Kind Thoughts Shared
Luukia Morin (Luki) is compassionate, patient, calm, caring, nonjudgemental, and has a great sense of humor. In preparation for my daughter's birth, she researched my rare health condition, and gave my husband and me lots of information on achieving the natural birth we wanted. She was also very supportive of helping me achieve what I wanted, including when i was thinking of switching to a midwife practice but decided to keep seeing my high risk OB. Even though my labor was not as I had hoped - ruptured membranes, followed by pitocin drip, confined to bed - Luki helped make it the best possible experience. She helped me use visualization, breathing, eye contact, positive dialogue, touch, and massage. She helped me readjust my attitude toward pain, and made sure that the environment was as relaxing as possible. She worked in tandem with my husband to make me comfortable, and communicated really well with him. She is also very comfortable in a hospital setting, and was very professional with the doctors and nurses when advocating for my wishes. When my daughter was born she made sure that I got to hold her right away and helped me start breastfeeding. I am so happy that I did not need pain medication, and that my daughter's birth was such a beautiful, calm experience. Luki loves moms and babies and I highly recommend her!
Mary M. Luukia "Luki" was referred to me by someone who knows & has experience with many doulas. When I Met Luki, I knew she was perfect. She has such a gentle, nurturing disposition & yet a strong but not overbearing level of confidence and true love for her work. My original goal at the beginning of my pregnancy was to have a home birth. Unfortunately, I strayed from that goal for reasons that were not legitimate. After meeting Luki & discussing my goals with her, I had a renewed purpose of having a home birth. I also had a very specific request of a having a "Silent Birth", which was a religious request. This would require no spoken words during the entire labor & birth. I explained the reasoning behind it & immediately Luki was completely willing to share that experience with me. She even watched a video that gave her more understanding on it. A silent birth is not an easy request for any person, trained doula or not to abide by or agree to! My daughter (our first child) was born on 1/22/13. It was a planned, silent, natural water home birth. Luki assisted me during the entire process giving me pain relief techniques & the perfect amount of encouragement & guidance to help me fulfill my dream of having a silent natural water birth at home to welcome my beautiful healthy daughter into the world. I honestly can say, I would not have had the support or confidence to have a home birth without Luki. Not only did she help me have the birth I wanted, she made it more meaningful & less painful. I completely recommend her to any mom who wants a fulfilling, meaningful & pain-minimized birth experience. I feel so grateful for having Luki as my doula. She is a rare gem.
-Shannon H. Luki was one of two doulas who helped my husband and I prepare for and go through the natural birth of our 7lb 2oz daughter. From the point of meeting Luki it was immediately obvious to my husband and I that she was wise beyond her years. She was welcoming of our ideas and willing to share her opinions on natural birth without being judgmental or pushing her ideals onto us. She joined us on the 2nd and last shift of my 23.5 hours of labor. She helped me labor at my home and kept me both focused and as relaxed as one can be during labor. She was accommodating and flexible and receptive to our needs. When we got to the hospital, she really helped manage the fact that the doctor wanted me to labor on my back and we wanted for me to labor squatting so that gravity would help me deliver. She was an advocate for us but was not forceful or overbearing to the hospital staff. She was simply a part of the team. After the delivery she visited us at both the hospital and our house. We continue to keep in touch with her and feel blessed to have her in our lives. Sincerely, -Emily B. I consider myself so lucky to have met Luki and to have had her as my doula. I was due to become a single parent and knew I needed to have a strong support system for my labor and birth. We spent almost the entire day I was in labor together with my sister. When my water broke at 3am, I gave Luki a call to find out whether I should call the birth center even though my contractions had slowed. She met us at the birth center later that morning for the stress tests and to find out that I was not going to be admitted, but that it seemed likely I'd be coming back to deliver that night. We spent time walking around town timing contractions, because I was impatient and sure I was going to have my baby then! Eventually, after getting lunch, I conceded and headed home for a nap before my labor really kicked back in. When I called Luki in full labor, she trekked all the way out to my home, only to find that as soon as she got there it was time to head (back in the opposite direction) to the birth center. A few tiring hours later, I met my son! Luki kindly stayed with me after the birth so my sister could get home to her kids and my mother could get to the birth center to stay with me until I was released to go home. I always find myself with tears of both laughter and joy anytime I retell this story. I will forever count my experience of labor and childbirth among my favorite days and am thankful that Luki was there to help me have the birth I'd hoped for. -Tara D. |
Proud Mamma
My experience with Luukia was phenomenal, she was more than I could’ve ever dream of. All of my family lives out of state so I needed someone that could give me the best support for my drug-free natural delivery. I had friends that supported me but I still got the “you say that now, but once the pain hits you'll want the drugs” comments. So I decided to get a doula and take classes so I would be prepared and knowledgeable on what goes on and to keep myself calm no matter what is going on around me. I didn’t want to feel like I didn’t have a choice and just go along with what the hospitals told me I had to do, I know that its big business in this country. Luukia helped with showing me techniques on how to relax and calm my mind and body so that I could cope with contractions. When I went into labor she met me promptly and was there taking care of all my needs until after delivery. She gave great advice, her soothing tone helped me coast through each and every contraction. When contractions came I held my finger up to let her know I was having one, with encouragement she massaged my back until it was over. This was very important everything was right on target at the right times. From being in the shower, walking the halls, rocking back and forth on the ball, to even using the restroom she was a comforter and my rock. I had my friends there, my sister drove from New York as well, I just know from start to finish (2am-5:36pm) it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly if Luukia was not there for me. I believe God sent her to me at the right time to bring my blessing into this world in a calm and loving environment. I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking a doula, and to have a successful peaceful labor and delivery. It may sound strange but I even miss being in labor sometimes because of such a wonderful, amazing experience and I give much appreciation to Luukia for that. Thank you very much!!
-Lauren M. When my husband and I talked about the kind of birth we wanted to try to achieve for our first daughter, we both felt that a delivery with as few interventions as possible was our goal. i knew immediately that i wanted a doula present. We met with Luki early on and immediatey felt comfortable with her. As soon as labor really started progressing, we called Luki and she came to our home right away. I had no idea what contractions were going to feel like and I was in a place where relaxation and meditation were beyond me. She helped me stay at home, encouraged me to eat, drink, and keep moving. When the time came, she was totally comfortable in the hospital setting and got me snacks and drinks. All the while, she kept me moving and provided massage and counterpressure. I was definitely afraid to move as the contractions were so intense, but Luki had this amazing ability to negotiate with me and encourage me in a way that really kept me going. I can't explain it, but I truly believe if I had chosen a different doula, her tone probably wouldnt have been as effective or encouraging as Luki's. For every "no" that I put out there and all the fear that could have parlayzed me, Luki met me with quiet, calm, steady positivity. She stayed with us from early afternoon until midnight. I was able to give birth without medication, but I absolutely attribute that to Luki's presence. There is no way I could have done it without her! She also stayed and helped me get started with breastfeeding. The midwife and nurse loved having her there and I could tell they completely appreciated the way she worked with them. My husband and I both say, without hesitation, that Luki is absolutely the reason we were able to have our daughter in exactly the manner we hoped. She is worth her weight in gold, and if we are lucky enough to have any more children, we would call her in a heartbeat! -Cynthia Snap Shots |
Sunshine Salutations Birth Doula
Baltimore, MD
(443) 824-8142
