“BKBC carried me through my postpartum experience, teaching me how-to in all things first time mom and fostering trust of myself and my partner in this new journey as parents. Not only did Jeanette teach/show me how-to, she also did a lot of baby wearing, soothing, cleaning, etc. in the first few weeks postpartum as I healed and found confidence. She cooked and helped me nourish and heal my body as well. As I gained trust and comfort bringing more people into our home to help care for our newborn I met Marina who provided the same educated and nurturing support and kindness. As I neared the end of the “fourth trimester” I joined a postpartum group hosted by Marina and Chatequa during which I connected with a group of amazing women and we immediately bonded thanks to the sense of community fostered by BKBC. I hope to work with BKBC through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum the next time around. If you’re considering working with a doula, you will be in amazing hands and care with this group, and I hope to never go through this journey without them. ”

“Jeanette was my doula for the birth of my second child. My first baby was born in the terrifying early days of Covid and the BKBC team listened and held me, and made my second birth a truly healing and positively transformative experience. In the days and months after, they provided the support of an extended family through talk groups, WhatsApp chats, park meet ups and evening drinks. Jeanette and the BKBC community are like family to our little family. BKBC makes the big scary world of New York parenting a neighborly, friendly, warm community.”

“Chatequa has been a lifesaver in our family. She is truly both sunshine and CALM when you need it most. I first connected with Chatequa in August of last year (2022) when my daughter was just around a week old, and we also had a two (now 3 year old) son. She instantly was what we needed to help adjust as a family at such a sensitive time.
Chatequa is trustworthy, patient, reliable and communicative. She is also incredibly knowledgeable. Newborns, feeding, breastfeeding – she knows it all and can provide you with information in a gentle way when it is needed. (She is also very bright beyond newborn care, as she is highly educated and had a career in education prior to becoming a doula).
Now, picture this: a 2-year-old potty-training tornado of energy, a brand-new baby who is getting used to life on Earth, and then there’s Chatequa, calmly rocking our daughter, orchestrating tower-building, bottle-time, meal-prep and dishes. She was able to help encourage a growing bond between my kids as siblings, and give me some much needed quiet time to adjust, eat, use the toilet ALONE, etc.
In the midst of baby chaos, she gave me the precious gift of uninterrupted showers (seriously, I’d forgotten how glorious that feels), a chance to brush my hair (a small feat, but a victory nonetheless), and those rare moments to catch my breath and remember that I’m still me.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a doula who brings both a ray of sunshine and the ability to transform chaos into organized fun, look no further than Chatequa. She’s like a lifeline for parents, and we’re beyond lucky to have her as a part of our family’s journey. She still does occasional childcare for us, and we truly love her. My whole family loves her. She is phenomenal.”

“I was initially on the fence about hiring a doula for my first pregnancy and birth, and I was pleasantly surprised when both Jeanette and Mary were willing to meet with me in person before I made the decision to hire them. They both have warm and calm demeanors that made me feel relaxed and comfortable. I was worried that it would feel odd to have a near stranger present for my birth experience, but after spending time with them, I felt that either Jeanette or Mary would be an asset during the birth and not try to intrude or take over my partner’s role. I had a great team of midwives to answer my medical questions during the pregnancy, but I appreciated hearing Jeanette and Mary’s insights and inside knowledge about NYC hospitals, tips for the taxi ride while in labor, etc. I was especially comforted at the thought that one of them would be available to come to my home during labor and help me decide when to make the trip to the hospital.

When the day finally came, things progressed more quickly than I expected, and Jeanette was flexible enough to switch from meeting us at home to heading straight to the hospital. She provided both hands-on and verbal support, helping to communicate what was happening around us in the hospital room as I delivered my daughter. She stayed with us after the birth and helped me to initiate breastfeeding. During her postpartum visit, when I had some breastfeeding-related difficulties, she listened to my concerns, offered multiple suggestions and options, and helped me assemble my breast pump for the first time. She has been available to me and my partner throughout the pregnancy and postpartum time and has been such a valuable shoulder to lean on.”

“Brittany is truly amazing - she was an absolutely invaluable support to us before and throughout labor, and we don’t know how we could have done it without her. She was grounded, present, calm, and tireless. She was so respectful of how we wanted to do things and helped us flexibly adapt to a fluid situation. She added nice little touches to make the experience meaningful. And she helped prepare us with excellent resources beforehand. We so enthusiastically recommend her!!!”

“Brittany was an invaluable teacher, companion, and support system for us during pregnancy and through the birth of our son. Whenever we needed guidance of comfort, Brittany responded promptly, and she always knew exactly what to say to put us at ease. We could not recommend Brittany highly enough for anybody looking for a doula — this would have been so, so much harder without her.”

“From our first meeting, we knew Jeanette was a good fit for us and after a short conversation we felt like she already knew a lot about us as individuals and as a couple. During our prenatal meetings, she asked questions we hadn’t even thought about ourselves and got us to talk about things that really had a impact on how we approached the delivery of our little girl. When it came time, she was readily available and her excitement for the birth made us feel relaxed and well-supported. Though it all went quicker than expected, we were so happy to have her there by our sides, reminding us of things we had talked about, offering suggestions, and checking in on our well-being throughout the process. In the end, we realized that she helped us come to know things about ourselves that we didn’t know and in doing so, really helped us know who we were/would be during labor, delivery, and those first postpartum weeks. Her continued support postpartum was also wonderful to have - from our check-in texts, to a reassuring “you’re doing great” postpartum visit, to providing some healing remedies - having Jeanette as a partner for this part of our lives was an invaluable experience.”