My son was born naturally after a super complicated, anxiety filled prgenancy and I can say with no hesitation that the birth and birth process were the easiest part of the entire 9 months. Having Molly by my side definitely contributed positively to the experience. At my birth, Molly was available by phone multiple times in the middle of the night. When she arrived to the hospital she seamlessly integrated with the medical team and was the perfect intermediary, making my husband and I feel extremely comfortable. If we do it again, I will definitely want Molly by my side again!
— Anna P.
“She was always calm and it made us calmer. She just made the whole birth better and I don’t know how I could have done it without her. I really hope to have her join us for future babies.”
— Isabelle T.
Molly was the best decision I could have made, she was instrumental in ensuring our pregnancy and birth journey was quite literally the best experience I could have ever hoped for.
I began my search of a doula because I was becoming anxious about the thought of labor and birth. The thought of labor and birth was bringing up so many traumatic emotions, due to the loss of our first child. I wanted & needed a support person and advocate in the room, when my husband and I would be at our most vulnerable.
Through the Childbirth Education class and our monthly prenatal meetings, we received so much knowledge and information from Molly. Molly supported me in a way I never expected. She had a profound impact in the way I approached my pregnancy and birth. I became so empowered and more importantly in control of MY birth experience.
When it came to the big day, Molly was nothing short of amazing, even when my labor progressed so quickly she didn’t make it to the hospital in time (despite our planning!) before my baby boy arrived! Nevertheless, Molly was on speaker throughout the delivery and was quite honestly my calming, guiding star. My birth was a really beautiful experience, certainly not how I would have imagined if you asked me prior to meeting Molly.
Even postpartum, Molly was still there, sending comforting texts and checking in, which always came when I needed it most. This support was beyond what I was ever expecting from my doula, or anyone for that matter.
My birth experience went exactly as it should have; the way my son intended it to. I never would have been so in tune and listening to my body and my sons needs if I didn’t have Molly and her support, education and confidence in me. I will be forever grateful to Molly for guiding me to what I needed for MY birth experience.
Molly is an ‘above & beyond’ human; professional; care person – I cannot recommend her enough.
— Beth C.
Having Molly was fundamental to our birth experience. It was nice to have someone else to talk through with all the things that come up. Having someone for [my husband] to lean on. Really just having that extra space to learn more and get advice made all the difference. When we have another baby we hope to have Molly there, in person!
— Hannah G.
Molly is an incredible doula and I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a caring, professional, and knowledgeable companion at their birth. She has a ton of experience supporting birth and it showed throughout every step of our work with her. We hired Molly later in my pregnancy, around 33 weeks, and she was immediately available and responsive over text, email, and phone, helping me navigate through some of the pregnancy complications I was facing. When I needed to be induced, she met us at the hospital and stayed for the entire 48 hour labor. She offered support with my contractions, used her impressive technical knowledge of birth to help me evaluate medical decisions, and even woke up every 30 minutes during the night to turn me from side to side to help baby descend. I ended up having a successful VBAC and Molly played a major role in helping me achieve that goal.
— Emily T.
Words from Partners…
We signed up to work with Molly about two months before the birth.
Molly was especially helpful in (1) helping Mom use breathing during the most intense part of contractions, and (2) being our sounding board when we needed to make decisions, or when it felt like the nurses/doctors weren’t giving us enough time to make a decision.
She gave us the confidence to push back and ask questions to ensure we were getting the treatment we wanted. I also appreciated how Molly gave good suggestions for things to do and say to be helpful, so I felt useful and she felt very well supported.
We would highly recommend Molly and can’t believe how affordable the service was for how much time she spent with us around the clock and how much help she provided. We will 100% be using her again for any future babies.
— Erik L.
Hiring Molly was the best decision we could possibly have made. As a new dad-to-be I was a little taken aback when my wife brought up the idea of a doula. My initial impression was she wanted to bring in outside help to ensure she’d receive the care and support she needed. This felt like a personal attack because that was supposed to be my role! I couldn’t have been more wrong.
From our initial interview of Molly she ensured I wouldn’t be an onlooker in this journey, but an active and important participant. She explained her role was to support my wife and I and help us make informed decisions that were in line with our preferences. She always had us one step ahead. It was very nice going into every doctor’s appointment and already having an understanding of what the doctor was talking about because we’d already discussed it with Molly. And when it came time for delivery and were forced to go to plan b and c due to things out of our control, Molly was a comforting and reassuring sounding board as we went through all our options and what everything meant. We felt confident in all our decisions because Molly had educated us on what to expect and what everything meant.
I can’t imagine having gone through everything we did without Molly. And I can’t imagine going through this again without her. She’ll be our first non-family phone call if/when we have another child.
— Carlos G.
“Molly was my doula for the birth of my first baby in March and I found her invaluable! I had a long, painful labor that resulted in a C section and Molly went above and beyond, staying with my husband and I for 30 hours in the hospital and she was totally hands-on the whole time, helping us navigate each decision and helping me work through my pain, both physically and psychologically. Due to her guidance, I felt much more in-control of my experience. She has also been so helpful during my post-partum period, meeting with me to help me process and reflect on my experience, as well as be a resource regarding breastfeeding and my physical recovery. I couldn’t recommend her more!”
— Cara B.
Molly was my doula during the pregnancy and birth of my first child. We hired her around my fifth month, and from the moment she was on board she was an invaluable member of our “team.” She was responsive to questions and concerns throughout my pregnancy, and coached both my husband and I through each subsequent phase. She also helped us prepare for the birth by sharing information and resources that allowed us to think through and weigh evidence-based alternatives for many of the common decisions surrounding a birth. Having someone to walk us through all the potential paths that birth might take was so helpful for both my husband and I in heading into labor feeling prepared and well equipped with information, as well as empowered in our own abilities to make decisions that felt right for us. During the birth, she arrived just as I headed into active labor and continued to help by providing context for what was happening, reiterating my stated preferences, and helping me maintain comfortable positioning up to and through the successful vaginal delivery of my child. It is impossible to imagine this journey to parenthood without Molly’s support, guidance, and presence. She is a genuinely kind, thoughtful, and knowledgable human being and I could not recommend her more highly as a doula.
— Katie P.
Molly is beyond amazing and when I look back on the birth of my first baby, I will also think of the fantastic support I received from Molly.
I had planned to have a minimal intervention, natural, possibly water birth. Things definitely did not turn out that way!
First off, I had an extremely long labor, about 3 days long. It started with my water breaking before my labor began. I stayed at home for the first 24 hours but when my labor didn’t spontaneously start, my husband and I went to the hospital. Since my labor hadn’t started and it had already been 24 hours, my healthcare provider recommended induction. I was disappointed since this was the opposite of what I wanted but when I called Molly, she immediately encouraged me and helped put things in perspective.
For the next 24 hours, she continued to provide soothing and calming phone and text support. She joined me in-person the following morning and then proceeded to make the final 24 hours before my baby was born an empowering experience. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely exhausted nearing the end but Molly somehow just kept me going (in a somewhat superhuman way because I know she was probably tired staying up for 24 hours too!). She recommended lots of movements to help with the baby’s position and to help labor move along. Anytime my healthcare provider came in to check on me and give updates, Molly was right there to advise me on the next best course of action, making sure that I was absolutely comfortable with everyone that was going on. I never ever once felt out of control or pressured or rushed because I had my doula advocating for my best interest at all times. I am so grateful to Molly for giving me an empowering labor even though it was not the one I had planned at all.
When it comes to my delivery, it was THE most magical moment of my life, I couldn’t have imagined it going any better. I have heard horror stories of people having absolutely horrible deliveries, but mine was the exact opposite. Molly (along with my midwife) encouraged me to take my pushing slow and steady, to use a variety of birthing positions, all to ensure that my baby’s delivery would be a smooth and easy one. And it was exactly that! With Molly on one side and my husband on the other, my baby was born so smoothly and I couldn’t have asked for a more magical experience.
I say all of this because I can’t recommend Molly enough. Molly is a true superstar in my eyes and made my labor and delivery journey one of the best experiences of my whole life (even though it didn’t go as planned at all!). If you are pregnant and thinking about having a doula, I truly can’t recommend her enough. I will absolutely be using her again if I have any more children in the future!
— Prerna B.
Molly Landolt | DC Doula | Birth Doula | Washington District of Columbia 