"I was 36 weeks along and had never had a massage before, but I really needed one. Latissa came to a hypnobirthing class and explained her experience and shared her knowledge of massage therapy. I didn't know there was a wrong way to receive prenatal massages, and she explained how side laying is truly the safest.
Anyways, when I arrived for my massage Latissa was very personal and friendly. She was personable and made me feel comfortable and relaxed. She had tons of different pillows to help me feel completely comfortable. I told her I had a lot of hip pain when sleeping with pillows, she was able to relieve the soreness through deep nerve massage. In fact there were areas on my body I didn't realize were in need of the deep nerve massage. It can be intense but in the good way of relieving pain and stress. Overall this was an amazing experience I suggest to anyone, pregnant or not. I plan on visiting during my post-partum."
- Amanda Weimer
"I have benefited from Latissa's expertise in massage for over three years. Having tried many others in other areas, we always come back to Latissa. She is the best! She's especially good at getting those knots out of my neck. My whole body functions better with regular massages from Latissa."
- Kris Olsen
"I received a prenatal massage tonight from Latissa and it felt AMAZING! Being pregnant with quadruplet
- Ashley Weisenburger Gardner - Gardner Quadruplets mom
"I am so glad that we decided to have Latissa there for the birth of our baby! I will admit that I was a little bit hesitant at first, because I had never had a doula with my other babies, and have never had anyone besides family in the room before. We are completely happy with our decision and I would encourage anyone who may have any reservations about it to talk to her! She was able to put my mind at ease and addressed all of my concerns. She was also more than willing and went out of her way to make sure we felt comfortable and educated. She traveled to our home before the birth to meet with us, fill out paperwork, and talk. She is also very intuitive. I was a little bit stressed [hold the little] the evening that she came up, and I loved how she incorporated a HypnoBirthing Fear Release during our visit. It was awesome. During labor, she was wonderful! It was nice having a professional there who knew what they were doing and she was able to help me stay focused and relaxed during my natural hospital labor by using massage techniques, acupressure, counter-pressure, and being another really great support person. She gave me lots of options for relief, she was not pushy, she respected my decisions, and she encouraged me to do whatever it was that I needed in that moment. [She also gave me space at times when I didn't want to be touched, and she helped others to know what I may be asking for without me really having to vocalize it.] My amazing husband and other family that were in the room were completely wonderful as well, but it really helped to have another support person there, because besides everything that she did for me during labor, afterwards, she was able to stay with me while everyone was with the baby who was being weighed and cleaned up, and it was comforting to have sustained support while I was having stitches put in. I am beyond grateful that my birth went smoothly and that it was such an empowering, beautiful experience; just how I had really hoped it would be. Thank you so much, Latissa! I would do it all over again the exact same way!" "
- Sarah Clark
- Ann Rebentisch
"My birthing experience would have been completely different without Latissa as my doula. My labor was unexpectedly long and difficult and she was right with me the whole time. She was the perfect support my husband and I needed and she made me feel empowered to be in control of my experience. She even advocated for me to get the only birthing room with a tub. She supported every decision I made and when things didn't go as planned and I needed to be induced, receive pain meds, get an epidural, and ultimately a c section, she was right by my side. My entire labor was nearly 35 hours and I was able to count on her the whole time. Not only is she an incredible massage therapist (her counter pressure and massage therapy was incredibly helpful! ) but she is also a very positive person to have on your birth team. She is a great balance of assertiveness and compassion and was great at reading me and knowing what I needed in any given situation. My husband and I both agree; hiring her was the best decision we made!"
"I have benefited from Latissa's expertise in massage for over three years. Having tried many others in other areas, we always come back to Latissa. She is the best! She's especially good at getting those knots out of my neck. My whole body functions better with regular massages from Latissa."
- Kris Olsen
"I received a prenatal massage tonight from Latissa and it felt AMAZING! Being pregnant with quadruplet
- Ashley Weisenburger Gardner - Gardner Quadruplets mom
"I am so glad that we decided to have Latissa there for the birth of our baby! I will admit that I was a little bit hesitant at first, because I had never had a doula with my other babies, and have never had anyone besides family in the room before. We are completely happy with our decision and I would encourage anyone who may have any reservations about it to talk to her! She was able to put my mind at ease and addressed all of my concerns. She was also more than willing and went out of her way to make sure we felt comfortable and educated. She traveled to our home before the birth to meet with us, fill out paperwork, and talk. She is also very intuitive. I was a little bit stressed [hold the little] the evening that she came up, and I loved how she incorporated a HypnoBirthing Fear Release during our visit. It was awesome. During labor, she was wonderful! It was nice having a professional there who knew what they were doing and she was able to help me stay focused and relaxed during my natural hospital labor by using massage techniques, acupressure, counter-pressure, and being another really great support person. She gave me lots of options for relief, she was not pushy, she respected my decisions, and she encouraged me to do whatever it was that I needed in that moment. [She also gave me space at times when I didn't want to be touched, and she helped others to know what I may be asking for without me really having to vocalize it.] My amazing husband and other family that were in the room were completely wonderful as well, but it really helped to have another support person there, because besides everything that she did for me during labor, afterwards, she was able to stay with me while everyone was with the baby who was being weighed and cleaned up, and it was comforting to have sustained support while I was having stitches put in. I am beyond grateful that my birth went smoothly and that it was such an empowering, beautiful experience; just how I had really hoped it would be. Thank you so much, Latissa! I would do it all over again the exact same way!" "
My
name is Ann, I am 23 in good health, labored for 30 hours starting on
Oct. 25th, 2014 and gave birth to my son Monday morning on Oct. 27th,
2014. I am lucky and proud to say I had the most amazing birthing
experience, and this would not have been the case if my husband and I
hadn't decided to have Latissa Graham as our doula. We are first time
parents so we had no idea what to expect during birth let alone a
natural birth at home. We were both scared, I was scared of the pain
and not getting the support I needed and my husband was scared that
he wouldn't be able to proved that physical and mental support I
would need. We really didn't have the money together and that's what
was holding us back at first. But we saved, got some help from family
and made the decision to go ahead, it was the right thing to do.
At
the 17 hours of labor mark my contractions started to get pretty
intense and that was when I called Latissa to come over, she was over
in 45 minutes. Right when she walked into the house I already felt
more comfortable just to have someone calm around who had done this
multiple times just to tell me everything was normal was so much
comfort. Latissa massaged me the entire time during labor, if she
wasn't rubbing me she was doing counter pressures during contractions
or just letting me squeeze the hell out her hands as I screamed every
swear word I knew at her during the really hard contractions. This
went on for 12 hours and she never left my side as I brought my
beautiful baby boy in to this world. And I will have her for all my
future births because I honestly could not have done it without her.
Besides
how incredible she was for the birth the 2 sessions before (first the
midwife apt she came to with me and second then the hypnobirthing
script while getting a neck massage) they made me feel safe with her
and made it nice to get to know her before the birth. And then the
full body massage after the birth was AMAZING! When you are so sore
from birth and so tired because you never sleep any more, it feels so
good. After the full body massage she had me bring in my baby so she
could teach me how to give infant massage and perform reflexology on him. I use
these techniques every single day.
Needless
to say Latissa is an incredible doula and support system, every time
I talk about my birth experience I recommend her without a doubt. She
is truly amazing and I recommend you have her as your doula. At very
least get a pregnancy massage from here and let that help you decide.
Cause I guarantee after that you will want her by your side
"My birthing experience would have been completely different without Latissa as my doula. My labor was unexpectedly long and difficult and she was right with me the whole time. She was the perfect support my husband and I needed and she made me feel empowered to be in control of my experience. She even advocated for me to get the only birthing room with a tub. She supported every decision I made and when things didn't go as planned and I needed to be induced, receive pain meds, get an epidural, and ultimately a c section, she was right by my side. My entire labor was nearly 35 hours and I was able to count on her the whole time. Not only is she an incredible massage therapist (her counter pressure and massage therapy was incredibly helpful! ) but she is also a very positive person to have on your birth team. She is a great balance of assertiveness and compassion and was great at reading me and knowing what I needed in any given situation. My husband and I both agree; hiring her was the best decision we made!"
- Michelle Graff