Wow! My wife and I are SO pleased with Leigh – we just can't imagine our birth experience without her. She was so supportive, personable, compassionate, and knowledgeable! She stuck with us through a long induction process; she was a pleasure to hang out with for hours on end. She was very responsive via text, and she helped us talk through every option along the way so we could make the best decisions for our family. We would highly recommend Leigh to ANYONE who is looking for a doula!
Brad Walker

Shannon has known me since I was 8 years old and it was so special to have her help me bring my first baby into the world. She was diligent in checking in with me pre and post birth. She encouraged me to listen to my body and follow my instincts throughout the birthing process and postpartum. I would recommend her to anyone I know looking for a doula. She is an asset you want in your corner! -Casey T.

Shannon would be a wonderful addition to any birth team. She is intuitive, flexible, and adaptive. She brings a wealth of personal wisdom to a birth space and honors what a birthing mom may need in each specific moment. Shannon has assisted me now in two of my births (one hospital, and one birth center) and I couldn’t imagine doing it without her. She was a steady support for my husband and I in each individual birth setting. She offered words of encouragement, touch and massage, and hydration and snacks when needed. And most importantly she was a wonderful buffer between the staff and us so we could focus on what was most important- bringing our children into the world! -Morgan L.

Amazing experience with Expecting Joy- specifically Jessica! Honestly, I was originally torn on whether or not I needed to get a doula. But wow, I am so happy that we had Jessica with us for labor and delivery! Jessica was supportive of my goals for a natural, unmedicated birth. My labor was long and Jessica really helped me with what positions to do and was very encouraging throughout. She also sought to understand my husband’s goals for birth and empowered him to coach me throughout labor. It was great to meet with her before birth and then again after I delivered to debrief about the experience. I delivered at a hospital but beforehand I was nervous on whether they would push for unnecessary medical intervention. Because I had such a great team (Jessica and my husband) coaching me, I feel like the nurses and hospital staff trusted us to go through labor without getting too involved. When decisions about my care came up, Jessica talked with my husband and I to ensure we understood the options and reminded us of our goals. Again, labor was very tough and exhausting. I honestly feel like I would not have been able to meet my goals if it wasn’t for Jessica. I really appreciated her calm and reassuring demeanor during labor. I truly was thanking God for Jessica after delivering my first daughter and I am eternally grateful to her for her support. I will remember her forever as a beautiful part of the birth story. Hire her! You will not regret it!
‍Karesa Espinosa

With this second child, we weren't sure whether we wanted to use a doula again, as we did with our first. But, we went for it, since it was so helpful the first time. And, it was the best decision we could have made. Monica Croonquist was such a supportive and essential presence ahead of, during, and after the birth. She made not only my experience, but also my husband's, so much more joyful and so much less stressful. We're so happy that we found Expecting Joy so we could have Monica as our doula.
Anne Petty

We had the pleasure of working with Alli at Expecting Joy for the birth of my first baby and I cannot recommend her enough! I would not have been able to do birth in the way I desired without her. She is so attentive, responsive, sweet, encouraging, knowledgable and calming. She has a real gift of making you feel at ease and like you have been friends forever upon first meeting her. She truly cares about you and your baby, gets along with the rest of the delivery team so well, and helps the non birthing partner be involved. I felt so supported and empowered in my birth experience and I credit it to Alli. We will definitely work with her again for our future babies.
‍Natalie Miller

I highly recommend Expecting Joy! Our doula, Alli Torino, was amazing. She is very knowledgeable and was a huge support leading up to and in the delivery room. Her presence during the delivery was invaluable and I can't speak enough to her positive and upbeat personality. I would recommend Alli to anyone looking for a birth doula.
I would also recommend Expecting Joy's birthing classes with Christian Fillingame if you would like to get into the details around birth and postpartum.
Veronica Ahern

Having Jessica at my delivery was an unexpected blessing! My baby came 4 weeks early & my mom couldn't attend as planned, so Jessica volunteered to help me instead. She showed up for me with no qualms or delays. She came with a blanket of calmness and support that did not compromise her efficiency in the slightest. It being my first delivery, I needed someone to let me know that it was alright to do things differently than what the nurses were saying, or to help me understand the pros and cons of certain choices I was being asked to make (epidural, for instance). Jessica's clear and unbiased answers are much appreciated in a time when making decisions is already fraught. She helped me turn as needed, massaged me to help ease my pains, held my hand through it all and even cut the cord! She was even waiting to help me after an emergency surgery to remove my retained placenta. She only left once she was satisfied that my LO & i were settled in with no issues and comfortable. As I said at the beginning, Jessica's presence was an unexpected but much appreciated blessing at my delivery!
‍Brynell D'Souza

After having my firstborn 3 weeks ago, my husband and I have been telling everyone about how our doula, Alli, made the biggest impact in the birth! Her support and knowledge of tools available to us at the hospital allowed me to have peace during and after labor. Her bright and bubbly attitude was a hit among hospital staff and made the mood in our room upbeat and positive. We ended up having to make some tough decisions in the moment and Alli helped us talk through the options so we could make the best decision for us. Having a doula like Alli is soo worth the cost and I can’t imagine what we would have done without her!!
‍Lauren Terry

Monica was our postpartum doula for the first 11 weeks of our son's life, and our time with her was so precious. She took such loving care of our baby while we caught up on much needed sleep. Overall, she made our transition into new parenthood so much smoother, and is just a lovely person to boot. We miss her a bunch, and still send updates from time to time.Expecting Joy made the whole process very smooth by matching us with Monica, and providing a simple way to pay and keep track of invoices. All in all it was a terrific experience. Our little family highly recommends them 🙂
‍Samantha Muscat-Scherr

Wow, what an amazing team of caring, compassionate doulas who really respect and support families! I had the privilege of working with three women: Kira assisted me during birth and Monica and Alli provided postpartum care. They all listened to what our needs were, advocated for us, and offered suggestions for how to make life easier during this often-exhausting time. We still keep in touch almost a year after my baby was born. I cannot recommend them enough!
Vitoria Lin

We've reached out to Expecting Joy when we were looking for a sibling doula to watch our almost 5 year old child while we would be at the hospital delivering our second baby. We were looking for a guarantee that someone will be with our oldest son, day or night, for as long as it would be necessary (through labor, delivery and first hours postpartum until my husband would be able to go back home). Expecting Joy did not formally offer sibling doula services but they didn't deny my request and promised to circulate it around their doulas to see if anyone would be interested to work with us. That's how we connected with Monica, and she's been a lifesaver for us. She came out to meet our son almost 2 months ahead of our due date. She have checked in with us regularly and offered support and encouragement in every communication. Our delivery was scheduled as an induction and leaving Monica with our oldest went very smoothly. In our absence she's kept our son's routine and supported him through this transition. She brought him a short book about becoming a big brother and helped him feel calm and at ease. That night was difficult for him and he cried for quite a while (our son has anxiety) and she stayed by his side reassuring him that everything would be okay. The delivery went well but unfortunately there were complications afterwards and my husband had to stay with me and the baby at the hospital through the next day and the following night, while Monica took our son to his preschool and then picked him back up at the end of the day and continued taking care of him. At such a stressful time Monica was a lifesaver giving us a peace of mind that there was someone caring and trustworthy to take care of our oldest son. She also helped prepare our son to our return with the baby, showed him baby's pictures and set the right expectations. When we got back I was exhausted and didn't shower in 3 days, Monica offered to look after the baby while I took a few minutes for myself and could settle in back home. Since then Monica has come out to our home again a few weeks later to take care of both the older son and the baby for a few hours and she was great with both of them (she had easily handled baby's feeding, changing and settling him for a nap). Monica is a very kind, caring and nurturing person, and she's been very supportive throughout our entire journey. I would strongly recommend her to anyone looking for a postpartum doula.
‍Nadia Tkach

Having my first baby was both a beautiful and daunting experience. From all the conflicting opinions of different doctors, different belief systems and all the information available on the internet at your fingertips, it can be hard to know what’s right for you and your baby in any given situation. Monica was instrumental in the success of my pregnancy and the birth of my son. From just being her kind, thoughtful, and encouraging self when I had doubts or questions, to really stepping up as my advocate in the delivery room when things were moving quickly (and even when they weren’t, as it so often happens with inductions), I honestly don’t know how I would have made it through without her experience and knowledge to help me make the best, most educated decisions I could for my baby.
We are now expecting our second child, and I am so grateful to have Monica as a resource and guide this time around as well. 10/10 would recommend!
‍Rachel Royal

Monica is fantastic! She is knowledgeable, thoughtful, communicative. She helped us with overnights in those early newborn weeks when sleep feels almost unattainable.
‍Ellen Pepin-Cato

Alli Torino was our doula. She was absolutely incredible! I wanted to give birth naturally, without an epidural, and I know I could not have done it without her. She knew exactly what to do, and had amazing expertise from a nursing background. She was encouraging, kind, and went above and beyond to help me deliver my 9 lbs. 5 oz. baby girl. She was an absolute blessing, and we are so grateful that we hired her! Highly recommend Alli, Vanessa, and Expecting Joy!
‍Christine Russell

Alli is the friend you NEED during your pregnancy and postpartum! We worked with her for the delivery of our first child and she could not have been more knowledgeable, helpful, responsive and kind. She's not just a source of strength and support for the birthing parent but an amazing partner and guide for the their partner.
Meeting her for the first time during the last weeks of pregnancy was such a well timed breath of fresh air. We were overwhelmed with all the education material out there and she helped guide us with evidence based coaching. She came extremely well prepared for our prenatals visits coaching us through the third trimester with helpful guidance about how to manage the weeks up to the delivery and labor better. She is a great listener and answered all our questions patiently. By the end of the first session, we had a thorough plan set in place for us.
In the following weeks, she diligently kept in touch, checking in but always giving us space as we needed it. Our baby was due on Christmas Eve and she could not have been more accommodating with her time.
When it time (right on time on Christmas Eve day), she came to the delivery room well prepped and brought that familiar energy and warmth with her. I cannot tell you how happy I and my husband were to see her there. She was a familiar, trustworthy face in the chaos that is the delivery room! She immediately established a great rapport with all our nurses (she's a former nurse herself!!). Our nurses LOVED her! They told us later that she's one of the best birth doulas they've ever worked with and we're lucky to work with her. She guided us throughout the labor, bringing in so much expertise regarding exercises to move labor along as well as being a voice of reason when helping us interact with our cargivers. She would take time to explain to us what's going on, when we can ask questions and clarify options for us. When the magical moment came, she took a backseat and let me and my husband have a wonderful bonding with our newborn (while clicking some memorable pics which we'd asked her to do).
At the time of writing this review, we have not yet asked for her help in the postpartum phase but have no doubt that she will be amazing! She's been such an asset to us! We cannot thank her enough and cannot recommend her to anyone looking! ALLI you're awesome!!
Anjali Belani

We loved working with Expecting Joy - we interviewed 3 potential birth doulas and felt all would have been a terrific addition to our birth experience. The billing and admin support was great too, I was able to use my FSA card to pay for the services with ease. Alli was a rockstar/angel/game-changer during labor and delivery! We loved getting to know her during our prenatal check-ins, she was pivotal in our laboring process and when our son was ultimately delivered via c-section, Alli photographed his birth, kept us calm and informed and helped initiate successful breastfeeding. My husband and I were stronger and more confident with Alli’s support. You’re in the best hands with Expecting Joy!
Katie Bryn Cagle

We used Alli as both a birth Doula and a postpartum Doula.  She was absolutely wonderful, and we can’t imagine what our experience would be like without her! Several members of the hospital staff commented after the birth that Alli was the best doula they’ve ever worked with.  If we could give higher than 5-stars we would. Thanks for everything Alli!
‍Patrick Schuppert

Alli is excellent! She responded to my questions quickly during my pregnancy. And I don’t know how I could go through labor without her. She is also very helpful postpartum. I feel that I didn’t just hire a doula, I also made a friend, who is a crucial part of my support network.
‍Eunice Liou

Simply put, Kira was the right choice for us. She gave us a beautiful birth experience for our first baby, and her deep knowledge and experience normalized the sometimes scary and intimidating labor process. Her communication felt effortless and her depth of knowledge, empathy, and tactful advocacy at just the right time was more than we could have asked for. Kira is an amazing person who has found her calling, and her joy, optimism, and passion for providing support through the birth experience and welcoming human beings into this world is apparent. She even provided excellent postpartum support, advice, and help a week after the birth of our baby. Without hesitation, we would ask Kira to be our doula if we have baby number two.

I had a wonderful birthing experience with Leigh. I had plenty of family crisis so my family was not able to be in Seattle to support me so last minute I searched for a Doula and found her. She was the answer to my prayer. Not once did I feel unsupported and I labored for 24 hours. I don't know how she did it but together we were stronger. This was my first child and I really didn't know what to expect or what my labor would be like but I knew I wasn't alone. She went above and beyond and even though I had just met her about two weeks prior she kinda felt like family in that labor room. I have no negative feedback and I would use her again and refer her to other people. She is genuine, kind and super sweet. She listens and is respectful.

We cannot speak more highly of our time with Leigh. She joined us around 30 weeks and helped us get our birth goals organized to present to our midwives. She took our vision into consideration and helped create a plan that really exemplified peace, serenity, and clarity. Our baby was stuck in the breech position, but fortunately, Leigh provided numerous resources and helped us practice many techniques from Spinning Babies. Sadly, we were unable to turn the baby; however, Leigh stepped right in and helped us adjust our birth goals to include the new cesarean delivery. She kept our heads up and our hopes high as we went into the operating room, and she stayed with us until our new baby latched for the first time, making sure he had a secure, proper, and healthy start to breastfeeding. We would recommend Leigh to any expecting parents looking for support from an experienced, caring, positive doula.

Being first-time parents, it was comforting to have someone there who had experience & knew what questions to ask and when. Looking back, I know the experience would have been much different without her, and my wife and I would have been less of a team and much more stressed. Having to have a C-Section made things even more tricky, and I was so thankful to have someone to stay with my wife while I went with our daughter to the NICU. Leigh felt like family and never told us what to do. But she did give us valuable information to make the best-informed decision at the moment. I cannot recommend Leigh enough.

My experience with Expecting Joy was exactly what I had been hoping for -- affordable emotional support for my first birth center birth. I am so grateful for Leigh getting me through transition and reminding me that I could do it!

Working with Leigh was incredible. So thankful we ended up working with her! She knew just how to help us through each contraction. We were so thankful to have her by our side the entire labor. She gave us the best coaching and was so encouraging the entire process. We were able to have a natural and non medicated labor because of her help. We will definitely have her at all our future births!

Kira was my doula and she was absolutely fabulous! I highly, highly recommend her. This was my second baby and I was trying for a TOLAC/VBAC. Kira is knowledgeable and confident and provided comfort and reassurance before and during labor. She had a variety of techniques during labor that was very helpful (and has strong hands that provided great massage!) and provided detailed instructions to me on how to push. She has such a gentle calming presence and I am so appreciative she was my doula. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of anyone's control, I had some medical complications and Kira was so great in supporting my husband and holding my baby during this time. She works well with medical professionals and taught my L and D nurses some of her techniques. I am really happy that I chose to work with Kira during my birth, and I highly recommend her.

We found Leigh through Expecting Joy Doulas, and we could not be happier with our experience. We went into our third trimester, not knowing fully about what services doulas provided and whether it was something that was right for us. Leigh was patient, calming, and very knowledgeable that by the end of our first meeting, we were convinced that we needed a doula and that we wanted to work with her. During the labor process, she was available at all hours of the day and coached us through early labor and help us navigate when we should go to the hospital. I believe that my birth experience was an overall good experience because she was by our side and helped us through the really tough times of labor. We are so thankful that we found Leigh and that she was a part of our birthing experience.

Vanessa went above and beyond for my delivery. She brought so much comfort and help during my labor. My husband already said he would fly Vanessa to be with us from anywhere in the world for our next child. She made the entire experience wonderful. I absolutely loved having her there!

My experience with Kira made me convinced that no woman should go without a doula no matter how great their partner is. She was not only an asset but to me seemed like a necessity. So incredible. She was calm, positive, supportive, knowledgeable and listened to my wants, needs, and questions. She was 100% dedicated to me. After getting to know each other, she was able to help guide me to make decisions throughout labor and delivery that were right for me. I also had Kira for a month for my postpartum doula. She was dedicated to my emotional well-being and that of my baby. She helped me around the house with so many things that are hard to do right after giving birth, giving me time to rest or take care of other needs! Kira was an integral part of what made my birth experience a wonderful one. - Katie W.

Kira has a calm, loving demeanor and is incredibly knowledgeable about the birth process. She truly loves what she does and I couldn't have found a better person for extra support. After the birth, Kira follows up and makes sure the transition with a newborn is going ok--she's willing to help out with whatever might be needed. I can't say enough good things about Kira. She's kind and lighthearted, willing to work hard to keep everyone comfortable and do what needs to be done to give her clients a fabulous birth experience, no matter how the baby comes into the world. - Stacy B.