe someday I'll crawl into her shawl. Simon, Joe, me and our older kids are greatful to her.” - Bea Rebecca Penelope Lorinser
Aileen was my doula during the birth of my first biological child. She was awesome. What I appreciated most was her being there to tell me to eat and drink during my active labor- that was so important. And also she was such a wonderful patient advocate and spoke up for me about my birth plan. Having Aileen’s experience, confidence and support during my birth process was exactly what I wanted. She was great.” - Elinor Shank
Words cannot fully express the gratitude for the amazing partnership and training from Hypnobabies and Aileen Larson! From a DAD's perspective and our first child I trully cannot imagine not having the support and training that we had. I can tell you all the training in the world cannot prepare a first time Dad for when it is "Go Time" and having Aileeen provide extra advise and support was encredable. The classes and DAD/Partner Audio tracks were really powerful to calm and prepare for what is ahead. I found myself using many elements of the training not only during birth although preparing and post now 22 days from our lil ones birth. We had no interventions and chose a water birth. It was trully the most beautiful experience I have ever been through and it would have never been this smooth and successfull if not for the Hypnobabies training. I will say it is a "gift" if you are able to have Aileen support you through your childs birth and wish you all a healthy birth.” - Jason Peterson
My husband and I can't imagine the birth of our daughter without our amazing doula Aileen. From our first meeting to our post partum visit, Aileen has been the perfect combination of supportive, informative, loving and committed. She knows when to step up to be a leader in the midst of the chaos of a hospital birth, and when to step back.
She was so supportive of my goals for a natural childbirth. When things went differently so was such an amazing bank of information helping us discuss the options and negotiating with the hospital staff for different creative solutions. Her presence was so calming and peaceful and when there were times of anxiety or stress, she would be there in my ear guiding me through hypnobabies promps, helping me relax.
Her support of my husband was paramount. He valued having a resource to discuss solutions (replace a nurse with different goals than us), get tips on how to support me (getting into the birthing tub, cold washcloths), and reminders on when to focus on his needs as well (sleep and food).
She was even an amazing resource after our birth when we called her at 3am because our baby was dehydrated. She walked us through the options given to us by the on call doctor and helped us feel comfortable with supplementing with formula for the night and picking up donor milk the next day. She calmed my fear of ruining my chances to breasfeed successfully and she was right. Four weeks later, we are all healthy and breastfeeding exclusively.
We were so lucky to have Aileen as our doula, she feels like family to us now. She helped make the birth of our first child a positive, calm, and peaceful experience. I wouldn't question using her services again, they are worth every penny.” - Katherine Kove
Aileen instantly gained my trust the first time I met her. During our initial meeting she was very personable, thorough and was able to answer all my questions before I asked them. I attended her Hypnobabies class, hired her as my doula and had her do my placenta encapsulation. The class made me feel confident and prepared for birthing. The hypnosis worked well, I didn’t feel any pain as I was having 5 minute long contractions from a bad reaction to the induction medication. I ended up having a unplanned c-section and felt calm and happy through my entire birth experience. She was also very helpful in the initial breastfeeding experiences. I’m glad that Aileen was a part of it all and would recommend her to anyone.” - Tate Leyba
After interviewing several doulas, I knew Aileen would be perfect for us. She genuinely listened to our concerns, and my husband and I knew immediately that she would be a perfect fit. Our three year old daughter was also very comfortable around her, which was important as my labors were 24 and 38 hours, so the doula we chose might be with us for quite some time.
Aileen spent time educating us before hand so that my husband and I had some strategies to help me cope with labor on our own until she could arrive, as she lived an hour away.
Aileen was so supportive, that during labor, I wanted nothing to do with my husband until pushing time came, which ensuring that he got the rest he needed and was able to care for our older child. She helped my husband and I communicate so that we both got what we needed.
Aileen also knows many people in the community, so when I needed some help moving my baby into the right position, I went to a body specialist that Aileen knew, who worked wonders.
Aileen was also very responsive to our specific needs, and did exactly what we needed, no more and no less, and wasn't pushy. She respected our wants and wishes for labor, birth and beyond.
Having a doula, specifically Aileen helped make my birth a very memorable and positive experience, and I can say it wouldn't have been that way without her. The strategies she had for pain relief and her support, along with my medical team, helped me be confident in the birth process.” - Amy Nolte
I can't say enough how much Aileen's support meant to me through the end of my pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
I ended up needing a last minute replacement doula at 39 weeks and Aileen met with me, assured me I could call her if I went into labor while I was interviewing a replacement, and really made me immedately feel at ease. She asked permission to physically comfort me when I was upset discussing my situation. I saw this as the first sign (of many) that she was there for what I needed, not what she wanted to provide. She consistently met me where I was.
Aileen met with both my husband and I in our home to discuss our hopes for birth and to go over comfort measures. We had done all of this with our orignal doula but it was important to establish that comfort with Aileen, especially in our home where I hoped to labor as long as possible.
The day of our birth she was accesible via phone and text all day and was on her way over as soon as we thought we were ready for additional help. She supported me at home for about an hour and then we were headed to the hospital. She was VITAL to my success in having the birth I desired at the hospital. She instilled confidence when I really needed it, anticipated needs before they arised, supported my husband when he was unsure, and stayed after the birth to see how breastfeeding was going and make sure we were all settled.
After the birth I had trouble with breastfeeding, had lost all of my confidence in my ability to breastfeed, and had a bad experience with an in hospital lactiation consultant. Aileen reached out to check in and I told her that I was concerned and she referred me to a great IBCLC in her network who was at my house within hours.
Aileen was supportive of any decision I made, never made me feel silly for asking questions, and was like an extension of my family through my birth experience. I cannot recommend her enough.” - Lindsey Feiner
Aileen was exactly what I wanted in a doula: An experienced guide through the birth process; a nurturing and assertive "you can do it" coach; a champion for the birth that I wanted; and a strong yet kind and supportive partner to my husband and me. Especially as a first-time mom, I absolutely couldn't have achieved the birth I did without her, and my husband and I are so grateful to have had her support, before, during and after our son's birth.
Experience and the right "energy" was important to me. It was so reassuring to bring up any question or concern and have Aileen answer with "been there, done that" or give an evidence-based recommendation. She has helped so moms in many hospitals and birth situations that I felt completely confident that she could guide us through our birth no matter what happened - and she did. Though I was open to doing anything needed to safely bring my son into the world, Aileen's preparation, education, support, coaching and encouragement helped me have the drug-free, self-hypnosis-assisted birth I had hoped for.
One of the most valuable aspects of working with her was in preparing for the birth. We had all the information we needed to be prepared for whatever might come our way. In addition to having her as our doula, we did the Hypnobabies childbirth preparation classes with her and I can't recommend that experience highly enough. I was skeptical about whether self-hypnosis would work or be worth the investment, but if I were to have another child I would 100% do it all over again. I also did the planceta encapsulation and am so glad I did; I think it definitely helped support a fast, good recovery.
Aileen is the best balance of being knowlegeable; strong yet nurturing; experienced; an advovate for you and your baby; a great guide & coach; and someone you can be comfortable with supporting you in your most challenging moments. We wholeheartedly recommend her!! :) “ - Jen Roesler
We worked with Aileen for our first baby. I really valued the amount of time that she spent with us before, during, and after our baby was born. My husband wasn't so sure about working with a doula before our daughter was born, but after he saw the amount of care she provided for both of us during the delivery, he was sold. Our delivery was nothing like we had hoped and planned for, and Aileen was available for us to keep me calm and provide support to my husband as well.
I have a friend having a baby in the near future that was interested in working with a doula, and her husband was skeptical as my husband was too. After our experience with Aileen, my husband said he would highly recommend working with a doula, and in particular Aileen, and that he would happily tell other husbands that he had changed his mind about it after our experience.
The post partum follow up was also helpful, as I found it so valuable to have someone I trusted to ask questions.
We are grateful for Aileen and her role that she played in our daughter's birth!” - Tysann Forsman
We had exactly the natural, water birth experience that we wanted, and Aileen's help was absolutely integral to how calm, positive, and healthy everything went. From the beginning, we were impressed that Aileen went above and beyond with her time and expertise: We met her first at a coffee shop by our house, we were invited to her home to hear other couples' experiences with Hypnobabies, and based on those positive experiences, we signed up to take the Hypnobabies class with her in January and February. When the other couples in the class had to drop out for various reasons, Aileen gave us a completely personalized course, meeting with us for 6 weeks individually. We learned a lot and it's clear that Aileen has a deep knowledge of birth that she happily shared with us. One of the most valuable parts was the birth rehearsal, which Aileen offered to do with us twice: this really gave us a positive preview of what to expect and what to do when the time came. I can't imagine going into my first birth without this valuable practice! Moreover, Aileen was always positive and flexible about our birth education. She always made us feel like we were prepared and able to handle whatever would come.
When our birthing time started, Aileen's arrival and the use of Hypnobabies techniques instantly made me feel more relaxed and comfortable. When it was time to go to the hospital, I was nervous because I didn't want to spend the 20 minute car ride without her constant support! Aileen was calm and reassuring throughout the process, and I actually delivered our daughter in the birthing tub only an hour and a half after we arrived (only 7 hours of labor total for our first birth). Aileen made sure that my husband, our baby, and I were completely cared for - she ordered us food, talked us through recovery procedures, and was so positive through the whole time. We highly recommend Aileen!!” - Molly Schwaiger
We truly enjoyed working with Aileen as our doula! We were using the Hypnobabies method for birthing and she was awesome at helping with the birth prompts, suggesting new positions and being a great support system for both my husband and myself. She was always calm and was able to help guide us through our first birth experience. Our birth time was a total of 48 hours and she was there for almost the entire time (we told her to go home and sleep while our induction was getting going). As the birth process progressed she did a great job keeping us informed of our options and ensuring we were sticking to our birth plan as well as possible.
We loved working with Aileen and would recommend her highly to other couples whether doing Hypnobabies or not. We hope to have another baby in the future and would love to use her doula services again!” - Jessica Siemens
We were a little skeptical about having a doula and it being a strange situation BUT she was wonderful. She was very helpful and was always there when we needed something. She went above and beyond what we expected and was with us when we needed her! She is also trained in hypnobabies and she was GREAT! My husband was by my one side and Aileen was by my other side. Once she got to the hospital during my birthing time everything calmed down and the environment went from crazy to calm and relaxed! I would recommend her to anyone and everyone! I want her back when we have another child. It was such a great experience with her and I would have a VERY hard time considering anyone else! She called numerous times and came to see us all numerous times, before and after giving birth! She is a very friendly down to earth doula and is also very considerate. She will work with different diversities of people and likes everyone. She is very open-minded and was not pushy with anything and let us make decisions and basically went with what we wanted! She helped make a birth plan for us so we were ready for the big day. She also helped us make a baby plan so the Drs. knew what the plan was for our baby once he was born. It was a great experience and I wouldnt change it for anything!” - Di Lucht-Johnson, 3-time client
Aileen was my doula when I gave birth to my second child. I had an OB, Pitocin and an epidural with my first baby and although everything turned out fine I knew there was something else out there for me.
I met Aileen through friends and we hit it off immediately. She has this amazingly calm way about her and made everything seem so... easy. I was interested in using Hypnobabies and she encouraged me from the start.
My husband trusted her immediately and totally got on board with the doula idea. Aileen made him feel very comfortable and helped him feel involved throughout the pregnancy.
My birth went so beautifully. Aileen was a wonderful addition to the room. She encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to stop. She was my advocate with the midwife and she helped me avoid Pitocin and all pain medication!
I had exactly the birth I wanted. Aileen is a big part of why it went so well. I would encourage every woman to hire a doula, and to hire Aileen in particular. She is a treasure and I am glad she is part of my life.” - Abbey Vargo
We had a great experience with Aileen. She was very well versed in HypnoBabies. She was always positive and supportive of all our decisions. I had the perfect VBAC birth that I wanted after a lot of false starts. Aileen was always coming up with ideas and consulting with other resources to help things go along. She is very knowledgeable with all things related to birth. I would highly recommend her to anyone.” - Lindsay Schwab
Our Hypnobabies instructor encouraged us to hire a doula. We felt that Aileen was the right doula for me and my birth partner. On the day of birthing my husband texted Aileen that we were heading to the hospital and she met us there quickly. She helped both me and my birth partner through the entire labor process. She was resourceful in getting our needs met at the hospital. Her doula methods helped me to stay encouraged and calm during birthing (labor). She helped my birth partner help me which without her I don't think we could have managed.” - Kathleen Navarro
