Lori Jaffe, Doula
Lori was our postpartum doula for three months after my second successful home birth. She was recommended by my midwife and worked with my postpartum team for postpartum care and clean up (broke down the birth tub, bloody laundry, watched baby while in home acupuncturist came or when I got body work). Lori takes a holistic view and took care of the needs of my whole family (e.g. supported my 3 year old, listened to my husband, soothed my anxieties), so the transition to a family of four was easier than I thought it would be.
She is a baby whisper and my newborn daughter was well taken care of while she was with Lori (my NB mostly slept so she was always in a good mood the days Lori was here). She is very calming and helps co-regulate those around her. Lori is extremely adaptable to whatever arose. For example, she helped us during the tongue tie proces or stepped up to cook or do dishes/fold laundry if I was overwhelmed. We love and trust her and she felt like a part of the family-which was what we wanted! We would hire her again and have recommended her to friends and family.
Lori Jaffe was extremely helpful for us in many ways. I had a home birth for our second child and she did a childbirth education course for me and my husband a few weeks before my due date. Even though it was not my first labor, it was really helpful because it was my first home birth.
She served as our postpartum doula for the first month and was really great not only with our baby but also for me and our whole family. She provided a lot of emotional support for me, which I really needed because I had a complication with my birth. She helped me talk through everything. She has a holistic understanding of the labor and birth process for both baby and mother that I don't think many other doulas have. She made sure I got enough rest and she also helped with any house work if the baby was sleeping. She could also easily engage with our 4 year old daughter. Overall, I would highly recommend Lori!
We have had great experiences with LorI Jaffe (I couldn't find an individual website for her but Googling her name pulled up several affiliated groups). She supported us through two births, one VERY LONG induction and one very fast non-medicated birth (baby was born in the car 5 minutes from Alta Bates!) I think she's doing mostly postpartum work now but might be worth reaching out nonetheless.
With our hospital birth, she was great at helping us advocate for ourselves with medical professionals. She made my husband lie down and take a nap after 2 days of labor. She held one of my legs at the end to help me stay in the right position. And she was a quietly supportive presence through the whole process.
The second birth she was the one sitting in the backseat with me who called 911 and said "so we're going to be at Alta Bates in a minute with this newborn what do we do?" Kept a cool head through a very chaotic car drive.
Highly highly recommend :)
Lori has been an incredible support as a postpartum doula for both me and my son. Following his challenging 7-week hospital stay due to a congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgery at just 3 days old, Lori came into our lives when we returned home, and she has been an absolute blessing ever since.
Her kindness and genuine love for my baby shine through in everything she does. I trust her implicitly with my son's care, and that level of comfort is something I cherish deeply. Lori's dedication goes beyond the role of a doula; she treats my baby as if he were her own, providing not only practical assistance but also emotional support during what has been a trying time for our family.
Beyond her exceptional skills as a doula, Lori has also become a friend. Her presence in our lives has made a world of difference, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to any parent in need of support during the postpartum period.
Lori is a lovely and supportive person- we had her support us twice a week while adjusting back to work postpartum. She was so gentle and connective with our baby and shared lots of great advice. Would totally recommend her PP services!
Lori was wonderful postpartum support for me after the birth of my second child. She walked in to the house a few days after I got home from the hospital, and gently and kindly reminded me how much my body needed rest, and got me back into bed for a nap, while taking care of the baby. Having Lori around to help enabled me to actually get that rest. She's fabulous with little babies, she really knows how to connect with them. She was one of the few people I felt so comfortable with that I could just hand over the baby and go straight to sleep, instead of trying to nap but worrying about how the baby was doing.
I highly recommend Lori Jaffe. She was my postpartum doula but wish I had been able to hire her for my birth!
I second the recommendation for Lori Jaffe. Our baby had a month long NICU stay and when he came home his naps were all over the place - sometimes he’d barely sleep during the day and then he’d just get so overtired and overstimulated. After interviewing Lori I knew that she would be able to provide the support my son and I both needed to manage the overwhelming 4th trimester. Immediately upon starting with us, Lori helped identify Theo’s sleep rhythms. She helped us establish a 90 minute wake window and get in some really good naps. He went from being a really fussy baby to a happy and easy little guy (he just needed some more daytime sleep! and less stimulation). Lori has also helped us begin to transition our now 4 month old baby to napping in the crib.
You can tell that Lori loves little babies and they love her. She has a calming demeanor and a gentle approach. Lori is also super adept at clipping little baby nails, filled with lots of great advice and recommendations and has kept me company as I navigate my first few months as a new mom. I knew I was making the right choices when every specialist I was seeing for postpartum support was someone Lori knew and approved of. If you need a postpartum doula, I highly recommend reaching out to Lori.
I second Claire’s recommendation for Lori Jaffe. Lori was our birth and PP doula for our two kids (youngest being 6 weeks now). She not only provides support during critical moments but has helped me as a mother and us as a family thrive during these wonderful transitions. Lori brings a host of valuable experience and helpful guidance; answers to questions for whatever comes up.
All those questions that came up about breastfeeding, postpartum recovery, healing, schedules, nutrition, navigating the health system, and caring for a newborn: She was/is only a text or call away, and every time she visited we were left more prepared, better resourced, and more confident as parents. Lori is awesome for a first baby - making sure mom and dad get the time for self care and support - and now with our second, has helped us juggle the challenge of two kiddos!
Lori is so easy going, open and nonjudgmental, fitting into the way of our family, and helping us safeguard our values as we navigate parenting. She is passionate about supported and healthy families! I’d recommend her to anyone needing someone in their corner as they embark on parenthood.
You can email her at loridjaffe [at] gmail.com or it’s super easy to text her at 510-912-6751.
Lori Jaffe! My husband and I hired Lori to be our PPD in April of 2021. Because of Covid and in general I was really nervous about bringing someone I had never met into our home, but on day one my concerns about all of that completely subsided and she fit right in. On our second day home she helped us with bottle feeding (I was doing a combo of nursing and supplementing with formula and our baby was not into the bottle ). She was so good with him and we could see how much she loves babies and children. I was so grateful to have her to text (at any time) with questions about our boy and she was very reassuring! She was also very flexible in her schedule. She also has a wide network of people and connected me to the most awesome lactation consultant. Lori has a truly gentle soul and will love your baby very much. Our boy is almost 5 mos old now and we still ask her to come and watch him when we go out for date night…and most importantly I feel 100% safe leaving our little baby with her and can really enjoy myself! Get her if you can!
I worked with Lori Jaffe as a postpartum doula, though she is also a birth doula. She was a rock-steady presence for me as I navigated those disorienting first few weeks and months of parenthood. Her calmness and confidence with a baby was a comfort and an education to me. I learned innumerable tips from her every time she came over, and I also felt totally secure leaving my baby in her capable hands as I took the time to do some things for myself. I appreciate that Lori is good mix of spiritual and practical -- she prefers natural methods as much as possible, but also puts a premium on what's safe and (every new parent's urgent need) what actually *works* for your baby. It's clear that she really cares for each baby she works with, as she still checks in with me and wants to know how my little boy is doing, even though she is no longer coming regularly to our house. Plus, she brings what moms of newborns often need most of all: good company!
Lori also made a huge impact on childbirth for me, even though she was not officially my birth doula. When my water starting leaking early, she responded quickly to my texts and calls and guided us on how long to wait before going to the hospital. Because of her, I was able to wait, spend a quiet night at home, avoid the labor induction that the hospital wanted to give me, and deliver quickly and naturally when baby was ready.
We worked with the team of Shoshana Friedman-Hawk (shoshana [at] encirclingmothers.com) and Lori Jaffe (loridjaffe [at] gmail.com) and would recommend them, without reservation, to anyone :) We paid $1500; I'm not sure if they have a sliding scale option. Their model is that for that fee, you get 2 prenatal visits and one postpartum visit which both doulas attend, and then whoever is on call the week of your birth (they alternate) will attend for as much of your labor as you want them there for. Our daughter was born last August at Alta Bates; I was induced, was in the hospital for 3 1/2 days before baby was born, and Lori was at our beck and call the entire time! After I went into active labor, she never left our side. When I decided after a day and a half of contractions that I wanted an epidural (not part of my original birth plan) Lori was extremely supportive; both she and Shoshana are very clear that their role is to be there for you and the rest of your support team as you experience your birth, whether that birth is medicated, non-medicated, home birth or planned C-section. I am happy to answer specific questions off-list if it would be helpful. Good luck!
I would heartily recommend contacting Lori Jaffe (http://www.doulasoftheeastbay.com/doulas/postpartum-doulas/lori-jaffe); she supported us through our daughter's long and difficult birth 4 months ago, and even though we haven't officially contracted w/her for PP services, she still checks in with us regularly and offers advice on everything from conquering baby blues and helping baby and parents get sleep in the difficult early days to which bottles to try.
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