Supported Birth Care

Read what former clients and students have to say about our doula services and classes.

"We're happy Ben's healthy and that there weren't any complications. Mike and I felt prepared -- and asked a lot of questions -- because of the Supported Birth class." Michelle

"Elizabeth provided excellent emotional and physical support using non-medical techniques that include: gentle massages, breathing and relaxation techniques. The patient responded well and maintained focused during her labor and delivery. Thank you so very much for all your help."

Silvia Rodriguez, RN

St. Joseph Hospital, Burbank CA 5/13

"When I was checked by the on call doctor at 1am, I was 5cm dilated. She was very surprised that I was 5cm because she said I didn't seem in pain (thanks to your awesome coping mechanisms!)...we very much enjoyed the Supported Birth class you led...thank you again!"

Melissa and Kyle 6/13

"Elizabeth was a warm, calm, and reassuring presence at the birth of our daughter. We are so grateful that she was there! Her wealth of knowledge, sense of humor, and unobtrusive support were a great comfort during a long night in which we were checked on by nurses only once an hour, and the doctor arrived for the last 15 minutes. Our meetings before and after the birth were extremely helpful too. We feel very fortunate to have had her with us during that intense and amazing time."

Lyra (and Rob) 7/13

"Thanks again Lauren! And thank you for the pep talk on my delivery day. Things got a little nutty but our girl is here and we are very thankful."

Kelly and Daniel 8/13

"Great experience! While I originally was hoping for no meds, my situation required some and the walking epidural was an excellent option."

Sheneza (and Jaime) 9/13

"I did try to use some techniques from your class, DEFINITELY focused on breathing, visualized myself on my perfect beach when I couldn't stop my body from shaking, and focused on each really strong contraction massaging my baby, getting him ready to take his first breaths. Tried to allow my body to relax into the contraction and massage the baby, versus trying to fight it."

Shawna (and Tom) 10/13

"It definitely was not what I planned, but at the end of the day I'm proud to say I went through the labor before the caesarian. I feel so empowered to know I can handle intense pain and still be alright. (I wouldn't wish back labor on anyone though) To be able to make it through what I did before Talin was born makes me realize how resilient the human body is."

Devon (and Daniel) 11/13

"We highly recommend Elizabeth! She is an intelligent person, whom we fully trusted to be there for us. Her personality suit us perfectly-- down to earth and not overly bubbly. Of all our interviews, she was our number one choice!...She was kind and encouraging regarding my way-too-long birth plan for her (not the hospital 1-pager)...we succeeded with our main goals because of Elizabeth's help and reassurance!...She was the perfect guide for two anxious people!"

Natalie (and Kyle) 12/13

"We wanted to thank you again for all your guidance. We felt incredibly prepared when our son arrived... We waited until 411 and utilized everything we learned in the class and felt very knowledgeable before and once we got to the hospital."

Jessica and Chris 1/14

"The cesarean was way better than I thought it would be."

Melissa (and Jonathan) 2/14

"Thank you for the classes."

Mel and Spencer 6/14

"Elizabeth - thank you for all of your loving support during and after the birth of our girl. I couldn't have done it with out you. All of your knowledge was so vital in creating our Birth Plan. You truly took a lot of my fears away. We are blessed to have found you."

Macie (and Steve) 7/14

"It helped me by being open and flexible from the start and not having my heart set on one thing for labor and birth."

Laura 8/14

"I'm glad my husband and I prepared as much as we did by taking your class and having a doula. It gave us a picture of what to expect and we felt prepared and ready when the time came."

Teresa (and Brandon) 9/14

I am still on high with gratitude for the invaluable part you two played in my birthing process. I know without a doubt I could not have made it over without you ladies, my earth angels!!!"Bianca (and Ken) 10/14

"I feel like screaming to the world how important it was to have a doula at the birth of my baby boy Lukas. Also, I couldn't have chosen a better person than Elizabeth. She was so helpful and committed throughout the whole process. She's passionate about what she does, and it's easy to see that. What a great soul!"

Juliana (and Ian)

" We really did love your class and we are very happy that we took it."

Patricia and Adam 10/14

"I am convinced that my birth story would not have been as ideal as it was without you as my doula. From discussions during my pregnancy to post-partum follow-up, you provided fantastic support. You even had chapstick for me during labor! You will always hold a very deep-seated place in my heart. Thank you so very much for you assisting me in the most moving experience of my life."

Katie 11/14

"Thank you for all you did for Michael and me in our childbirth education class. My body really did know how to give birth!"

Kate 12/14

"Elizabeth was a life saver and giver!!! I am so happy and grateful for all the support provided she provided me- before, during and after the birth of my son. Elizabeth made my first birthing experience comfortable and sacred with all her love and good energy she brought to the birth. When I didn't think I could go any further in my natural birth, Elizabeth gave me the strength and confidence to carry on. The birth of my son was by far the best experience of my life and Elizabeth played a HUGE role in making it the best!"

Rachel (and Keith) 1/15

"Thank you, Lauren! We enjoyed the class and felt prepared. Will definitely be recommending you to our friends! Thanks for your time and helping prepare us!"

Crystal and Luke 2/15

"We were blessed to have Elizabeth serve as our Doula during the birth of our daughter, Oceana Kalyani. We cannot fully express what Elizabeth's dedication, knowledge, skills and experience have meant to us. Elizabeth made herself available to us anytime day or night...Elizabeth's calming and relatable nature immediately created a deep sense of trust, which we came to rely on a great deal when making decisions leading up to and during the delivery...Elizabeth's knowledge and professionalism made us feel safe in making the decision to stay home long after initially panicked dad-to-be thought we should leave...Both at home and in the hospital Elizabeth used combinations of image therapy, aroma therapy, water therapy (nice long warm showers), massage, stretching, exercise ball movement, and yoga positions to help Serena manage her contractions...Elizabeth acted as an informed, but objective sounding board when we had questions about some of the steps the medical staff proposed, and always respected and supported our decisions...Elizabeth helped us understand what was happening and why, helped us feel safe and heard, and who ultimately ensured that we will always remember welcoming Oceana as a beautiful event, filled with love. Thank you so much Elizabeth."

Vijay and Serena 3/15

"...the class was a huge part of the reason why we were able to have the natural childbirth we wanted. In addition to being informative and reassuring us that everything we were experiencing was healthy and normal, it had also given us the tools to have the preparatory conversations and so the planning we needed to do as a couple in order to share the experience so fully.

The labor and birth process was the most intense, self-affirming, difficult and rewarding experience I've ever had. And to feel as locked in with my partner as I did with Damon was beyond description and expectations."

Rachel 5/15

"It was a great experience and very emotional."

Catriona and Mark-Paul 6/15

"Thank you for helping me have this be such a positive experience - I felt such inner strength and confidence."

Jenny (and Jeff) 7/15

"Holy Moly, giving birth is no joke."

Michelle (and Barrett) 8/15

"All in all, I had such an amazing experience. It was truly the best day of my life and I even said to my husband about 15 minutes after he was born that I was ready for baby #2 haha! Thanks so much for the wonderful birth class. Roger and I learned a lot and I'm so happy I was able to have the drug-free birth that I wanted."

Colleen 9/15

"It helped me to know as much as I could about the labor and delivery process. I loved the classes we took with Lauren and felt much better and confident going into labor after the class. "

Julia (and David) 10/15

"Thanks again for the class - it definitely played a role in giving us the birth experiences we wanted!"

Rachel (and Damon) 11/15

"I'm very thankful for the discussion you had with us about when an epidural might be the right thing to do. I think without that knowledge I would not have felt that it was OK, and that it could be a good thing for me, but it so clearly was. When it was time to push and during recovery I had the strength I needed, and I would not have, had I kept going and not had any rest. Thank you."

Annika (and Julio) 12/15

"We really enjoyed your class and both felt much more confident and capable going into the birth. For me, what really assured me was that we both had the same information and were on the same page with "the plan" (used loosely) so going in, I felt like we would be moving united, rather than stressing out about what to do every step of the way."

Lauren (and Zach) 1/16

"So glad we went natural and appreciate all the info we got from your class."

Caitlin (and Marshall) 1/16

"We're happy Ben's healthy and that there weren't any complications. Mike and I felt prepared -- and asked a lot of questions -- because of the Supported Birth class."

Michelle (and Micheal)  2/16

"Thank you so much for all your help. I don't know what we would have done without you both."

Kumari (and Louis) 3/16

"You guys were awesome...Could not have done that without either of you! You guys crushed it."

Mat (and Maiko)  4/16

"You two made a huge impact."

 Christina and Joe 10/16

"You two work so well together and are such a blessing. Hiring you two as our doula was the best investment ever."

Bianca (and Ken) 9/16

"Thank you again for your amazing support and for quite literally helping keep my sanity and helping me make it through the the other side!! "

Benson (and Megan) 12/16

"Thank you for all your help during the most memorable day of our lives. Jeff and I can't thank you enough for your special support."

Audrey (and Jeff) 1/17

"Thank you Lauren! I have to admit I was not that enthused about taking a "lamaze" class. My friends told me I'd be fine just watching a video but David really wanted to take one to learn & meet people, etc. Walking up to the first class I even thought, "What on earth are we going to talk about for 3 hours?" Was I ever wrong!  You were so informative & taught me so much. I feel so much more knowledgeable & able to speak up at the hospital for my needs. Thank you for empowering us with knowledge. Your classes were engaging & your humor was much appreciated."

Tracey (and David) 7/17

"My wife and I took the 3-Week Birthing class "SUPPORTED BIRTH," led by Lauren Ryan. Each class is 3 hours long, and Lauren goes IN DEPTH about every stage of labor and the full scope of the birthing experience. At the same time, she is wonderfully personable, knowledgeable, and engaging. What I appreciated most was the way she seamlessly incorporated fathers and partners into her class. It has become standard operating procedure to either ignore or passively insult the men in the room as having no further use, but Lauren didn't do that. She brought us into the experience - one that is quite foreign and unknown to us - and clearly explained all the ways we can help the women in our lives. How to support them, anticipate needs, take care of lots of household things, and assist in laboring at home. 
My wife is going to give birth to our first baby in 2 months, and the whole process of laboring and getting to the hospital and whether or not to use drugs, etc - it all used to feel like a big fat QUESTION MARK. But after 3 excellent sessions, which promoted tons of great conversations between us, and dozens of questions during the sessions, we feel much more equipped and ready to take on this challenge. That QUESTION MARK isn't nearly as daunting as it used to be. I would HIGHLY recommend this course to any/all first time parents. We got so much out of it."

Jason 8/17

"As a first time mom who chose to do an all natural birth having the support of our doulas (Elizabeth and Lauren) was just priceless. Not only did they provide amazing knowledge of the birthing process but their caring and supportive approach were astonishing. Being able to have access to two qualified doulas who answered all of the many questions that i had pre and post delivery was the unique advance of working with them as a pair.  I was grateful to be able to have their support before, during and after our delivery and why I will be sure to reach out for their support me when we decide to have another baby."

Lynda 9/17