Christina and Dena

Christina

Christina is a DONA-trained doula, and has been attending births since 2011. Christina is the mother of two vibrant children and lives in New Rochelle. She is passionate about being a doula and believes women have the innate ability to give birth and to care for their babies. Her goal as a doula is to help parents discover their own voices, their own strength, and their own unique capacity to give birth and be amazing parents.

Christina is certified in many comfort measures including Rebozo, Spinning Babies, Hypnobirthing, Certified Lactation Counselor, and Red Cross CPR. Her experience includes: VBAC clients, mothers over the age of 40, twin vaginal birth, high risk, inductions, home birth, unmedicated births, and LGBTQ families. She initiates skin-to-skin and breastfeeding after C-section births. Her prenatal sessions are evidence-based, information-packed, and include exercises to prepare your body for labor and delivery. She offers birth photography, acupressure in labor, hands on support, coaching, and essential oils during labor.

Dena

Dena brings her years of clinical experience as an acupuncturist, herbalist, and massage therapist to her clients, using hands-on support to help enhance physical comfort during birth. She is able to keep a calm, warm presence, while helping parents understand what their providers present and supporting them as they navigate potentially changing terrain. Dena is passionate about preserving agency and bodily autonomy throughout the birthing process, which she knows looks different for each individual.

In her postpartum work, Dena brings her many years of childcare experience. Her approach is to follow parents' lead, while offering education and resources to support infant safety and comfort, as well as family bonding. However, for those who feel uncertain she is happy to offer as much support as is needed to help parents learn and feel confident in their new role.

Dena is experienced in supporting a wide range of individuals and various familial configurations with open-minded, compassionate care.

  • Basic Birth Package: $3,600

    • 2 prental sessions

    • Birth Support

    • 2 postpartum checkins

    • Generous phone, text, email support throughout

    Birth and Extended Postpartum Package: $4100

    • 2 prental sessions

    • Birth Support

    • 4 postpartum 3hr visits

    • Generous phone, text, email support throughout

    Add-ons:

    • 10hr overnight visit with Christina: $65/hr ($80/hr for twins)

    • 10hr overnight visits at $65/hr with Christina (twin rate: $85/hr). Min booking of 30 hrs.

  • Christina:

    • Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula

    • Certified Lactation Counselor

    • Spinning Babies Aware® Practitioner

    • Certified Childbirth Educator

    • Hypnobirthing Certified

    • Infant CPR Certified

    • Certified Sleep Consultant

    Dena:

    • Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula

    • Certified Lactation Counselor

    • Licensed Massage Therapist

    • Licensed Acupuncturist

    • Certified Hypnobirthing® Parent Educator

    • Spinning Babies Aware® Practitioner

    • Dynamic Body Balancing Facilitator: Craniosacral Therapist

    • Infant CPR certified

    • VBAC

    • Twins

    • Single parents

    • LGBTQ families

    • Hypnobirthing

    • Unmedicated births

    • People with mood disorders

    • High risk births

    • Preemies

    • Homebirths

  • "I feel so lucky to have found Christina and I would recommend her in a heartbeat. She was indispensable to have by me and my partner’s side during the birth of our son. She spent ample time in the prenatal period educating us, formulating the birth plan, and teaching us a labor prep exercise plan. She taught me about colostrum collection before labor, which was vital because our son was briefly in the NICU. Christina was extremely supportive both physically and mentally during my multi-day induction. She didn’t leave my side during the all pushing and labor. In addition to being emotionally supportive, she coached me through various positions and physically assisted me when I couldn’t feel my legs from the epidural. She made suggestions and position changes during labor when the ones recommended by hospital staff were not working. In the end, her support helped save me from an emergency c-section."

    Rachel

  • "Dena is a phenomenal doula! From the moment I first talked with Dena, I could tell she's a very personable, easy going person who will also stick up for you during your pregnancy, birth and, beyond. And she went above and beyond my expectations! One of the big reasons we went with Dena over other doulas we interviewed was her ability to put her own preferences for birth aside to be a true confidant through the whole birthing process without judgment or expectation. During my labor, Dena was so helpful. It did not go according to plan and went a lot longer than I ever expected and Dena was there through it all, providing a sounding board for ideas, reassurance during and after the really tough times and her strong hands/arms to provide accupressure where I needed it the most. I am so grateful to Dena, without her as my doula I don't know what my husband and I would've done. She seriously has gone above and beyond and has been a true companion through this whole process. I would highly recommend her as a doula to anyone!"

    AH

  • "Christina was an absolutely fantastic Doula that I highly recommend to anyone. You don't want just anyone staying overnight in your home and taking care of your baby but with Chris you can sleep soundly knowing your baby is getting the absolute best care possible. She is extremely professional as well as adaptable to your wants and needs. Chris is a loving, warm presence, and also not overwhelming, which is always appreciated during the sensitive postpartum time. I have nothing but great things to say about my experience with Chris, I wouldn't change a thing. She really is that good!"

    Farah

  • "We were so fortunate to have Dena as our doula during our perinatal journey. Her extensive knowledge of childbirth and newborn care, combined with her background in Chinese Medicine and Massage, made us confident in our decision to have her by our side. Dena made every effort to support us in every way possible, including multiple home visits leading up to and after the birth of our daughter. She worked with my husband to give him the confidence and skills he needed to help comfort me during labor. Since the birth, Dena has been in constant contact with us and has gone above and beyond to help us transition into parenthood. Her postpartum visits brought great comfort to my husband and me as we struggled to figure out how to feed our baby girl. Dena has a great sense for what is needed in any given moment - she knows when to speak up, when to nurture, and when to be invisible. Finding the right doula was a very difficult journey for me...Dena was so incredibly patient throughout that time. It is so clear that I made the right choice!! We will forever be grateful to have had Dena as our doula!!!"

    AF

  • "Chris was such a wealth of knowledge and an incredible comfort to my family during this new transition of becoming new parents. Chris took the time to meet with us in advance of the arrival of our baby to gauge our needs and ensure we were a good match. She provided useful tips and advice on arranging our home to prepare for our first baby and our daily routine. During the early postpartum weeks, she helped take care of our baby to allow us to rest as we adjusted to this new role of being parents. She helped me figure out how to juggle the needs of my husband and the baby all while also focusing on self-care. She paid close attention and respected my wishes and goals and helped me to achieve them. She’s a natural with babies and was so sweet, completely trustworthy, responsible, and empathetic. We were so fortunate to have her help us and would recommend her. We will be calling her back for our second child."

    Daniela

  • "Hiring Dena to be my doula was one of the best decisions of my entire life, and that is not hyperbolic! Having her at my birth made me feel safe and calm, and she honestly did not miss a beat emotionally, physically, and spiritually during a very difficult labor. I'm so so happy she was there for me and my husband. She also helped to guide my husband to better help me and feel more comfortable. I would recommend her to anyone - she is honestly a guardian angel!"

    MB

  • "I'm very grateful to have had Dena as a knowledgeable guide during my first pregnancy and postpartum. She and her partner Christina made themselves available to support me as needed with all questions and new learning that arose. I felt very seen throughout the entire process and most importantly when I was in the throes of an unmedicated birth with intense labor pains. My husband was very loving and involved, but with Dena's experience and encouragement, I had the confidence I needed to have a beautiful and healthy birth. "

    Brianna

  • "Christina is a gift, she expertly navigates being a cheerleader, a coach and a mother. She led me through the highs and lows of my birth and knew when I needed to be pushed and knew when I needed to be comforted. Before the birth, she taught me exercises to prep for birth and get the baby in the best position. My first birth was 16 hours and my second was 4. Im confident that these tools prepared my body and mind. Christina is someone who quickly feels like family. She knows about the whole spectrum of care: birth prep to breastfeeding, she even offered helpful sleep tips at the postnatal visit. I felt at home in her care and still feel like I could call her for support and she would immediately answer. She has a warm nurturing spirit and is generous with her time and talents. She is incredibly adept at reading cues and supporting the whole family. I feel blessed to have found her and now have her in my community. She was born to do this work, I couldn’t imagine my birth without her."

    Grace

  • "Dena is AMAZING in every single way. I cannot recommend her highly enough! Leading up to my birth she made me feel so comfortable and cared for. She took a great interest in my birth plan and was so organized…to make sure I was able to include everything I wanted in my home birth. She is extremely knowledgeable and has excellent resources…She took the time to teach my partner and other support people different exercises to do with me in preparation for the birth as well as pain management techniques…During the birth she helped so much with pain management and seemed to know exactly what I needed and when. Her extensive background in bodywork no doubt was helpful. I will have Dena as my doula for any future births, and you should too. Seriously, look no further. Dena is the crème de la crème of doulas. A million stars for Dena!!!"

    Rebekah

  • "Cristina helped me a lot on my breastfeeding journey of my first baby, Charlie. Charlie was in the NICU for a week and was given formula despite the fact that I gave nurses at the hospital my colostrum. They told me it wasn't enough and they had to give him formula. When we were able to go home, he wouldn't latch on and was used to the bottle. With only two visits Cristina was able to help him latch on and gave me many tips on how to increase my milk supply. Im so thankfull for her help and I would recommend her to anyone that is struggling with breastfeeding."

    Dania

  • "[Dena] is a very personable, easy going person who will also stick up for you during your pregnancy, birth and, beyond…we went with Dena over other doulas…was her ability to put her own preferences for birth aside to be a true confidant…without judgment or expectation…[my labor] did not go according to plan and went a lot longer than I ever expected and Dena was there through it all, providing a sounding board for ideas, reassurance during and after the really tough times and her strong hands/arms to provide acupressure where I needed it the most. She took beautiful pictures of me, my husband and our baby, too. And postpartum she's been a huge help too with everything…I am so grateful to Dena, without her as my doula I don't know what my husband and I would've done. She seriously has gone above and beyond and has been a true companion through this whole process."

    Andi