Testimonials
Mariam was an absolute blessing for my husband and me with the birth of our first child. We had no idea what to do or expect until we met Mariam! Her infectious smile, energetic personality yet calming presence was just the beginning. She has an amazing way to put you at ease and let you know everything will be okay before, during and after the birthing process. Mariam’s passion for what she does is so clearly evident. We will forever be grateful and indebted to her for everything she did in helping us navigate having a baby and our introduction into parenthood!
Mariam was amazing to work with! She was with me at my second son’s birth in July. Having a doula this time around was such a great experience and I would highly recommend her to anyone. Mariam helped me to stay calm, focused, and comfortable. Mariam is very knowledgeable and helped me through contractions, using various breathing techniques and positions. Mariam not only helped me but was also a support system for my husband. He also enjoyed having her there, and he thought she was very helpful. Overall, I had a wonderful birth experience and am super thankful to have had Mariam be a part of such an important day!
Mariam was wonderful to have with me as my birth doula. As a first time mom, I had minimal knowledge of what to actually expect or what it would feel like, so she was incredibly helpful with answering all of my questions anytime leading up to the birth. She was able to guide both my husband and I throughout the entire labor and birth by breathing with us, offering to change positions and techniques, and by utilizing massage to make me more comfortable. She was very knowledgeable of the options I had during the process and was comfortable with addressing my needs and preferences to the nurses and other hospital staff as needed. Mariam also answered any questions I had in the first few weeks after delivery as well, as I was trying to navigate life with a newborn. She made the whole experience seamless, between guiding me through breathing techniques over the phone until we reached the hospital, walking around the campus with us until we could be admitted, and assisting in the labor and delivery room. I highly recommend Mariam, and plan to have her as our doula again if we decide to have more children.
I first met Mariam as a volunteer doula. I requested a doula and Mariam willingly came in on her day off. She stayed with me through my entire 36 hour birth. Mariam was present for the delivery of both of my children, now ages 3 and 1/2 and almost 4 months. My oldest child was not breathing at birth and it was a very scary experience for us all. While my husband stayed with the baby, Mariam stayed with me and provided support and a listening ear. My daughter is perfect now and Mariam holds a special place in my heart for all of the support she provided. I knew when I was expecting again that I wanted Mariam to attend the delivery. She again provided support to my husband and I, and she never left my side. She knew the support I needed and was so comforting when I was anxious about the arrival of my son. The support that Mariam provided was priceless and I will be forever grateful. In fact, I still keep up with her to this day and she is like a family member. If you have a chance to meet Mariam you will love her empathetic and caring personality.
Mariam is the best! She is so warm and supportive. I am so glad she was with me as I brought my little boy into the world!
I was so glad I chose to work with Mariam and Designated Doula during my pregnancy and through the birth of my first child. As an expecting mother, although I read books, visited online forums, consulted with family and friends, and took classes with my partner, I was still nervous about labor and birth. Having Mariam by our sides before and during labor took so much of the worry and anxiety away. She was able to answer all the questions we had about labor, delivery and post partum with grace and compassion. When I thought I was going into labor, she was one of the first people I contacted and she was there as I needed her—I liked that she was as available as I needed but still gave my partner and I the space to make the experience our own. Having her with us at the hospital was monumental—she encouraged me to walk the ward to help progress labor, applied pressure/massage as contractions were happening, helped talk to the doctors as I was unable to due to pain. I loved knowing I had someone in the room that had helped others through birth before and could be my translator. When it came to push, she was an amazing coach! Delivery was pretty much perfect and I owe a lot of it to Mariam—I’m fortunate she was there with me during the scariest and most joyful moment of my life. Again, one of her greatest gifts is the ability to “read the room”—to step in when you need her but also to give space to make the moment special for you and your partner. If you are contemplating hiring a doula, I highly recommend Mariam with Designated Doula.
I worked with Mariam for the birth of our second child, a baby girl. I didn’t reach out to Mariam until I was 36 weeks pregnant because I am a procrastinator. And gosh, I wish I had known her longer and earlier in the pregnancy. After our first in-person consult to get to know each other I absolutely loved her. She was so easy to talk to and I was instantly comfortable around her, which was an absolute for me in the delivery room. She is such a wealth of knowledge and experience. She offered her opinion anytime I asked a question and was generally so available and responsive. My original plan was to meet Mariam at the hospital after I labored at home as long as possible. My labor was fairly quick this second time around, but I didn’t want to believe it was moving so quickly. I am lucky Mariam came to my home to assess and encourage me it was 100% okay to go the hospital after only a few hours of laboring at home. Otherwise, if left up to me I think I would have waited far too late. Her calming presence and techniques took me from being worried to at ease in the hospital. Her being a part of our daughter’s birth made it a happier, even more joyful event tenfold. She truly loves being a doula and her enthusiasm and joy is contagious. I cannot recommend Mariam enough for first-time, second-time, anytime around mamas!
Mariam is simply wonderful. Before I finalized Mariam as my doula, I had interviewed at least 5-7 doulas prior but none of them worked for me. When I spoke to Mariam, I knew within 15 minutes that she is going to be my dream doula. I am impressed by the way how she introduces so much trust, love affection for her clients. She is an angel and has a very strong work ethic. She was like sister to me through my entire pregnancy and post partum process. She has been there for me for every possible question/help. She would be on top of all my doctor appointments and advise and motivate me on the right things in the perfect manner. She is flexible to the limit that just makes you feel very comfortable. Mariam has been magical for me through my pregnancy, birth experience and postpartum care. I owe her big time. Being a VBAC mom, I was very intimidated but having Mariam on my side, I found each moment to be much more relaxed and informative and each decision through the entire process became much easier. Due to coronavirus time, I had no family member around me except my husband to help me out, but having Mariam around me gave me lot of courage and peace. Her positive attitude is infectious which kept me calm and focused on what I wanted to achieve through my birth experience. Her proactiveness and willingness to help made me feel comfortable. I am extremely grateful for everything that I could achieve through my birth experience and baby care.
We decided to hire Mariam amidst the height of the COVID pandemic since we weren’t getting the same level of visits and interactive birthing information from our OB clinic like we got for our first son. Since there was potential for a VBAC I felt the need for some added support for the laboring process since I never labored with my first. The main consideration, and one that Mariam stressed, was that she is there to support BOTH momma as well as partner through the whole process. She was available and supported me at all hours of the night during my bouts of prodromal labor weeks before my due date and she encouraged and advised me as the days passed beyond my due date.
When it was finally go time 1 week after DD, Mariam was at the hospital within minutes of our arrival at 3am and didn’t leave our side until a few hours after baby finally arrived 15 hours later…. all throughout she helped coach me and my hubs through the labor pains and provided context when I needed it for further decision making (I ended up opting for epidural and had lots of questions about it)….
She stayed on top of moving me hourly when nurses or midwives weren’t around and even followed up directly with the nurse when my BP dropped lower than normal…. I am so happy we decided to hire a doula and through the whole process I felt heard and supported. She put me at ease and i honestly felt the whole process went much more smoothly in my mind because she was there as extra support.
A huge bonus is that she also helped to capture some beautiful candid moments right after the birth of our LO. She of course asked if I wanted her to take photos when discussing birth preferences and she transferred the pictures securely… it was so great for me to be able to go back to these afterwards since most of it was such a blur!
Also, another thing worth mentioning that I appreciated is that she acknowledges that one’s doula preference really depends on momma’s own preferences and personality so she encouraged me to reach out and interview other doulas before making a decision. I appreciated this (similar to finding an amazing yoga or fitness instructor…the exercise is beneficial but sometimes you just need to make sure the person coaching you doesn’t rub you the wrong way)…
I highly recommend Mariam – she was helpful before, during and after birth and has a calming and friendly demeanor…
When comparing some of the pricing for doulas around the Triangle, she was on the more reasonable end of the spectrum. Every penny well spent….No regrets from this momma!!
I am very grateful for Mariam’s help and support with the birth of my first child. Mariam is smart, knowledgeable, empathetic, and has such a reassuring presence that it feels like there is an extra family member in the birthing center with you.
Leading up to the due date, Mariam made sure my husband and I felt fully prepared: she worked with us on the birth plan; she answered every question, ranging from the physiology of labor to pressure massage techniques; she reassured us in the anxious days past the due date.
During my very lengthy SVD birth, Mariam was always at my side and attuned to my emotional and physical state. Her calming presence helped me maintain my composure and when I did feel overwhelmed, she would quickly introduce the necessary change to help me regain control – she would suggest a different position, model breathing for me, encourage me with words and touch.
Mariam was always there when we needed her in the birthing room, but she was never overbearing. She made sure that the birth felt like a very intimate experience for my husband and me as a couple. Mariam was similarly discrete and tactful in our discussions about medical interventions. She gave me all the information I needed at the right times, so I could feel confident I was making the decisions that were right for me.
After the birth, Mariam was a huge help on my breastfeeding journey: she worked with me on my technique and nurtured the feeling of ease and confidence that I had lacked.
All in all, Mariam was a wonderful guide for me and my husband in this important period of our family’s life and we could not be more grateful.
You can’t choose how your birth goes, but you can choose your doula — and we vote for Mariam! Mariam came to us highly recommended from an established local doula company, and we agree that she is a true gem.
We are so thankful for her support during our birth process. She is genuine, easy to work with, and very knowledgeable about her chosen profession. I appreciated her science-based background as well as her deep well of empathy and social skills. Mariam is energetic, prepared, and able to answer any questions one might have beforehand, from the important to the benign. She is also very easy to communicate with, and answered all our texts or emails promptly.
While our time in labor was relatively short, it progressed much faster than expected, and both my partner and I hit a wall due to the initial intensity. Once Miriam arrived she truly was a supportive bedrock, encouraging me the way I needed to be and helping me find strength during the difficult parts and providing levity during the less intense parts. We truly could not have done it without her. Her presence only added to the process, she was fully present and always mindful of her role in every step of the way. She worked seamlessly with our nurse, OB, and my partner. Knowing we could fully trust her allowed me to focus in on bringing our baby into the world, which was all I wanted. As a bonus, she wrote up our birth story and happily took photos for us, which are precious memories of a very blurry time.
I have heard that the modern birthing experience can feel sterile or clinical, which I understand. However, we also wanted to give birth in a hospital for quick access to specialists like surgeons, and also a NICU, should anything go wrong. Having a doula allows you personalized, supportive warmth while also knowing that you’ve got state-of-the-art postnatal care in the same building. Miriam truly allowed us to experience the best of both worlds!
Mariam is the best doula and just an overall amazing human. I am so, so grateful for all the knowledge, support, and love she’s provided us!
We initially hired Mariam due to her evidence-based approach and her wealth of knowledge. But her personality and responsiveness are what made us love her! She has a warm and nonjudgmental demeanor that makes her so easy to talk with. She never made us feel stupid with any of our questions or concerns. You can also tell that she really loves her work and has a strong passion for all things related to birth. She was very responsive — just a text or a call away — in both the prenatal and postpartum periods. With her help, we felt very well-informed about the whole birth process. I ended up being induced, and she walked us through all the procedures so that we were comfortable with everything. She was supportive of all my decisions, including inducing labor and getting an epidural.
During the birth, she played so many roles. She acted as my health advocate. She made sure my husband was supported. She was even just a great conversationalist to help pass the time with.
She also did an amazing job documenting the birth. She took A TON of photos and wrote a beautiful birth story — both of which make me cry happy tears every time I look at them. We were able to have such a positive birth experience because of Mariam.
I didn’t think much about it at the time, but in hindsight, I super appreciate Mariam facilitating our first latch. Her advice really set us up well for the beginning of our breastfeeding journey.
Thankfully her help didn’t stop there. As first-time parents, we were majorly struggling through the early postpartum period. Mariam was always there to help us troubleshoot issues like reflux and breastfeeding. She also provided lots of sanity checks and encouragement as well — just letting us know that things were developmentally normal and that we weren’t being the worst parents ever. Her kind words in those early days really meant the world to us.
Both my husband and I loved working with her. I plan on calling her ASAP for any future pregnancies to make sure she can be with us for those births as well!
Mariam was an absolutely integral part of my birth experience and I would highly, highly recommend working with her. She initially put both my husband and I at ease with her great personality and we felt like she really reduced our anxiety around having our first child. She was always readily available for texts or calls during my pregnancy and I felt very prepared based on the birth plan we put together. During labor, she FaceTimed with me (before arriving at the hospital) and was incredibly helpful with changing positions and trying all the pain management options during contractions once she was by my side. Just generally a great advocate to have at the hospital not just for me but my partner as well. I truly do not think I would have been able to manage it without her. Thank you Mariam!!