“A few things became clear from my first conversation with Leslie & through to our in-person interest meeting that my husband joined. What struck me most was Leslie’s physical presence & intuitive, healing touch paired with her spiritually empowering words and eye contact.  Small gestures of physical touch helped me trust Leslie would be able to step towards me in a wild experience like birth. Each time she came to our home bringing a breath of fresh air, a joyful and hopeful perspective, and a confident belief in us - that we could prepare for and step towards the home birth I’ve always dreamed of having, even if I never dreamed I’d home birth in a 500 square foot NYC apartment! Leslie helped dispel my anxieties while assuring me of my health and potential and beauty in the process. We appreciated Her candor about the highs and lows that the whole experience could bring. We valued her questions that helped my husband and I center our own connection as we moved through the last hectic months of the third trimester. We needed her embodied practices and activities that helped us truly train for birth! I appreciated her check ins via text and gentle reminders to make the art I wanted to have on the walls during birth or to create the playlist, do the physical exercises, & lean into what I needed to do to feel prepared. 

When it came to the birth itself, I am convinced doulas are magical. Leslie was calm, steady, and quick to help us implement tools we had practiced prior to birth. She made the right call to the midwives at the right time. She managed to take pictures, which I really valued for being able to look back and make sense of the whole experience. The continuity of care was so meaningful - having someone present that I fully trusted was transformative. 

Throughout our journey, Leslie also shared critical resources (like the Fourth Trimester book, home birth stories in podcast form, the BRAIN acronym, the TENS unit, a great prenatal masseuse recommendation) that really shaped our experience for the better - from the moment we met her and through the first few weeks of baby’s life.

In postpartum, her visits were critical to supporting early breastfeeding and reassuring me that all was well - just keep going! Leslie helped me prepare a postpartum support document to share with family & friends while also giving me opportunities to practice what it would look like to let others serve us in our home - rehearsing asking someone to do the dishes or allowing them to fold the laundry was truly the best way to learn! Similar to how confident I felt after Leslie had my husband and I practice breathing together and doing birth postures and massages for pain relief in labor.

I feel so deeply grateful and am now a forever fan of anything Leslie sets out to do. I hope others in NYC get to benefit from her incredibly supportive and empowering practice as a doula and lactation supporter!

-Client Mollie