“I cannot recommend Maren as a birth doula highly enough. There aren’t words to do justice to what Maren did for us, but I shall attempt some.
For anyone considering a doula in general, it was the best thing we did in terms of labour prep and support. For a first-time labour especially, I would say: get one. We had a long labour, and I would have completely underestimated the time we ended up spending alone at home without a midwife. This time probably would have been stressful and difficult if my husband and I were managing it alone. Instead, Maren helped make those days some of the best and most special moments of bringing our daughter into the world. It was the difference between feeling safe, and not, and that is so vital.
Maren is an extremely special person, and I don’t say that lightly. The energy and love that she poured into our space for hours on end was a big part of why I was able to get through, and feel positively about, our long labour. Physically, her skills and experience in massage, yoga, and birth, meant that she knew how to help me manage my contractions, and knew how to help my husband manage them too.
We ended up transferring to hospital from an attempted home birth after a couple of days of not dilating. I hadn’t expected or planned for our home birth necessarily to be ‘successful’, but I had hoped that my daughter would arrive in a calm, dimly-lit space filled with love. The first two parts of this didn’t quite happen, and I had to be separated from my daughter for an hour or so after birth. To then see a photo, taken by my husband, of Maren standing next to our baby girl Ella in hospital, holding her hand over Ella’s face to shade her newborn eyes from the bright lights, is just a tiny example of her capacity for love and care, and her understanding of what mattered, both to me, but also to my daughter. ”
“I was at your evening class at The Life Centre on Sunday, and just wanted to tell you how much I loved it! I am a teacher of yoga and mindfulness myself, so I am very picky about the kind of class I like to go to! I loved your blend of movement and stillness, and the suggestions about each individual exploring what is right for them. I can’t wait to come back Thanks for a wonderful class”
“I went to your class this evening at The Life Centre. It was the best class I’ve been to there so far, I really liked your class and the way you taught it. Can’t be specific, something about the language you used and the safe/gentle practice. Thank you & have a wonderful week.”
“Beautiful class with great insight. Constant reminding of breathing in a subtle and nice way. Doing postures from a good foundation. Many thanks”
“Thank you Maren for being my favourite pregnancy yoga teacher! You have such beautiful energy that radiates through the class. You were able to create a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere within each class but balanced this with your skilful techniques of building our physical strength. I always left your classes feeling a spiritual lift and with a big smile. Thank you so much for your tenderness. Big hug.”
“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your pregnancy yoga class. You have a lovely energy. It was so nice to feel both nurtured and empowered and it was the first time that I felt I really had space to just be pregnant and connect with my baby.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed your class which had lots of interesting components I hadn’t come across before.”
“Thank you for being a great resource for me during this, my second pregnancy and birth. I was able to attend a number of pregnancy yoga classes plus the birth preparation workshop, all of which increased my confidence levels and did so much to remove fear from my “thought vocabulary”. Though I was not able to attend as many classes as I would have liked this time around having a toddler at home, the great instruction and support I received from the time I did attend was invaluable. My son was born in less than 3 hours of active labour with very minimal pain on my part. With the help of my doula and the tips provided by your classes I was able to employ breathing tips and various postures and movements to not only break my waters naturally but also go drug free during labour itself. Once again, thank you for everything. My births were empowering and joyful in part because if your influence.”
“Thank you for your coaching on vinyasa and also for the caring and nurturing way you taught this class!”