Over six years, I supported over 100 families as a D.O.N.A. certified and BINI Birth trained Birth Doula*. I now offer Holistic Birth Coaching, Birth Prep, and Childbirth Education.
*If you are looking for someone to be at your birth, please contact me and I’ll connect you with doulas and agencies that I trust and adore. I no longer offer on-call Birth Doula services.
I love supporting women.
Soon after becoming a mom, I realized how much I love giving to and supporting pregnant women. I’ve always been very good at holding space for people as they undergo intense life experiences, I combined my interests and natural talents having worked as a Birth Doula.
Personal circumstances shifted my ability to be on call, but it hasn’t shifted how much I value the importance of experiencing empowerment in childbirth. To come out of birth feeling alive and in control of yourself, even if the process may not have gone the way you planned is PURE GOLD!
I now bring my wisdom and experience to create a support system that is without agenda. I offer Pregnancy Coaching, Birth Prep, and Childbirth Education. My experience offers you education, consulting and resources to help you prepare for pregnancy, labor, birth and parenthood.
Want a home birth with no meds? I’ll help you prep for it.
Want a C-section? I’ll help you prepare for it.
Want a hospital birth with pain management upon request? I’ll help you prep for it.
I’m honest with what’s possible. I’ve been in the birth business for eight years, and I’ve seen a lot. Birth is something you can prep for, but you can’t plan. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something no one can deliver.
My one and only goal is to help you prepare for birth and so that you feel empowered with your choices. I believe in supporting YOU, not trying to force any preconceived belief systems onto you. I offer a flexible methodology tailored towards your desires and needs.
Like anything in life, if you’re willing to devote time to it, you’ll feel better about it. How we do one thing is how we do everything.
And you want to know the truth? No matter what path you choose — having a doula, not having a doula, hiring a coach, or doing it on your own, you must commit to trusting yourself, first.
I share the tools that empowered me: lots of reading, meditating, journaling, visualizing, connecting to my body, my baby, my fears, letting them go, embracing the darkness as much as the light, and a TON of yoga! I’m a fantastic guide, one of the absolute best……but please remember, that’s all anyone is. No one can do this for you.
“Birth Prep with Aria was…the best money we ever spent. Her energy, teaching technique, and advice were invaluable. During our 4 hour session, she prepared us with everything we needed for the birth in an open-minded and holistic manner. She then checked in over the phone once a week with me leading up to the birth, which I wasn’t expecting. I felt completely comfortable talking to her about everything. Cannot recommend her enough”
– Jesse and Treavor A.
More Testimonials:
“Aria helped prepare me and my husband for labor and delivery. She was great, really knowledgeable but with a kind and attentive ear too… We never felt that she was prescribing any particular way to approach this unique experience, she just gave us all the info and tools we needed to feel prepared and serene about it! In addition to four hours of individual classes, she checked up on me before and after the birth, and shared great resources and reading. I highly recommend her services! ” – Marie B, via YELP
My partner and I had Aria come to our home for a private birthing class and it was the best money we have ever spent! Her energy, teaching technique and advice was invaluable. During our 4 hour session, she prepared us with everything we needed for the birth in an open-minded and holistic manner. She then checked in over the phone once a week with me leading up to the birth, which I wasn’t expecting. I felt completely comfortable talking to her about everything. Cannot recommend her enough. –Jesse A , via YELP
Aria, who is first of all, an extremely kind hearted, calm and fun person, helped us prepare to our second daughter’s birth. Considering we weren’t complete newcomers due to our first daughter’s birth, we thought we wouldn’t need a doula with us during the birth. But we did need a ‘refresher’ of the whole birth process. Also, our first daughter was born at home in the Netherlands and now we planned on having our second child in the hospital, here in Los Angeles.
Aria helped us getting ready, both mentally and emotionally. We learnt many things we didn’t know of before, like which standard procedures happen in a hospital after birth and on how you can give them your preferences beforehand. We felt empowered with this knowledge!
In the session we had, she showed us pictures to explain the birth process, showed us techniques on how to deal with the pain, we talked about our birth plan and Aria answered ALL of our questions! She was so patient with us, since we asked so many questions and she took so much of her time for us.
She is so knowledgeable and such a beautiful spirit, don’t look further, she is your woman! – Rixt L, via YELP
My wife and I were so fortunate to have Aria dropped into our lives as the doula in our first birth. We knew from the first few minutes we sat down with her that we would do anything to have her with us through this experience.
We had several visits with her the first few months leading up to the birth, and she really talked us through the basics of labor and anything else that we wanted to talk about – fears, hopes, expectations etc. My wife also did a lot of prenatal yoga with Aria in her 2nd and 3rd trimester, and she credits that for finding a lot of her physical and mental strength during her labor.
My wife went into contractions at 2am the morning of our birth. We waited it out for about an hour and a half and texted her that the contractions were getting serious. She responded immediately with a call and discussed her state with me. After the conversation she was at our house around 4:30am, bag over her arm, a huge smile and beautiful calm energy that she brought into our house. We got to the hospital around 7:30am. Aria was such a rock. Such an incredibly soft, yet strong presence in that room. She was so great with the staff of St Johns, with our families and with our Dr.
My wife had a natural, drug free, 15 hour labor. She relied on Aria reminding her how to breathe and trust her body, things I wouldn’t have known really to say at that time. I was there doing everything in my power, but we can both safely say that she couldn’t have gotten through it without the expertise, strength and calm Aria provided us. Thank you Aria!! – Charlie M, via YELP
The first time I took Aria’s prenatal class, I was taken by her grace, strength and knowledge. I had full confidence she would be the perfect woman by my side during my birth… In fact, she was more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. She not only prepared and guided us up to the birthing, but she was the perfect “instrument” to the “symphony” of our home birth. Even months later Aria continues to gift us with her support, light and true angelic nature. It has been an honor knowing her and I couldn’t imagine a more honorable woman to help born my first son. – Kristine Szabo” via YELP
We really appreciated Aria’s flexibility and willingness to adapt to our changing needs. After we hired her as a birth doula, it became clear that we would be having a scheduled c-section due to positioning. Aria talked us through this change of plans, helped us understand what to expect in the recovery period, then seamlessly transitioned from birth to post-partum doula. Having Aria around for advice and extra hands and reassurance was wonderful. We have so enjoyed having this time to bond as a new little family before our visitors arrive. Aria’s presence really helped to make that possible. .” – Ali G.
My husband are so thankful we had Aria by our side. She was invaluable in helping me have an all-natural birth in a hospital setting with no medical intervention: I was able to labor at home as long as possible and was thrilled to find I was already dilated to 8cm when we reached the hospital (my goal was to get to 7cm). I’m sure had my hubby and I been on our own, we would’ve been anxious & headed to hospital too soon, leaving more room for our natural birth plan to be thwarted. With Aria’s calm, loving energy & steady presence, combined with her knowledge of the birth process my husband and I were totally supported. This freed me up to remain focused and relaxed as I birthed our first child all naturally. It was the most intense & miraculous experience of our lives thus far and we’re so blessed that Aria was there to be our guide through unfamiliar territory & witness the arrival of our baby boy, Axel James! – Andrea E.
I started taking Aria’s yoga classes when I was in my second trimester. She has a calming spirit and I knew she would be an amazing person to be there during labor. I was right! My birth did not go as planned (whose does!?). I had imagined a beautiful home birth where our son would be born in water and there would be candles and beautiful music. Ha – I was wrong on all fronts! We ended up at the hospital. Aria stayed with me for the very long labor. Not only was she there for me, but also for my husband who welcomed a break every now and then. Aria has a calm, confident, gentle spirit that exudes peacefulness – exactly what I needed in labor!” – Amanda H
Aria’s calming way of being was exactly the type of energy I needed when my labor became most difficult. Aria was not only a great support for me but also for my husband, supporting him in supporting me. We happily welcomed our little boy, Jackson, into the world on 11/8/12 and we are so grateful we had Aria’s support throughout the birthing process. We highly recommend Aria’s doula services. – Kara S.C.
Aria is the perfect doula. Her gentle suggestions, constant support, and uncanny ability to say exactly what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it allowed me to have my ideal birth experience.
My husband and I are highly analytical people. When we found out we were expecting, we immediately began researching child birth and quickly discovered the benefits of a birth doula (see ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/… for a peer-reviewed medical journal article that proves the benefits of a doula, concluding “Continuous support during labour has clinically meaningful benefits for women and infants and no known harm. All women should have support throughout labour and birth.”) The next question was whom to hire.
Aria was the first doula we interviewed, and we knew right away that she was the one for us. We still went on to interview four other women, but there was no doubt that Aria was our top choice. Her warmth and compassion fill the room, and her smile genuinely put me at ease. What stood out most to us is that she is completely nonjudgmental about your birth preferences and spends almost all of the time at each visit *listening to you*. Her ability to get to know a person over the course of a few conversations is remarkable. Leading up to our birth, I felt far more confident with Aria by our side.
Of course, all of this is academic. The real test was the birth, and Aria aced it.
I opted for a natural birth (no medications at all, not even an IV) in a hospital. Aria acted as a buffer between myself and the hospital staff so that the experience felt more like a home birth than a hospital birth. Aria talked me through my false labor, supporting and encouraging me, so that I kept my patience though my little one was a week late. When the real contractions began at 8pm, she kept in constant contact, eventually coming to our home just after midnight to help us determine if this was the real thing. I gave birth to our little girl at 7:52am, and Aria was by my side with energy and support the entire time! She never once showed fatigue or an eagerness to leave, even after our daughter was born. The real highlight, though, was how she managed to guide me through my ideal birth experience.
Around 6am, my contractions finally become intense enough that I didn’t think I could handle them. I was completely drained of strength. Aria kept me hydrated with water and juice, offering it to me between each contraction lest I become dehydrated and need an IV. Given my exhaustion and the rising intensity of the contractions, my little one’s heart rate dropped dangerously low and the hospital staff panicked. When I said that I didn’t think I could go on, Aria whispered the exact words I needed to hear at the time. She suggested I reposition to kneeling and guided me to breathe with the contraction instead of fighting against it. The pain lessened, my little one’s heart rate stabilized, and my dilation completed. When the urge to push came, the hospital staff were shouting instructions at me but I was able to tune them out completely thanks to Aria. With her direction, my husband filled my line of sight and the only voice I heard was Aria’s gentle suggestions to listen to my body and trust myself. I did, and when the urge to push came, I pushed, and when it went away, I backed off, much to the annoyance of the hospital staff shouting for me to push the whole time. The result was a perfectly healthy baby girl and no complications whatsoever for me, not even a single stitch. Later I learned that I came close to needing an emergency c-section. Thanks to Aria, that wasn’t necessary and I succeeded in having my ideal birth experience.
Aria is one of the most compassionate people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Her ability to listen to and understand her clients is truly exceptional. Aria wasn’t just the perfect doula for us; I honestly believe she is the perfect doula for any mother to be.” – AZ, via YELP