As your birth doula, I provide emotional, physical, logistical, and educational support prenatally, during the birth experience, and in the early postpartum period. With emphasis on birth preparation and education, I support my clients as they make informed choices regarding their labor and birth experience. I believe there are many options available to women and pregnant people for a healthy and satisfying birth experience. My role as a birth doula is to support my clients’ decisions, as they make the choices that will provide them with the most benefit as individuals and as a family.

During labor, I offer comfort measures and pain management techniques such as massage, words of comfort and affirmation, visualization, suggestions for partner support and involvement, and suggestions for movement and repositioning. I will also provide other logistical support and constant presence to help you create a satisfying birth experience. I will take time to get to know you and your birth companion(s) prenatally, and will continuously support you and your loved ones during your birth experience. As your birth doula, I work for you directly, not for your care provider or hospital.

'Hiring Laura as my doula was one of our first, and definitely one of the most important, decisions about pregnancy and delivery that we made. What set Laura apart from other support available to us was her chameleon like ability to adapt to any situation and be just the advocate we needed in any given moment. She was equally comfortable talking to me about my intuitive knowings about my child as she was talking with my medical team about my blood pressure, and switched between worlds with ease. As a person with a history of trauma, Laura became a place for me to walk through what I wanted to happen, and what could happen, and her curiosity and compassion led to a birth plan that made me feel prepared, confident, and excited about my birth. When nearly every aspect of that plan changed, Laura was an important part of making sure that both my husband and I understood what was happening, and had everything we needed to make empowered, clear decisions. Laura was, I firmly believe, a key reason why my labor and birth was a joyful, supported, and transformative experience, rather than a traumatic one.'

-Katy

'We were first time parents and extremely grateful to have Laura support us through my third trimester and L&D experience. She helped bring calm, knowledge, and perspective to our birth preparation, and when I was laboring and the course of events deviated from our birth preferences, it was reassuring to have Laura there as a sounding board and to help guide us through a cesarean birth. It was also lovely to have her thoughtful and healing support postpartum. I would absolutely recommend Laura's doula services!'

-Abbie

'Laura was my doula for my third birth and I would have loved to have her for all of my babies’ births. Working with Laura was such a wonderful experience both prenatal and postpartum. Laura offers her absolute presence and brought so much peace, support and knowledge that helped to create an environment that was so beautiful to welcome our little one. Having her as our doula gave us the support we needed to be fully present in the most treasured of moments. Forever grateful!'

- Elizabeth

'Laura was an incredible support at my birth. Her calm presence helped me stay grounded and her massage touch was just the right relief when the contractions were strong. She worked in beautiful harmony with my partner as the three of us navigated a birth that strayed far off course from my original "plan". Both before, during and after the delivery of my child Laura went above and beyond to make sure I was getting the right support - her documentation of the 39 hour experience is something I'll look back to for years to come. You won't regret having Laura by your side during this powerful life experience!'

-Tirzah

'Hiring Laura to be our doula was the best decision I made regarding our pregnancy/labor. You never expect things to go wrong, and early on I was on the fence about whether or not I really needed a doula. I intended to use the birth center, and thought maybe it wasn't necessary. But I decided I wanted someone who would be there to assist me throughout all of labor and provide guidance and support to me and my husband. Having our first few meetings [with Laura] to discuss all my desires for labor was beyond valuable in itself. After these meetings I felt much more confident and organized in my birth plan, allowing me to move calmly and confidently through the last months of pregnancy. 

All the more important was her presence during actual labor, as things ended up much differently than planned, with an early delivery at the hospital. Laura's support was such a godsend. Laura was super responsive when I called to tell her what was going on. She was at the hospital to meet us before we even arrived. Her calm and caring manner was exactly what my husband and I needed to support us through some very difficult decisions. Having a third party as a sounding board, as well as her informed guidance, helped us make the right decisions without haste and with much less anxiety. She brought a sense of serenity to what was at times a tumultuous event. Her gentle touch, soft voice and encouraging words continuously brought me back to center, and helped guide my husband as to how to best support me so we could be present throughout the ups and downs of an emergency labor. Despite having a labor that was in every way the opposite of my birth plan, I look back on it with joy because I know we handled it the best we could, due in part to Laura's support.'

-Christine Iksic

'We are so grateful for having Laura with us during the birth of our son. As new parents, we assumed that my labor would take hours, and were overwhelmed at how quickly everything progressed. Thankfully, Laura was there (at 4 in the morning on New Year’s Day!) to help us through it all. To me, everything felt chaotic and fast, but Laura was a calm and peaceful spirit helping everything along. She was everywhere we needed her to be. She was in the back of the car supporting me through my contractions. She was in the room, helping to process instructions from the midwife. She was at the foot of the bed holding one of my legs as I gave birth. At the same time, Laura was inconspicuous. In my trance I knew Laura was there calmly doing her work, even if I didn’t see her. She made sure that Jake had the confidence and tools to be my coach instead of just doing it herself. With her help, it was Jake who got to support me and stand by my side. Of all the services she provided for us, we both appreciate this the most. I attribute our positive, smooth, and joyful birth experience with a great birthing center, a little bit of luck and a lot of help from Laura.'

-Lauren Seiple & Jake Milofsky

'Laura was such a kind and calming presence, from our initial prenatal meetings to the birth itself. She was by my side throughout my 2 day labor and was a much needed support when I had an unplanned hospital transfer. She was great at encouraging me and backing me up when I had to make decisions or wanted to express a question or concern. She also was incredibly helpful in enabling me to try different laboring positions even when confined by an epidural/ hospital bed. I believe this movement and her encouragement ultimately helped me avoid a c-section.

Having her there also helped my husband grab some much needed sleep (and food) so at least one of us had energy when babe finally arrived. I truly don't know what we would have done without her.

She's also a wonderful masseuse!'

-Jane

'Laura is worth her weight in gold! She was so valuable both before, during, and after the birth of our daughter. Her support both physically and mentally was kind, open, non judgemental, supportive, and more. I knew Laura through a friend but very loosely: really not well at all. Her demeanor and personality put me at ease and made me feel comfortable with her from the start. When I was in labor she knew exactly when to be actively offering advice and physical support. As well as knowing when it was the right moment to melt into the background, sitting peacefully knitting. I loved it! She was a great advocate in the hospital. She helped me and my partner welcome our daughter into the world with strength and peace of mind. With Laura as our doula we felt that we were in knowledgeable and capable hands. Laura is the best doula <3'

-Meg Graham

'As it goes, my second pregnancy was way different than my first. In many ways for the better. I was self employed and was able to give myself the mental and emotional space to be more present with my rapidly changing self. I was practicing prenatal yoga regularly and was seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist for sciatica issues and birth prep. I was working towards a VBAC! Still there was something more I knew I could be doing to support me bringing another human earthside and so I set out to hire a doula. I put the search out on my socials and a mutual friend recommended Laura. My reaction was “DUH!” I’ve known Laura for years and have trusted her with my body before in her yoga classes and her amazing massages. It was a natural choice for me. I reached out and the stars aligned such that Laura had space exactly around my due date. I was over the moon as I was already 7 months along. After our first meeting I was at ease and full of confidence that I would have a VBAC. There’s no other way to put it - Laura provided me with such loving care! She reached out with resources, regularly checked in, calmed my worries, translated what was going on with my body, and this is all before it was time for baby to arrive.

When that time did come it was about 1am and I had just finished a long day of work only hours before. I was undeniably in labor as my husband called Laura. I remember asking her if this was actual labor after just purging and she was so gentle and encouraging over the phone saying that yes, this was it and sleep would have to wait! She made the drive to our home to be with me while I labored there but it was clear that baby wasn’t taking her time. Once at the hospital Laura advocated for me and my family in a way that I am forever grateful. My oldest had to come along as both our childcare options fell through. I remember being so worried about what was happening with my oldest but Laura worked with the hospital staff and I was able to better focus on laboring. I had transitioned on the way to the hospital so Laura's advocacy was crucial. During labor Laura was a beautiful calm energy, it was like she read my mind with certain things - turning off the TV and turning down the lights as soon as we entered the delivery room, asking staff to keep their presence to a minimum, explaining to me when and why I had to budge on some preferences - all things I noticed yet could not ask for! When it got unbearable she was there to remind me of my strength and guided me to my center. My baby was born in a whirlwind 6 hours after labor pains started and I was able to have a successful VBAC!

Laura has such a genuine desire to heal those around her - her care is intuitive and empowering. I am so grateful I was in her hands while bringing my baby earthside!'

-Sarah N.

My doula services for new clients are currently on pause while I pursue other work experiences.

Please feel free to reach out if you are a repeat client, or if you would like a referral to other doulas and doula networks in the Pittsburgh area.