My husband and I attended Karin's birth class in Hoboken. Attending this birthing class was one of the best decisions we made. The class provided us with all the critical labor knowledge needed such as coping with pain techniques, understanding the labor process, when to go to the hospital, pros and cons of different inductions, and so much more. There were two immediate action items we took right after this class - 1) We hired a doula as we learned that hiring a doula significantly reduces the chances of a c-section and 2) We switched to a midwife practice after learning that the majority of OBGYN's are not with the patient throughout labor, but only during the pushing phase.
It was so comforting for me to have the support of both my doula and midwife with me throughout my labor, guiding me every step of the way.
I was close to 42 weeks when my water broke. I'm almost certain that I had not switched to a midwife practice, my OBGYN would have induced me at 40 weeks and the chances of me needing a c-section would have increased dramatically.
I give a lot of credit to Karin for making my dream of having a natural birth possible. Karin's class was invaluable to us as it provided us with the knowledge to enable us to make the right decisions along the way. We HIGHLY recommend this class to all parents-to-be!!
The Gupta Family
*****************************************************************************
"Dear Daddy’s to Be:
If you’re like me you’re a guy. You’re a little stubborn, you work hard, you like cold beer and
watching football and you especially like laughing hard with your buddies on a Friday night. If
you’re like me, you also love your wife so much that you are willing to consider her most recent
and ridiculous request… working with a Doula.
When my wife first suggested working with a Doula I flat out said no. This was a knee jerk
reaction, like most of mine are. The thought of spending money for someone, other than our
doctor and his nurses, to help deliver our baby seemed absurd, especially since this was our
second baby. We had already done this successfully once before… why all of a sudden would
we need more help and why do her girlfriends keep putting this nonsense in her head?
For a number of reasons that a quick letter cannot contain, we decided to give this a try… who
am I kidding, because my wife said so we decided to give this a try. There we were, sitting witha woman I had never met before talking about our birthing plan. My head was spinning. I just
kept thinking, what is going on here? What the heck is a birthing plan? And that’s when it hit me,
I don’t even know what a birthing plan is. Why would I be so stubborn as to think that I know
enough to make a qualified decision on who this person is, what her expertise are and how she
might be able to help with one of the most important events of our life? And that’s when I started
to let go and just listen.
After two meetings and a number of calls between my wife and Karin, it was finally go time
and as I eventually realized, I was still unprepared. I felt prepared because my checklist of
responsibilities was complete… my wife’s bags and camera were in the car, a list of phone
numbers was on the fridge, our first son had been handed off to my mom and our car was
gassed up and ready to roll. Here’s the thing, none of this stuff mattered; my wife just needed
someone to do the easy stuff so she was able to concentrate on what really mattered, the birth
of our baby. And that’s when I started to realize that having a personal coach for this was a
very, very good idea.
I could go on and on about the actual birth of our son, but hopefully by now you’re starting to
get the point. Let me just say this, without Karin, the birth of our baby would not have been
so graceful. Karin was there every step of the way. She had a natural, calming effect on
my wife and I. We were relaxed physically and mentally. The information that I had learned
throughout our meetings helped me feel educated enough to know what was happening as it
was happening. Following her direction had purpose. She was clearly an expert and I trusted
that she was putting the best interest of our family first.
If we had never met Karin or if I had insisted on winning that initial conversation, we probably
wouldn’t even have known what we were missing and that would have been a damn shame.
Don’t let that be you. Karin is a difference maker. You will appreciate having her there as the
birth is happening and ultimately, for the rest of your life. Trust me. I know what I’m talking
about. I’m a guy."
- M, S & L (11.1.13)
*****************************************************************************
"Karin Beach was the doula for the birth of my daughter, Bethany. I am a single mother by choice and this is my first child. Karin provided private childbirth training at my home, supported me during the birth and took pictures before and after the birth. Since the birth was earlier than expected, I needed a post-partum doula to fill in for a few days before the post-partum doula that I had hired could start. Karin kindly did some post-partum work for me at the last minute.
Karin is very dedicated and did many things to help me. She is very informed about the childbirth process and medical interventions. She patiently answered all my questions. Karin recommended an excellent chiropractor who could perform a technique to help the baby turn upside down in the womb. She also searched the web for me to find local practitioners of the moxibustion technique. She rearranged her schedule to be there for me at the last minute for the C-section. She did her best to make it special for me. She reassured and took beautiful photographs. She helped me get started nursing.Postpartum, Karin met me at home from the hospital. She helped organize my house to make it easier for me to take care of the baby by myself. She shopped for groceries and came with me to the first few pediatrician appointments. Karin was emotionally supportive; her advice on how to take care of a newborn was practical and invaluable. Knowing that I am by myself, she still checks in with me every once in a while to see how we’re doing. My needs were great but Karin was very kind and generous. She truly made a difference in our lives.
Karin is an excellent photographer! I used her photos in the birth announcement. We dressed the baby up in a Minnie Mouse outfit and took some cute pictures for the baby’s first Halloween. The photos she took are priceless! I highly recommend Karin as a pre and post partum doula. We have been blessed to know her."
-J& B (10.25.14)
*****************************************************************************
"When you are faced with a life experience that will forever change your you, everyone one of your friends, and family can only tell you so much. My wife suggested to use a doula and I thought she was crazy, but I was opened minded and what she felt comfortable with, I supported her.
My wife interviewed a few people, but had good feeling about a woman named Karin. I met Karin and she gave me all the information I was seeking as to what to expect and what to do. Guys are strong and not knowing what to expect makes things scary. She took away our fears and gave us a play by play program. Any time my wife had questions, she was there to text or phone with love and support. She came to our home and made us feel comfortable about the whole process. She came with us to the hospital and coached us from the being to end of the birth of our son Max.Karin is truly amazing and would recommend her to anyone and everyone. She is forever is our hearts and apart of our lives forever."
-D,C & M (10.5.14)
*******************************************************************************
"Karin was awesome to work with! We were expecting our first child and wanted to learn every possible thing going into the birth. We took our birthing classes with Karin and learned so much. Not only was Karin very helpful during the classes but she made herself always available to us for when questions came up. She checked in regularly and made us feel very comfortable and prepared. We will definitely be reaching out to Karin again when it is time for number 2 :) And, we would highly recommend Karin for not only her Doula services but for birthing classes as well. The one on one teaching is really helpful! Not only did Karin help before the birth of our son but she continued to follow up after as well, checking in regularly to see if we had any questions and just to see how things were going. I had some trouble breast feeding and called Karin and she made a special visit for a lactation lesson. She helped tremendously and after she left I felt confident with my breastfeeding. Thank you Karin for everything! You helped to make this experience one of the best ever!"
-K,S & G (5.14.14)
*******************************************************************************
"I read through a ton of Doulas' bios on this site as I was getting ready to have my twin girls this past May. I had no personal references to go by and this fact frightened me. It was hard to make a decision to trust someone with a birth of our daughters but when I saw Karin's picture and her smiling face I just felt
comfortable. And I am so glad I made that decision- it proved to be invaluable!!! Karin is one of the most organized, prepared, knowledgeable and calming women I know. She had 3 meetings with me and my husband- 2 prior to birth. To each she came prepared with a ton of information, her doula bag and even a home-cooked meal for our postpartum visit!!! Before I even signed a contract with Karin, she was always available to talk and asnwer questions and responded to all texts/calls very quickly. She always remembered if I had a doctor's appointment and would reach out to me to see how it went. She prepared a list of questions for me to ask my doctor and websites to read through. Although I didn't get a natural birth I wanted due to some health complications, Karin stayed with me and my husband in the hospital as we prepared for our C-section and afterwards as we held our girls for the first time. She also took amazing photos of the birth for which we are eternally grateful! Karin gave us exactly what we were looking for - a family-centered birth with a funny, caring, knowledgeable doula by our side. Thank you Karin from Bielat family!"- L,L,M,K (5.28.14)
******************************************************************************
"I had a wonderful experience with Karin as my doula. From the birthing classes through to the post-delivery visit, Karin was such an asset for us to have on the "team." The birthing class was so informative. I was able to visualize the birthing process. She put to rest a lot of my fears about a natural labor and delivery. Karin is so sensitive to keep this experience as comfortable as possible. She gave my husband a lot of tools for helping me which made him comfortable to take an active role in the coaching. He was so thankful to have her there as well. It was an awesome experience! Her visits after having our little guy were so helpful and practical as well. I would love for all my friends to have Karin as their doula!"
-P, R & E (12.11.13)
**************************************************************************
I had the wonderful experience of having Karin as my Doula! I found her on DoulaMatch and from our very first communication together she was responsive, inquisitive about my goals and knowledgeable. Our first in person meeting was comfortable and easy conversation. I could tell instantly that she would be someone I could count on to help me deliver my little one. Karin had given me advance notice, before we committed, that she would be at a conference for 3 days the week before my due date. As a precaution, Karin set up a backup doula for coverage just in case I went into labor while she was out of town. Her coverage doula was so nice and Karin did everything to ensure I would have support but fortunately Karin made my delivery!As I predicted, she was always extremely responsive and I would usually have a text or email back answering my questions within minutes. She was always checking in on me to see how I was feeling and after my doctor's visits to see if everything had gone well. During the labor, Karin and my husband worked in tandem to help and encourage me. At our postpartum visit, Karin provided me with all her notes she had taken from my labor and delivery. They are invaluable and a great record to have of my experience.
Karin is a wonderful person who supported all my personal goals for my delivery, whether they came to fruition or not. She was a great source of knowledge and it is always comforting talking to her whenever I have questions because I know she is giving good sound advice. I would recommend Karin in a heartbeat. She's just fantastic!! Thank you again Karin for being there, and pulling that all-nighter, to help me bring my little one into the world! :)
-N, J & M (4.11.14)
********************************************************************************
"In September my husband and I welcomed our first child into the world... A beautiful, healthy, baby boy. As a first time mom to be, I felt a million emotions... I was excited, terrified, anxious, had a ton of questions, and was most of all extremely eager to meet our baby. It took some convincing, but I talked my husband into the idea of having a doula, and it was the best decision we could have made. As someone who had never given birth before, I liked the idea of a natural birth. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible. I was hoping for very little intervention. This all seemed realistic, however I had heard over and over that having a set "birth plan" can be tricky, because things often don't go as planned. My husband and I agreed that we wouldn't rule out anything, and we would just do our best and see how things went, but that having a doula certainly seemed like a good way to achieve our birth plan goals. We were very late in planning, and only met with Karin for the first time 13 days before my due date. She was wonderful. She was calm, educated, and we were very comfortable with both her and the other doula she came with that day. We met them in the nick of time! Three days later I was admitted to the hospital around 7 pm. My water had what they referred to as a microscopic tear. My intervention free/labor at home birth plan preferences were out the door... Since my water was compromised but I had not gone into labor, I was being induced. Karin was wonderful. Aside from being a calming presence for a first time mom who's birth plan was out the window before labor even started, Karin's RN background meant she was able to explain things that were happening when nurses or doctors used terminology my husband and I didn't understand, or did things quickly and we thought of questions after they had already left the room. I was induced at 9:04 pm that evening. Starting almost immediately, I had contractions approximately every 2 minutes... For the next 37 hours. Karin was great. She was positive, calming, suggested pain techniques, laboring in the shower, massages. With her help, I labored drug free for more than 12 hours. At that time, much to our dismay, I was still only 1 cm dilated. The dr had originally given me an oral drug so that I could walk and move around during labor, but at that time felt it would be best to switch to pitocin to see if that would help things progress more effectively. My husband and I decided if I was going to be laying in bed hooked up to iv induction drugs, I might as well also get an epidural to help my comfort level.
As hours continued to tick by, progress was extremely slow, even at a standstill at times. My birth plan changed from it's original ideals to "do everything in my power to avoid a c-section"... I wanted a natural birth, and with broken water for an extended period of time, extremely slow progress, and now being stuck in bed (which was not helping to move the baby down) I was becoming more and more terrified of the path I was headed down. Karin helped with side laboring positions. She had ideas my husband and I never would have known about (or had the energy to try to look up at that point). Her confidence gave us confidence. She continued to help us advocate for what we wanted.
She kept track of the meds, the dosages, and the times drs came in and out, and the progress that was made (or not) each time. The last hours of labor were very nerve wracking for me. I was afraid that after 37 hours of laboring, I would be forced into a surgical delivery. I can say with certainty that if my husband and I had been alone, I am almost positive that my experience would have resulted in c section. Karin gave us the confidence to be patient. Her knowledge of the childbirth process let us know our unborn baby was safe, and we were in good hands. She watched his heart rate and stats, and we knew we were ok. And in the end, he arrived naturally and we were overwhelmed with gratitude that it was able to turn out that way.
The photos that Karin took are the most real and beautiful account of birth that I have ever seen. They are photos I will look at and cherish forever to remember the incredible experience of bringing our little one into the world. I can't say enough good things about Karin, and hope to use her again for future birth experiences. She is wonderful, and has continued to be an incredible support well past the delivery room. She checks in on us frequently and we greatly appreciate all of her kindness and support. Using Karin as our doula was a fantastic decision, and we would highly recommend her!"
-M, L & B (9.25.13)
****************************************************************************
"We were lucky enough to have been introduced to Karin through our hospital’s birthing classes. After the first meeting, my wife and I couldn’t stop talking about her – amazing personal and professional knowledge, keen insight and a warm, inviting personality – we knew she was our Doula. When the time came for our little one to be born, Karin was there (before our doctor) with helping hands and calming words. While I cannot say we had the most difficult delivery (the whole thing barely lasted 4 hours, luckily for us), she made the experience much more memorable and infinitely easier. And then the dreadful days came after you leave the hospital and new parents are left to raise this helpless, hungry and always-waking child on their own. Except, not for us: Karin was there to answer all our (in hindsight, admittedly silly) questions, help breastfeed correctly and painlessly – even showed us how to bathe our little one! 
"I would like to say that our experience with Karin has been great from beginning to end, but that would be misleading. You see, three months later we’re still using her expertise and wisdom, she continues to make herself available despite what must be an extremely hectic schedule – and there is no end point in which she’s said, “sorry, that’s not a doula’s job anymore.” Hopefully we’ll get the hang of it before he goes away to college. Karin did not only ensure that our baby arrived naturally (the way we wanted) – both happy and healthy, but also taught us how to be better parents, to keep him that way. She came into our lives at exactly the right time and gave us a great opening chapter to this new book of life, and we are forever thankful."
-C, A & C (8.14.13)
*************************************************************************
"I am so grateful for having Karin as a friend and birth/motherhood resource. She is a wealth of knowledge and her help has been truly invaluable. Like so many couples, my husband and I had some difficulty getting pregnant. Looking back over the year and a half it took to conceive my son, I am reminded what a difficult time it was emotionally. Karin was there for us every step of the way. She provided constant support and handled each of our interactions with extreme sensitivity. Karin was so knowledgeable and on the rare occasion she wasn’t able to answer a question right away, she would do extensive research to ensure she was giving the correct information.
Shortly after my son's birth, I realized that even the most
natural aspects of motherhood can be difficult.
I was so overwhelmed as I tried to breastfeed in the hospital. Karin was so helpful in getting my new baby
to latch on and in helping me nurse effectively. Her help and support did not stop when we
left the hospital. She became the first
person I would call for support in every aspect of raising my son. She is a wealth of knowledge regarding pregnancy,
breastfeeding, feeding, sleeping, establishing routines, discipline, and so
much more. Karin answers my questions
patiently and thoroughly (even in those delirious first weeks when I was sleep
deprived and asking the same questions every day). I have nothing but wonderful things to say
about Karin. I am so thankful to have
her as a resource and constant support."
-B. Myer