S. serves each family, believing that each should have access to support, resources and autonomy, in NYC where many are distant from their families and dear friends.  After the positive natural birth experience of her daughter, with her doula and partner by her side, S. wanted to channel her energy in a new direction by becoming a certified birth and postpartum doula. S. also takes from her own birthing and postpartum journey to fuel her passion through the 4th trimester. S. is a certified lactation counselor and IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), doula educator/ mentor for her certifying doula organization Doula Trainings International and Lamaze certified childbirth educator. S. also holds a certification as an infant sleep educator to normalize newborn behaviors and gentle parenting through what can be seen as challenging times in babies development. She is involved in many community parenting support groups by being a La Leche League Leader and Hospitality chair of Mocha Moms, Brooklyn chapter and is ready to hold hands with those on this journey, no matter how many times you’ve walked the path before, or not.

After her 2nd was born at home with a supportive birth team, S. further realized how important a trusted, skilled care provider and support team was and made a difference. S. struggled with breastfeeding for the first 2 weeks, which was a drastically different experience from with her first. Despite feeling discouraged at times, she called on her community for support and advice. S. realized before how birth preferences can be different, however through her own experience realized how each journey can be different too, as is each family. S. respects and honors this and brings forth education and non-judgmental care to the families which she serves.

S.  is CPR and First Aid certified and is always attending workshops and conferences continuously to strengthen her knowledge, further her education and support her families to the best of her ability. S. has worked with families in different scopes from being an employee of the Women, Infant and Children Program(WIC) program as a breastfeeding peer counselor, where their goal is to increase nutritional and breastfeeding awareness in communities, to working with families of the foster care system, shelters, of the LGBTQ community, with special needs, premature births and parents of multiples. S. has a BA in psychology, is a birth doula with the Brooklyn Department of Health By My Side Doula Support Program and looks to continue her education to further nurturing families and bridge the gap between her community work and passion for social justice and advocacy. S. is a Brooklyn based mom and when not supporting families, she’s building memories with her own.

Testimonials

“Our experience with S. was great. We connected with her just in time, as our daughter was born two weeks before her due date. I think we had our prenatal meeting the week before she arrived! The prenatal meeting was helpful in reviewing our birth preferences and making us more comfortable with what could possibly happen during labor. My labor unfolded in a way that no one could have predicted, so I was glad to have S. there for it. When it’s your first time giving birth, there are so many things happening that are out of your control, and in my case, labor was unexpectedly fast and furious. It felt totally out of control. In the midst of it all, just knowing there was a “neutral” person there (non-family, non-healthcare provider) who understood my birth preferences was very grounding. I don’t think I could have stuck with my wish for an unmedicated hospital birth without Simone as our doula. I also don’t think my husband would have been as confident without her by our side. It was invaluable to have someone with us throughout the entire experience: before, during, and after the birth. We would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a positive birth experience.” —Kate

“Bottom line:  I’m certain that S. ’s quick thinking saved my son’s life.

But, let me start from the beginning. I hired S. after interviewing 4 other doulas in person or on the phone.  I needed someone to be my full support person in the birth experience because I was not going to have a partner in the room with me.  S.  stood out for not only her warmth and knowledge but also for her open minded attitude towards all types of birth plans ranging from home birth to those with lots of medical intervention like mine.

Due to medical complications, I was induced and S. met me at the hospital  She kept a vigilant watch over me while I slept after finally getting an epidural after many hours of contractions with no progress in my labor.  At some point, the monitors stopped detecting my son’s heartbeat.  Before the labor nurse ever noticed, S. attempted to adjust the monitor, found a very decelerated heartbeat and alerted the nurses.  I was panicking while they gave me oxygen to help my son.  She talked me through my panic and calmed me down.  I was raced to the operating room for an emergency c section. S. accompanied me to the OR and had the presence of mind to bring my phone to take pictures.  I was very nervous during the surgery, and she kept me calm and took pictures of my son moments after he was born completely healthy.  She also made sure to gather all my belongings from the labor room and bring them to recovery.  S.  stayed with me and my family until after I was in recovery with my son.  She was warm and thoroughly professional the entire time.

I simply cannot speak highly enough of my experience with S. in my son’s birth and would recommend her to anyone for their birth experience.”

– Yasmin

“ My husband and I are first-time parents and had a lot going on around our due date (besides working, we were in the process of buying a new home and moving). S. came in and took care of our biggest concern – getting prepared to go to the hospital and wondering what to do at which point. She had a calming presence about her that made us feel completely taken care of – she knew when to step back and let us be and when to step in and help us out. She was respectful of our wishes and made sure we were comfortable at every point. It was great to not have to worry about the hospital experience, knowing she had our backs – whether it was calling for a nurse, double-checking on any symptoms or making me comfortable with massage. My labor went on much longer than we thought it would and we were thankful to have her with us throughout it all. We never had to worry about what we had to do next. She either knew or would find out for us. We were able to just concentrate on the arrival or our baby! She has followed up with us to make sure we’re doing okay and genuinely cares about the wellbeing of our new family. We highly recommend her services.”
– Preethi

“S. worked for my wife Sol and I as our doula for the birth of our first child Kamran. Prior to meeting S. , I can honestly say that I had no idea what a doula even was no less much about the birthing process. A friend of ours recommended that we consider a doula because I travel extensively for work and we wanted to be sure that we had some help and support on the home front. My wife and I interviewed a few doulas and we found S. to be warm, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We clicked with her right away and felt comfortable that she was the right fit for us. She was always on time to appointments so we felt that she was responsible and trustworthy. She answered all of our questions thoroughly and helped us network with other professionals who have since given us help and support after the birth of our son. When my wife went into labor at 2am, S. did not disappoint. She kept us calm and confident until her arrival at our home. She was there every step of the way through the birth process. For 23 hours straight she worked with my wife and I and side by side. Given that my wife labored through Mother’s Day and S. has a child of her own at home, it never discouraged her. We were also complimented by the midwives at Beth Israel about S. being a top-notch doula! When our son was born she followed up shortly thereafter and continued to provide expertise and interest in our collective well-being. S. is a genuine and caring person, hard working, and professional. I would strongly recommend her as a doula.”
– Solmaz and Drew

“When pregnant with my second child I knew I wanted to try for a vaginal birth after my c-section with my first. I was expecting a long labor and felt my chances of having a successful vbac would be higher with more support. I’m lucky to have an amazing husband, but I knew that he could probably use some help during the labor as could I. I decided very late in my pregnancy to look for a doula, did some quick research and interviews and chose S. . I thought she seemed kind, easy to talk to and very experienced. S. made the process easy for me which I was grateful for given the limited time we had before my due date. In the weeks before the delivery, S. provided useful information and gave me much needed confidence. As expected, I had a long back labor. S. spent about 16 hours at the hospital with us helping me through contractions, trying different positions and offering guidance as I was making decisions. S. was crucial, as she and my husband took turns rubbing my lower back through each contraction for 15 hours straight. She was also invaluable in the very end when I was doubting myself. She talked us through everything. We succeeded and delivered a healthy baby boy. I’m very happy that such a good soul was there and part of our birth story.”
– Amber, VBAC mom

“May we first start off by saying we have not only found a birth doula, we have found a friend. From our very first phone conversation S. made me feel at ease and made me feel confident that we could have the birth that we wanted. The night i went into labor S. was on the phone with me helping me figure out my contractions. She gave me life saving tips. Then once the contractions were too much for me to carry on a conversation she spoke to  my husband through the car ride on the way to the hospital. (We live in Long Island and we’re giving birth in Manhattan We were lucky it was a Sunday evening and there was no traffic. )  when we got to the hospital i was already 7 Cm and moving along quickly. By the time S. got there i was in a labor and delivery room having contractions every 2 minutes. She came right in and started massaging my back, handed My husband a fan and helped me breathe through each contraction. i had a very quick labor. From  the time we got to the hospital to the time i started pushing was about an hour and a half. S. held my leg while I pushed for 20 minutes before  our beautiful son Theo came into the world. S.  stayed for the first hour making sure that he latched after birth. Theo and i didn’t have the easiest time breastfeeding for the first week. S. checked in on us frequently and suggested I check for tongue and lip tie. Low and behold he had both!  S.  was right In diagnosing his latching issues. it has since been taken care of by an amazing oral surgeon. S. came for a follow up visit to make sure everything was back on track with Theo’s Latch and feedings. S. was always there for me those first few weeks through text and was truly a god send. my husband and i plan on having two more children and will have S. by my side for the rest of them.”
– Sarah R.

“My husband and I engaged S. to assist in the delivery of our first child. From the outset she was gentle, considered and knowledgeable. We looked for a doula quite late in my pregnancy – with 3 weeks to go until due date – as I was unsure of the value of a doula and a little apprehensive of having another person so involved and ‘hands-on’ in such an intimate process. Initially, I hoped S. ‘s experience would assist me to remain at home until late-stage labor, and to have an unmedicated birth However, one epidural and a c-section later (!), I see her value even more in the calm consistency she brought to what could have been a traumatizing first-birth experience. I was really impressed with S. ‘s vigilance – tracking the baby’s heart rate when I was resting, and able to pre-empt what the doctors were likely to suggest. She gave us informed recommendations at each stage and, although the birth did not go to ‘my plan’, her reassurance and ability to draw on a wealth of real experience in a hospital environment meant that my husband and I were quickly able to understand and accept our birth experience and move on to focusing on our beautiful son. As first-time parents one thing we did not appreciate was the rotating cast of professionals who attend to you over the course of labor and birth – S. was a point of continuity who enabled us to relax and remain confident in the process. As a new mother, it’s been wonderful to have S. ‘s virtual support post-birth as well – she is responsive and knowledgeable on a range of newborn topics, particularly breastfeeding. I’d recommend S. without hesitation for any birth plan – particularly if you are a first-time parent, the value of having someone who has experienced many different scenarios cannot be overestimated and, for us, means we are left with only positive recollections of our son’s birth.”
– Katy B

“We debated hiring a doula up until our last trimester. Looking back, we are so grateful to S. and would tell anyone considering a doula to (1) hire one (2) hire S. She exceeded our expectations as we were determined that the value of doula was to be an advocate for our wishes at every stage of the birthing process. From the moment I met S. , she conveyed a passion for being a supportive advocate and possessed a wealth of knowledge about everything related to the birth experience. Her balance of enthusiasm to support families with evidence based research, made her an excellent match for my husband and me. Starting at 37 weeks, my body started changing and preparing for birth. S. was attentive to my many text messages asking for advice and guidance. Then the day of our delivery, she kept us calm and I felt that I had a friend in the room. She was never judgmental and always kept me focused on the goal of having a healthy baby. S. ’s presence was extremely helpful during labor as I made decisions regarding my birth plan. After birth, she continued to be a valuable support as I chose to breastfeed and had a lot to learn about how to breastfeed properly. She spent time with me in-person (which never felt rushed), texted, and sent emails to help support my journey into motherhood. I could go on and on about how her communication comforted me, but beyond comfort her insights truly helped me to be a better mother. I appreciate all the time she spent with our family as we felt deeply cared for. Bottom line, S. is amazingly talented and any new mother/parents should reach out to her asap to hire her!”
– Jenny B.

“We could not have asked for a better doula than S. . She was extremely personable and knowledgeable from day. During our first meeting, I felt as if I was speaking to a friend. S. did an excellent job at preparing my partner and I for the birthing expereince. She was always easily accesable and responded to texts and emails promptly. My birthing exprience was definitely a comeplete 180 degrees from the natural birth plan we had prepared. I ended up needing a C-section. S. was by our side the entire time leading up to this decision. She asked physicians and midwives the appropriate questions that were in my best interest based on the plan we had developed. Although I did not have a natural birth, I was thankful to have S. there advocating for me 100% of the time. I would definitely recommend S. to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, profesison, prompt, and extremely personal doula!”
– Famattah F.