Sarah Pancake

My wife and I strongly recommend Sarah as a labor doula. She was an integral part of our recent birthing experience. Not only did she provide great advice and support (emotional and physical) before, during and after the labor and delivery, but she was such a warm welcoming presence after the birth that she immediately felt like a member of our family. She is extremely knowledgeable about all things related to pregnancy and birth and has a great motivating attitude to help mothers (and spouses) get everything they desire out of the experience.

(Recommended 3/10)

My husband and I highly recommend Sarah Pancake as a labor support doula. I wanted to strive for an unmedicated vaginal birth and Sarah's support and guidance made it happen. At 37 weeks I had a difference of opinion with my OB over my birth plan. I felt extremely discouraged and was willing to stick with her and hope for the best (given that it was so late in the game) but Sarah accessed her network and introduced me to a midwife who allowed me to have the birth experience I wanted. Sarah's stamina is commendable as I couldn't have done it if she hadn't massaged me through every contraction. She also worked extremely well with my husband (who at first was hesitant about our having a doula) giving him room to focus on me and support me with his love during labor. Also, her fee structure made it possible for us to afford a doula. We highly recommend Sarah Pancake.

We recommend Sarah Pancake without reservation. My husband and I are very thankful for her help and presence during the long labor. We had a wonderful and empowering birth experience which did not end up in a C-section, and we attribute much of that to having Sarah with us. We interviewed Sarah one evening when I was 36 weeks pregnant. She was absolutely lovely, and we loved her. At the interview, Sarah offered her services to us even before we had a contract or made a final decision. As serendipity has it, that night, my water broke, and we called Sarah at 2:30AM in the morning. Sarah was responsive, calm, fun, good-humored and as excited as we were. To make the long story short, I had 42+ hours of labor with various twists and turns during this time. The birth could have easily ended in a C-section and have been a different experience. Instead, Sarah took care of both my husband and me throughout the process, and we felt
that we were managing the labor and making informed decisions at each juncture--thanks to Sarah. When our daughter was finally being born, Sarah took wonderful pictures of our daughter's first moments into this world. My husband and I are thankful for her services, but importantly, that she was part of our lives during this time.
(september, 2008)

I HIGHLY recommend Sarah Pancake. We found her on the Birthday Presence website (which I also highly recommend their childbirth class).
http://www.birthdaypresence.net/aboutus.html

Sarah was incredibly warm, compassionate, and knowledgeable. She was
able to help me naturally augment my labor after my water broke
without any contractions, saving me from ever needing Pitocin or any other medical intervention. I delivered in a Manhattan hospital by an OB. My husband and I will forever be grateful to her for her guidance and support. Having been there during such an amazing time in our life, she will always be a part of our family and we can't wait to have her back for for our next baby! (august 6, 2008)

i have to admit that my husband was a little aghast over how much doulas cost in NYC, but after my daughter's birth he said to me and anyone who asked that Sarah was worth every penny we paid her. My pregnancy took an unexpected turn at the very end with 24 hours of tests, a long induced labor and a c-section--not what we wanted and all physically and emotionally grueling. she helped me understand what was going on, ask the right questions and retain some control over the process. She smoothed things over with the hospital staff when they were dealing badly with a malfunctioning fetal monitor, stayed awake from beginning to end, told my husband when he should take a break, and helped us both deal with the physical and emotional aspects of what was happening. I don't what we would have done without her. it takes a unique person to be a doula and Sarah is very good at it.

I really can't say enough things about Sarah- she was truly an amazing support person for me and my husband during the birth of our son!
From my hospitalization at 33 weeks for preterm labor to my eventual delivery (full term), Sarah was there for us. My labor was fast and intense, and I would have never been able to focus enough to stick to my plan of a drug free birth without Sarah's help. From giving me sips of water to holding one of my legs (my husband had the other), she was completely the calm, confident presence I needed. I am so happy we chose her. I wouldn't hesitate for even a second to recommend her- she is amazing.

Sarah Pancake was my doula a few months ago for a hospital birth. The birth was long and complicated and Sarah helped me get through it. I don't know how I would have done it without her. She is great at helping you get through the pain of childbirth. She has also continued to follow up with me since the birth and offer her support. I highly recommend her.

Sarah Pancake was great! Because we wanted to stay home as long as possible before going to the hospital, and because we were first-timers, we decided at the last minute (2 days before my due date!) to hire a doula, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Sarah stayed with us through two and a half days/nights of prodromal labor, helping us to assess what was happening and providing support in so many ways: suggesting positions that would ease the labor pain; plying me with food and drink so I could keep my strength up; massaging my back during contractions; reminding us to take walks; keeping us from panicking; suggesting warm baths when the contractions got rough. She also helped to describe the labor to our midwife on the phone, and it was a great benefit to have an experienced person with us at home to help the midwife guide us as to when to go to the hospital.

Once we were at the hospital, Sarah's presence allowed my husband to take sleep breaks, because we both knew I would have her support in his absence. She was also a great help during the pushing stage and delivery, supporting one of my legs while our midwife supported the other. She stayed at the hospital to see us settled into our room on the maternity floor, and came to our apartment about a week later for a follow up visit.

Please don't hesitate to email me at sm_starling@yahoo.com if you have specific questions. I would be happy to talk to you about our experience