Stephanie Mackley Birth Doula

I simply cannot say enough good things about Steph Mackley. We chose her as our doula because we felt an instant connection with her, and it paid off IN SPADES. Steph is not only incredibly knowledgeable about all things pregnancy and birth-​related, she is also down-​to-​earth, funny, warm and WISE… a perfect and much-​needed combination when it comes to pregnancy and birth. Her package includes two prenatal visits and one post-​partum visit, in addition to being there for the entire labor…
PRENATAL: Steph guided us through creating our birth preferences and spent several hours with my husband and me providing education and support prior to labor considering all of our options, and really helped us conceptualize the birth process. We wanted a natural birth, but I also wanted to be realistic and not feel guilty if I elected (or needed) to get an epidural. Steph was totally supportive and reassuring about the idea of keeping all options on the table. She also provided tons of recommendations for readings, resources in the community, etc. She always responded thoughtfully to all of our questions, and was incredibly validating during the entire roller-​coaster that is pregnancy! She also helped my partner and me think through how we wanted to work together during labor, and what kind of support would be most helpful to me during the process. It was almost like couple’s therapy (I mean that as a compliment), and both my husband and I were SO GRATEFUL for her help.
LABOR: I ended up giving birth to a 10lb baby completely naturally. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT STEPH. While I can’t promise that using Steph’s services will make labor happen the exact way you want it, I can say that Steph will be with you, supporting you the whole time. In my case, Steph sat with me doing visualizations to help cope with pain, helping me move into different positions, and even helping hold my legs during pushing! (It was really her enthusiastic coaching that got me through!). She also definitely helped my husband feel totally involved in the process, giving him much-​appreciated suggestions for how to support me. Additionally, the nurses and the OB also loved having her there, which was an added bonus!
POST-​PARTUM: Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better– Steph was incredibly helpful post-​partum, as well. She helped me work through some very tough breastfeeding issues, and provided so much support and reassurance to us as new parents. Again, Steph was at the ready with tons of recommendations and resources and grounded wisdom about parenthood and newborn care (not to mention self-​care suggestions for both of us!).
Steph really is as good as it gets. If we decide to do this again (gulp!) we will DEFINITELY be using her as our doula! I recommend her in the strongest possible terms!

I highly recommend my doula, Stephanie Mackley. She is a gentle, affordable,
and really caring doula that held my hand through my entire birth process.
For my first child I felt really powerless over my birth plan (I had no doula)
and knew that for my second child I wanted to feel like I was in control and
Steph really made me feel informed and like I had a choice throughout the
process. Steph is warm, loving, enthusiastic, compassionate and has a great
sense of humor, coupled with maturity and responsibility.
She came to our house twice for pre-​natal visits and also offered support over
email and the phone, and she really addressed my fears with detailed
responses.
Steph’s support was a huge contribution to my positive birth experience. She
took wonderful pictures of my birth, drafted a detailed birth log, and really
was present throughout the birth and helped me navigate some decisions that
had to be made on the spot.
Steph’s contact info: 510.717.8784 and