Lotus Mom

We were introduced to Maria through a mutual friend, who had referred us to her when we were asking around about hiring a Doula and we are so thankful to have been put in touch with her. From the very first meeting we could tell that Maria would be an integral part of our birth experience and hired her right away. Maria brought to our experience a great deal of expertise, a calmness that we both needed, a great ability to explain to us and answer all of our questions (and we had a lot as first time parents to be) in a way that was respectful of our approaches to the process, while presenting different views and ideas that allowed us to gain comfort with our own choices, or preferences, with the birth of our daughter. Come delivery day, Maria was an extremely important part of the labor and birth, in a way that I could never have imagined. She just knew what to do, what to ask, what to say, how to make me feel better, how to support my husband, and how to encourage us throughout the labor. We both felt extremely lucky to have had her support. I had to deliver at a hospital and had Maria with me through the shift changes of many nurses and doctors. I can't imagine not having her there with us both as someone who knew us, knew our preferences, and brought with her a beautiful spirit that only she could provide. A very important piece of her service was the visit after the birth. Maria spoke about the importance of talking about the labor, processing the experience, and gave me very helpful information that has allowed me to heal in a way that I wouldn't have been able to without her. I cannot speak highly enough about Maria and what she has to offer- she is truly a gift and I highly recommend her to everyone who is looking for Doula support with their pregnancy and labor. We feel so very lucky to have had her by our side for this journey and have the most special place in our heart for Maria.

Working with Maria was one of the best decisions we made to help us through our pregnancy and birth journey!From the moment we met Maria early on in my pregnancy, we felt an immediate sense of calm and knew she was the right person for the job.She's incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. Her expertise played a huge role in ensuring my first pregnancy was as smooth as could be and the birth of my baby girl couldn't have gone any better. Having her by my side was a huge relief as well - she was on the ball at all times and she took such good care of my husband and I throughout the entire process.Thank you once again Maria. We owe the fact that everything went so well to you!

I would like to thank Maria for her attitude and trustworthy nature. When I requested for a encapsulation she took me through the options and made it easy to understand. She was more then accommodating actually coming to the hospital to pick up the placenta. Further more she even stood up to some evil nurses and voiced her disagreement about how we were being treated about a particular topic we all know so well. This really is what won me over and i know in my heart of hearts this is a good person really cares.further more the package I received looked great and the material contains priceless knowledge that you will not get anywhere else.I vouch for Maria and if you are considering this option for you I highly recommend Lotus Mom you will not be disappointment.here is my wife' commentary:Excellent service-very professional, knowledgeable andcaring. Maria went above and beyond forus and we would definitely recommend and will use her services in the future. We would give 10 stars if we could.

We hired Maria for her postpartum doula services. I cannot express how essential her services were to me as a first time mother. Her kindness and experience was amazing for my confidence and recovery period after my labour. She was a patient guide through my weeks of questions and anxieties and taught me some amazing techniques that have helped me care for my daughter. She is well informed through her years of experience, an amazing cook and most importantly for me a supportive and non judgemental voice which every new mom needs. I’m so thankful I had Maria’s support in the weeks following my labour, during her time with us she made sure myself and our little one was cared for! Thank you Maria!

I could not recommend Maria's services as a doula more highly. My husband and I worked with her over the course of our pregnancy, and her calm and capable demeanour gave us the confidence to approach the entire labour and delivery process with a sense of ease. While the birth of our daughter didn't ultimately end up unfolding the way I had envisioned, having Maria by our side was one of the best choices I made and she made us feel truly supported the entire time. Incredibly knowledgeable, easygoing, warm and loving, Maria is the epitome of what I was looking for in a doula and I would not hesitate to use her services again.

Maria is a very special soul. She is very warm and gentle; she has an innate ability to know what you need - even when you don’t. She took such great care of me when my baby was born and gave me the confidence I needed as a first time mom - she immediately felt like family and will forever be part of our lives. I highly recommend her!

My partner and I hired Maria as a doula for the birth of our daughter, and it was one of the best decisions we could ever have made!Maria provided thorough and reassuring prenatal education in the comfort of our home. She taught me some exercises for getting my baby into the right position to be born, and she answered all of our questions knowledgeably and patiently, helping my partner and I feel calm and confident going into our birth.During labour and delivery, Maria was absolutely essential. The moment she came over I felt like I could let go all of the tension and fear that I was holding, and I could allow my body to do the work it needed to do. I was in tremendous pain, but I felt safe because I knew I could rely on Maria to guide me through each contraction. It is also important to note that Maria worked very well with my partner, showing him how he could support me in the most effective ways. Together, the two of them were at my side every minute, and brought me through what was one of the most difficult and transformative experiences of my life. Because of Maria, I was able to have the non-medicated birth that I wanted, and I really don't know if I could have done it without her.In our post-natal visit, Maria made sure that we had time together to process the whole experience. I didn't know how much I would need that, but it was transformative and therapeutic to be able to discuss my birth experience with Maria, who by now feels like a trusted friend. Maria has gone above and beyond what I ever could have expected. She even brought a home cooked lunch to my house in our post-natal visit, which was such a thoughtful and kind thing to do.Maria brings so much passion and love to her work. She is so gifted at what she does, and I couldn't recommend her more highly!

Maria was knowledgeable, a great listener, and helped me prepare at every step of the way during my second pregnancy. It was a really great experience and I don't know what I would have done without her at my birth. She didn't even need to ask questions, it was like she knew what would help when and was always spot on. She also checked on me every once in a while postpartum until I was ready for our final visit, which was such a nice time to reflect and chat. Maria was truly such a special and important part of my birth experience and I could not be more grateful for her support!

Being matched with Maria via Toronto Yoga Mamas was the best thing that could have happened to pre labour and delivery. Maria became a wonderful support throughout my difficult pregnancy. She brought a calming and knowledgeable presence to every meeting. Maria always knew the right words to say to reassure my racing mind, the just right books and birthing videos that I needed to envision to have the birth experience that I so wanted. As a first time mom she gave me the confidence that I could do this!!!! She was right...I had never felt as empowered and magical as I did during my baby girls birth. Maria goes above and beyond and has since become a wonderful confidant and friend who checks in with me and baby regularly. I will always remember the huge role she played in my pregnancy and birth of beautiful Poppy. Forever thankful for you Maria xo

I am incredibly grateful to have had Maria’s calming presence and wealth of knowledge at my birth. If you are hesitating to hire a doula, I would recommend you look no further and meet with Maria to understand the benefits of her support.Her exceptional doula services contributed to a positive first birth experience in light of a challenging situation — my husband had an injury that required surgery 1 week before the arrival of our daughter. It was a difficulty that Maria handled with confidence and without judgement. My husband commented that her calm demeanour was contagious and put him at ease during the birth.Maria has many strengths and competencies! Top among them is her experience in comfort measures like aromatherapy, massage, acupressure and ‘Spinning Baby’ techniques. This helped me labour at home for a substantial portion of my experience. This was a happy and comfortable moment for me and I was able to avoid early interventions.Maria had a strong handle on the hospital experience and communicated clearly with us to help us advocate for our birth preferences.We were so impressed with Maria that we decided to hire her for support in the postpartum period. She was able to take tasks off our plate (like baby laundry and food prep) and also cared for our baby so that I could rest. Where I had reservations about allowing others to care for my newborn, I had no hesitation with Maria. She was also able to refer us to trusted Lactation and Osteopathy experts which left us empowered during the transition to parenthood.We hope that you will have the opportunity to work with Maria! We’re so happy she was able to be with us to welcome our baby into the world!