Read my Yelp Reviews ----->
Here are more kind words from the families I had the honor to support...
Diana is a wonderful doula and we're so glad we had her with us for our pregnancy, labor, and birth. If you're considering whether to have a doula, we would say - it's absolutely worth it and Diana will be a tremendous support for you.
We had a very enjoyable pregnancy and had every reason to hope that our birth experience would also be enjoyable and rewarding. However, as anyone will tell you, childbirth is almost never predictable and we ended up having to make some difficult decisions. Diana was very knowledgeable, emotionally present, dedicated, and capable. She gave us all of the time with her we needed, and we ended up needing her a lot - and at inconvenient hours and on a holiday weekend. She maintained a level head, was always cheerful and willing, and helped us so much by providing different perspectives at every step of the process.
Throughout our experience, Diana became more than just a doula to us - she became a friend. Although the birth experience was far different from what we had envisioned, Diana's care helped us make it a positive, rich, and healthy experience. We are confident that having Diana with us made all the difference.
~ Margie, Aron, and Baby Alexander
Diana was our doula. She was amazing. I labored for 24 hours and she was with me the entire time, laboring at home and then at the hospital. I wanted a natural birth and without her, I wouldn't have been able to get the birth experience that I wanted. She met with us 2 times prior to the big day. During those meetings, she went over laboring positions and provided me with a lot of info about how my body works, how drugs work and REALLY REALLY prepared me and my husband for childbirth. I was interested in hypnobirth and she let me borrow her hypnobirth home kit. She also lent my husband a book on how to be a great birthing partner. I was a first time mother with a lot of questions and Diana always replied to my emails or returned my calls. The L&D nurses at the hospital were very pushy about interventions and Diana was there to remind me what was necessary and what was not. She was there with us from 5 in the morning till close to 6 am the next day. She made sure my baby was able to latch on before she left us to rest. She came to visit us the following Saturday to make sure everything was going well and helped me with breastfeeding.
At first, my husband, didn't want a doula. He thought that a doula would replace him and it was not like that at all. Diana was there to help him help me. Now if you ask him, he'll tell you that he is so glad we had Diana there with us. And if you ask him if it was worth the extra expense, he'll tell you that you can't put a price on a good birthing experience. And that coming from my husband, who is VERY thrift, is incredible!
If you want a natural birth, Diana is definitely the doula for you. She is very knowledgeable and encouraging. With her bag of tricks like the TENS unit, massage gadgets, homeopathy, hypnobirth, and shot blocks, you can find comfort during painful contractions.
~ Audrey, Alan, and Baby Lucas
One month after our son's birth, we look back at his birth experience and know that it was greatly changed because Diana came into our lives. We met Diana early on, at three months pregnant, and she visited with us every 4-6 weeks in our home. Diana helped take us from a place of being fearful about many parts of pregnancy and birth, to realizing that we're naturally made for this experience. She truly built the confidence within us.
My husband and I initially wished for a doula so that we would have a person there to support me in the hospital in case I were to panic during labor, my husband felt unable to support me, or we needed guidance regarding medical intervention. We had hoped only to stay at home during early labor, avoiding hospital admittance until I wished to have an epidural.
But, in the end, I felt so supported by my husband and by Diana that we had a natural birth, only checking into the hospital once ready to push! Natural birth was never our goal, but something we're thankful for now. Roman's birth was an intimate and empowering experience; Diana helped us to see that none of it was out of our control.
~ Suzanne, Corey, and Baby Roman
My birth would not have been the success story that it is had I not had Diana as my doula. She was not only patient and calming, but realistic about the hardships of labor while accepting of all of our own decisions. Never did I feel pressure to do things the way anyone else saw fit, but rather I was empowered to have the kind of birth I wanted; no matter what that entailed. Diana was someone for me to call (frequently!) during pregnancy, especially at the end when I thought my son would never come out! Always reassuring, Diana made me feel much less anxious during both my pregnancy and delivery. My husband was so happy to have someone to give us ideas while laboring, while I am tremendously thankful for her doula bag with the TENS machine, warm neck sock, and those rings! Diana had so many tricks up her sleeve to help deal with labor and to increase production during pushing! Without Diana's reassurance and guidance I believe I would have left my birth feeling wounded and traumatized. Instead I felt empowered and rewarded with my son; which is how birth should make a woman feel. I feel blessed that Diana has chosen the calling of being a doula and hold her role in my son's birth fondly in my heart.
UPDATE: I had the pleasure of supporting them again for their home birth of their second son Benjamin with a licensed Midwife.
~ Jamie, Ritchie, and Baby Maxton (& Baby Bennett!)
I knew I wanted a doula from the second I found out I was pregnant. Not only did I want the support of a doula during my pregnancy, labor and delivery, but I wanted it for my husband as well. We had our first baby in October and Diana from Mama's Muse Doula Services was amazing. She was there for me and my husband when we needed her and even helped my mom deal with some surprises during the delivery. Her help in getting me prepared for my labor was invaluable; she was there for me via phone and email and had advice/guidance for every question/concern I had. Her knowledge of the labor and birthing process was very assuring and stress-relieving. I asked my mom what she thought about my doula and she may have said it best: "Thank god you had her......she helped keep you and Matt in a good place and was on top of everything...she was worth every penny".
~ Brigitta, Matt, and Baby Violet
We are so happy that we hired Diana to be our doula for the birth of our second daughter Araya. We didn’t hire a doula for our first daughter because we hadn’t realized how important doulas are and thought we could tackle labor by ourselves. Unfortunately, I never got to experience labor contractions with the birth of our first daughter because she was frank-breached and I had to have a scheduled c-section.
With our second pregnancy, I really wanted to try for a VBAC to prove that I could do it and to know what labor feels like. During my 34th week, I went to Harmony Birth Center’s “Meet the Doula Night” where I met Diana and instantly felt a connection. Fortunately, she was available on my July 4th due date. (I definitely don’t recommend waiting until your 34th week to find a doula!) We just got lucky.
We couldn’t be more pleased with our decision to hire Diana as our doula. She was extremely warm and caring, as well as knowledgeable and supportive of our wishes. It was also very important to us to have a doula who had successful experience with VBACs and Diana does.
Diana was with me the entire time, holding my hand, coaching me on what to do or not to do, how to breathe, how to moan in a lower voice, how to push, etc. She counted to 10 in my ear, coaxed me through every pushing contraction, and stayed right by my side while we waited for the placenta and post-labor procedure. We honestly could not have done it so easily without her support. My husband and I had no idea what to expect during labor and all we can say is “thank goodness Diana was there with us!”
If I were to have another child, I would definitely hire Diana again, no doubt about it. She’s wonderful!
~ Andrea, Seva, Big Sister Zara, and Baby Araya
I could probably write for days on how GREAT our experience was with Diana! From the moment I found out I was pg with #4 I knew I wanted a doula and an overall holistic experience. Diana was the first doula we interviewed and we immediately knew she was the one for us so we looked no further. She was a tremendous blessing for us and I don't think I would have had the same outcome if it wasn't for her. I delivered my baby girl in May 2010 and couldn't have asked for a better birth.
A million thanks to Diana for helping me achieve my dream of not being induced again and experiencing labor on my own :0) I still tear up thinking about how beautiful it was!!
~ Leticia, Carmichael, and Baby Aniya
Most of my friends, upon hearing that I was planning on using a Doula, were surprised because I was very open about the fact that I planned on using an epidural. I guess there's a common belief that one only needs a Doula if they are doing natural childbirth, and since I was not going that route friends asked me why I hired Diana.
The main reason is that, having been through a surgery a few years ago, I know that your entire existence in a hospital is defined by your nurses, and it's not within your control. I wanted to guarantee that there would be somebody there the whole time, who was focused only on ME and my baby, who could communicate effectively and offer solutions to me. I also loved Diana's "bag of tricks", and was sure that there were things in there that no hospital could offer me that would turn out to be lifesavers.
As it turns out I was right about both of those things, and I was surprised by how much more Diana offered during my labor. I was only in labor at the hospital for around 13 hours, but I managed to have 5 or 6 nurses due to breaks and shift changes etc. So I never really felt like I had anyone from the hospital staff there for me, certainly not in terms of moral support. But Diana was there, making sure I had everything I needed.
In the first phase, before the epidural (I waited as long as I could until before getting it), when I was in a lot of pain, Diana got me through. Her firm yet supportive tones telling me to relax and breathe were my anchor in the storm of contractions. And the TENS unit...wow...all I can say is use it! When I got the epidural I started having some side effects, and Diana was there to talk to me about them, assure me they were normal, and answer questions. 
When I started pushing I had a lot of upper back pain,and out came the bag of tricks! Diana gave me a hot water bottle to ease the spasms. And the topper, I pushed for an hour in the position in which the nurses placed me without seeing a lot of progress. Diana pulled out her rings and partnered with me to change my position slightly and all of a sudden the baby was crowning! Even my labor nurse and doctor were impressed with that one. :)
I worried slightly before labor that, because I was planning on the epidural, I wouldn't need so much Doula support, but I figured having more people on your team is never a bad idea. I had no idea how much strength Diana would ultimately lend me, and how grateful I would be to have had her there. I will definitely be giving her a call when we decide to give our little Flynn a baby sister or brother!
Update: I had the pleasure of supporting them again for the all natural birth of their daughter Lyra!
~ Chryssa, Mike, and Baby Flynn (& baby Lyra!)
We were lucky; when our primary doula Shannon couldn't get to us at the start of labor (labor was a bit premature and Shannon was at another birth) she asked Diana, her backup, to attend our birth. Then Shannon's other birth finished and she came too. We had both wonderful doulas with us for our baby girl's birth. And they were indeed wonderful. The support and help they gave us, both with tools (birth ball, TENs unit, massage) and the wonderful kindness and experience they have, was absolutely invaluable. Birth is not easy, but with their help we managed a fully natural and beautiful experience. It'll be a couple of years before our next child, but then we'll be calling Shannon and Diana again, no question.
~ Laura, Dan, and Baby Sarah
My wife and I would like to heartily recommend the doula services of Diana Hurwitz. During my wife's pregnancy and labor, Diana was of enormous help; preparing us for the experience, guiding us through that stressful period and then visiting us at home to make sure all was well. She has a vast knowledge of pregnancy, labor & birth, a confident and capable manner, and is extremely hard working. But it was her guidance in the delivery room that we will never forget. Throughout the entire experience, Diana never left my wife's side, coaching her through difficult moments and helping us know what to expect. She gave us context to what was happening and another perspective to that of the hospital staff. Most of all, Diana provided emotional support through one of the most important days of our lives. We will be forever grateful to her.
~ Matthew, Veronica, and Baby Addie
I was lucky enough to have Diana as my doula for the birth of my son in June. She was spot on with recommendations on books to read and how to prepare myself for labor in every way. My baby came 3 wks early so we didn't even get to have our last meeting to talk about the final preparations, but she answered her phone right away when we called her at 2:30 am after my water broke and helped walk us through stuff. She came to our house and brought her TENS machine which was the only thing that helped give me some relief/distraction during the crazy part of labor. She stayed with me the whole time in the hospital and helped instruct on breastfeeding after my son was born. Diana was wonderful to work with, she is so knowledgeable and calming, you will truly be in great hands.
~ Dena, Shannon, and Baby Tristan
Diana was our birth doula with our 3rd baby on August 2008. She was so wonderful dedicated supporting and calming. She stayed with us for many hours as I was induced, and just her presence and positive thinking meant so much to me. I was very anxious and fearful before she showed up. After she joined me at the hospital she was somehow able to help me see the bright side of everything, she is so optimistic, positive and calming. I had a most wonderful birth experience and a lot of it is thanks to her. I highly recommend hiring a doula in general and Diana specifically, she made such a huge difference to me, and I am so thankful I had her with me.
~ Anat, Gil, and Baby Talia
I am pleased to recommend Diana Hurwitz as a birth doula. Me and my husband just had a baby girl born 
on August 28th and were lucky to have her with us. My labor lasted for about 24 hours and was a pretty tough experience. We are so thankful to have had her there! With Diana's professional care and emotional support we managed just fine! Not only was she supporting me but also helped my husband with advice on how to help me get though. If we ever decide to have another child, Diana will definitely be there :)) If you plan on hiring a doula, Diana is a great person to talk to!
~ Natasha, Lars, and Baby Annika
Our experience with Diana was a really great one. What I liked the most was her ability to read the moments and offer help and techniques but without pushing anything I wasn't ready for. When Diana got to our home, I was already laboring for a while with my husband's help. She joined our "rhythm" and it felt like she was there from before and was very attentive to know when to get ready and leave for the hospital. So much so, that when we got to the delivery room I was ready to push!! Thank you Diana so much for your great help and knowledge!!
~ Karina, Isaac, and Baby Noy
I would like to nominate Diana as the world's best doula! I know you think I am kidding, but hear me out. I had over 24 hours worth of "non-productive labor" and I was starting to get really tired because, although I wasn't dilating, I also couldn't sleep. Diana stayed with me even though I wasn't in "real labor". She reassured me through several bouts of overwhelming anxiety and despair. I was a mess and she was incredibly patient, comforting and supportive.
Then suddenly at 3am, I went from unproductive labor thru transition to pushing in a matter of minutes. Diana barely had time to get me back to my bed and call my midwife before Elyse was born! It was such a surprise and also an incredibly intense experience. I couldn't have done it without Diana! She did an excellent job of contacting my midwife and reassuring my husband at the 
same time she was (unexpectedly) catching my daughter. She made sure my husband was involved and turned a situation that could have been very stressful into the joyful experience that it deserved to be.
When my midwife arrived a few minutes later, she was very impressed with Diana’s cool headed expertise and the detailed information she provided regarding my rapid delivery. I can't thank Diana enough for making my homebirth everything I had hoped it would be!
~ Julie, Michael, and Baby Elyse
Diana is incredible, invaluable, incandescent. In our pre-labor meetings, she was knowledgeable and encouraging--her own birth experiences helped us to really understand the myriad possibilities for how labor could develop. She also took the time to answer several emails and lots of phone calls, talking with me about my fears and excitement and suggesting excellent resources to help us sort through our planning process. As she said, we were preparing for a labor marathon--and she was right beyond words. My labor did not go as we planned or envisioned (I jokingly refer to our birth plan as our birth fantasy), but Diana was there every step of the way. She suggested labor positions, she counseled both of us through some difficult medical decisions, and she also made sure that we were not bullied into unnecessary interventions. Her bag of tricks (including the TENS machine--loved it!) helped me push through some incredibly painful contractions, especially once I had to begin the pitocin. And, when we did have to get the epidural (after over 18+ hours of active labor, contractions at 1-2 minutes apart), she stayed with me, talking and helping me to cope with my concerns and fears. Ultimately, my baby was born by c-section, but Diana stayed with us through it all (and even made sure we had our music piped into the O.R.). She was there for the first part of my recovery and made sure breast feeding got off to a good start. And, 7 days after delivery, she called me. She came and spent over 3 hours with me, talking through the pain of the unexpected c-section and guiding me to helpful resources and reflection in coping. She also helped me and my baby conquer the frustration of engorgement and worked with us for some time to ensure that breast feeding got back on track. She even wrote our birth story from her own perspective to help me and for our daughter.
My husband says Diana is worth her weight in gold and then some. (I'm not fully aware of all she did to help him, but given the praises he sang after my labor, she really made a difference for him. He was retisent to use a doula at first--he is now a doula believer!) Our daughter, Marin, born after well over 24 hours of labor (all told) is quite lucky that her parents had such a capable, compassionate doula assiting them in bringing her into the world. I know that Diana played a huge part in making sure I had every chance to give birth naturally--and in re-establishing succesful breast feeding.
Update: I had the pleasure of supporting them again for their unplanned but urgent repeat cesarean for their daughter Teagan!
~ Shannon, Avery, and Baby Marin (& Baby Teagan!)
This was my second pregnancy. My first birth was pretty scary - petocin, 2 epidurals *first one never worked*. Before i was ready to push i got 102 degree fever and was put on antibiotic IV. When our little girl was born she had to stay for 5 days in NICU. So when i got pregnant for the second time, I was very determined to have a much better birthing experience. A friend of mine recommended hiring a doula. That's how we got in touch with Diana - who became our incredible doula.
What we liked about Diana is that she's very knowledgable about pregnancy, birth, nutrition. Diana really helped me prepared for a more successful birth. During out prenatal visits, we talked a lot about all the processes and hormonal changes that happen in the woman's body. Diana really put in effort in showing me that birth is a natural process that our bodies were created for. I wasn't planning on natural birth. I am one of those people that always gets an extra ansthesia at the dentist's office. However, the more i worked with Diana the more i wanted to birth my baby naturally without hinderance of medical procedures. To boost my confidence Diana had me reading positive birth stories daily in the weeks before labor. That tremendously boosted my confidence in being able to go through this birth while being in control of what's happening to my body and my baby.
When my contractions started i wasn't sure if it was really labor, since my water never broke. Diana and I took the wait and see approach. I spent the whole day re-reading Diana's handouts about breathing and dialation. Finally, in the evening my contractions became more regular, coming 5-6 minutes apart. Diana came over, and by that time i was in considerable discomfort and panicing. Right away Diana helped to calm me down. My husband, Diana and I went for a walk outside, as Diana was helping me to go through each contraction. Slowly i got a hang of coping with discomfort. As contractions were coming closer together and lasting longer we decided that we were ready to go to the hospital. Still Diana didn't want to rush me. She had me take a hot shower - oh! What a relief it was! The I had some home made bone broth and we were ready to go.
The drive to the hospital was 30 min and by then i was in considerable pain that sitting in a car for 30 min seemed more than i could manage. Yet again Diana came to the rescue. She put a T.E.N.S until on my back, which took away 1/3 of the pain right away. I don't think i would have made it to the hosptial without it. Once we got to the hospital, it turned out i was dialated to 9.5. I was really surprised that i made it that far. I asked for epidural, but it was too late to get one. I paniced again, yet Diana was there for me. I could ground myself in her calm. I didn't feel like a patient, i felt in control. And Diana was right there with me. Recommending new positions to try. Surviving each and single contraction with me. Reassuring me that I was doing this. Finally i was ready to push. I still couldn't believe i was going to do this without any pain meds. Yet shortly i found out that pushing actually felt better. That with every push i could go deeper inside of me. That it felt like i was accomplishing something. Finally after 4 pushed, and 45 min since we've got to the hospital, baby Erik was born. I felt glorious right after birth. Diana stayed with us to help latch Erik on, to answer our questions. We chose to give our baby oral vitamin K drops, and Diana was the one we trusted to do this for the first time. For me it felt that Diana went through every moment of labor pain with me, and somehow bearing it together was much easier than doing it by myself. I definitely felt very supported through this whole birth.