Welcome to Altagrace Doula!
I offer comprehensive, inclusive, and nurturing birth doula services based in to Orange County, CA and the surrounding area. Feel free to contact me to learn more about my services, and to to see if I could be a good fit for you and your growing family.
“She emanated peace, calmness, and love. She made me feel like I was in good hands, like nothing could go wrong.”
Nina is a phenomenal source of positive energy and reassurance that helped make my unmedicated, in-hospital birth a heartwarming and empowering experience.
Nina is a fantastic listener. After talking with her about my prior birth experience and concerns for my second birth, my husband and I came away from the conversation feeling that she truly understood our perspectives. As a result, her words of support and her practical suggestions were always perfectly tailored to our specific needs.
Nina also has an impressive knowledge of the birthing process, which was so helpful in talking through my birth plan and helped ensure that I was able to birth in my position of choice rather than on my back.
All together, these qualities gave me so much trust in Nina that when she arrived when I was in labor, I instantly felt that I could handle anything now that she was there. When my labor got more intense, her reassurance that the sensations I was experiencing were a normal part of the birth process and her soothing words and tone served as an anchor. She also gave space for me and my husband to take the lead and work together, resulting in memories that we will cherish forever.
Nina is upbeat and positive, with an ability to make anyone feel comfortable. At the same time, she is empathetic and supportive, letting you feel heard, thoroughly exploring any ideas or questions, and validating any feelings and concerns you may have. Nina listens, making you feel special and cared about, as if she has all of the time in the world for you. The moment she became my doula, so much of the stress and anxiety I had around giving birth disappeared.
Having Nina present for my labor and delivery was an incredibly positive and helpful experience for my husband and me. Nina helped him feel supported and gain a better understanding on how to support me. Nina is a big reason why I feel my delivery was the best and most positive experience possible. It was like a dream! Despite any stresses my husband and/or I faced, Nina made us feel like she would always be there if we needed her as a caring, stable, sensitive, positive, non-judgmental support. She is so reassuring!
If we were to have more children, we would absolutely want Nina as my doula again! Nina went above and beyond in supporting us, and I am certain that she will do the same for you!
I have had the privilege of having Nina by my side for two home births now. She is the epitome of helpful and supportive. From the moment I contacted her about my pregnancy she showed great interest in me, how I was doing, what my hopes and concerns were. She made herself available continuously throughout the end of my pregnancy and reached out to offer support or help in the weeks leading up to my due date. During labor Nina was an absolute life saver. She came to my house in the middle of night with an upbeat attitude. She intuitively connected with me and offered the exact support I needed without me having to ask for it. Whether she just distracted me with conversation, knelt by me mirroring my breath, helped provide counter pressure, or helped me evaluate steps to take towards progress, she did it all gracefully. She has a wonderful personality that puts others at ease and connects seamlessly with anyone. I can't think of anything Nina lacks! She is the absolute perfect doula and I'm so lucky I got to have her with me for the birth of both my children.
Saying that Nina is amazing would be the understatement of the century. Nina knew what to do and say at the exact right time. I believe one of the hardest pieces of being a doula is being able to modulate your affect. Being able to read the mood of the room and project that kind of energy back — it is truly a talent. Nina was able to meet me where I was. She emanated peace, calmness, and love. She made me feel like I was in good hands, like nothing could go wrong. Nina was also able to provide valuable strategies and suggestions to mitigate the pain of labor throughout. She was a wonderful support for me and my husband — even going to get us energy-boosting smoothies in the middle of our marathon labor! I couldn’t be more thankful for securing Nina’s services for our labor and delivery, and I’m forever grateful for her help in bringing our baby boy to this world.
I am so grateful for having Nina by my side throughout my labor! She immediately put me at ease with her easygoing personality, great conversation style, and a lovely sense of humor. She encouraged me to go for a short walk to stimulate early labor contractions, which resulted in a beautiful memory of walking and talking at sunrise on a trail on this very special day.
Nina tended to and anticipated my needs - bringing me breakfast and going out for some unexpected labor cravings. She also coordinated the taking of many great photos with other members of the birth team, which was a pleasant surprise.
Overall, she was compassionate, took initiative, and helped make my birth journey so much more amazing! I don’t know what I would have done without her!
Nina was better than we could have ever imagined. She went above and beyond for us, and really exceeded our expectations. If you’re hesitant to hire a doula, don’t be! At least not with this one. The support before, during and after labor was so incredibly helpful. Above that Nina is incredibly kind, empathetic and really makes you feel at ease and as comfortable as possible. We were hesitant at first to have a stranger helping us through labor, but it was not uncomfortable at all. She instantly felt like a close friend, like she was supposed to be there. She listened carefully to our personal preferences and tries to make them happen. We loved how she came up with different comfort techniques during labor, this really helped us to stay calm and to get through it. We are really happy we hired Nina and would do it in a heartbeat again if we get pregnant again.
Coming to the end of my pregnancy being a first-time mom was nerve-racking. One of my midwives at the birth center I was at recommended that I pair up with a doula and recommended Nina. She thought that we would be a great fit, and I am so thankful she recommended her! Nina is just a breath of fresh air, she gives off this amazing positive energy when she's around you and she really lets you know that she's always there for you. Nina is amazing!! She always wants to make you feel comfortable in every way possible and makes sure that YOU as the soon-to-be mama is the #1 priority. She came over right as soon as I told her I was in labor and she was supportive through out the whole birthing experience. I wouldn't have wanted any one else to be my doula. I 100% recommend Nina to any soon-to-be mom that is looking for a kind, loving, and compassionate doula. You won't regret it!!
I didn’t decide to have a home birth until I was 34 weeks pregnant with my third baby, and had not had a doula with either of my other births. It seemed like maybe a luxury, and I had felt very private about the birth experience and didn’t want a lot of people in the room. But I was so glad I found Nina to attend Otto’s birth- she balanced out our midwife team so well, and worked with my husband to encourage me through the delivery. We had Otto at home, on our bed, and even though we had only met with Nina a few times she was able to provide exactly the support we all needed for a wonderful, healthy birth. She played with our older two kids, followed up with my recovery, and made us feel like our birth and baby were special and important- everything id missed in my hospital deliveries. We can’t recommend her enough!
Nina was fantastic! The time she spent with us leading up to our due date was so helpful in getting questions answered, getting to know Nina, and just gaining peace of mind. As the "coach" to my wife (we went through Bradley method classes) it helped me to walk in to the hospital feeling comfortable and really allowed us to soak in the special moment and day that the birth of our daughter was! Nina was so caring and encouraging at the crucial moments during labor and afterwards. Her post-partum visit was so appreciated and she brought us some treats and got to hold our sweet girl. Thank you for sharing such a special moment with us Nina!
Hiring Nina as our doula was easily one of the best decisions we made for my pregnancy. Nina has become part of the family for us, and we simply can’t recommend her highly enough. From the beginning, Nina was professional, organized, funny, and thoughtful. She pays attention to the details and is eager to get to know you and your family. My pregnancy was fairly uncomplicated, but there were times that I had questions and needed more support than what my doctor was providing. Nina was a sounding board for us, and helped us understand our choices for birth and how to educate ourselves accordingly. She provided a wealth of knowledge and experience that we would not have had otherwise. She made my husband and I feel extremely comfortable and excited about everything. The birth itself did not go as anyone planned due to several unexpected complications, but Nina’s presence was even more critical because of it. She supported us through a very difficult and long labor, and provided everything from counterpressure during contractions to getting me things out of my bag if I needed it (allowing my husband to get some much needed rest!). Our labor was 27 hrs and Nina was instrumental at every step.
Extraordinary! Nina was absolutely integral to our entire birth process and we could not have been happier to have miraculously found her! From the outset, she put both future mommy and future daddy at ease. Her calm and happy energy alone was so helpful in making us feel cared for, safe, and super prepared! The perfect balance of sweet and professional, and in line with our conscious-parenting baby ethos. My wife said to me after her labor that there was a moment that Nina gently whispered a key phrase to her that was the turning point in the labor-process and that changed everything like magic. Our labor could not have been better, termed a “unicorn birth” by our medical providers and Nina was instrumental in that exceptional process. We give her our greatest thanks and our greatest recommendation!
One of the best decisions Sebastian and I made in our pregnancy was hiring Nina! She was there for us whenever we needed her. We had LOTS of questions since this is our first baby, and she was more than happy to talk through everything with us and led me to feel very confident on the birth date - but oh, was I glad she was there to hold my hand through those contractions! She was very sweet with us and even our parents loved her when they met her the day our little girl decided to come join us. We are forever grateful and we recommend her 100%
