Love Notes
Birth Love Notes
E.B. Family-MD
"Shaniqua was a Godsend to my husband and I during our pregnancy journey. She was very hands on.Not only did Shaniqua help us prepare for our baby's arrival, but she sent us a plethora of handouts to read over even after our sessions were over. She provided sample meal plans/eating schedules, beneficial pregnancy videos, pre labor exercises, and more! The day I went into labor, she came over to teach my husband and I how to handle and care for our newborn,including changing and swaddling him. While in the hospital she worked closely with my husband as an advocate and second support system. Even after J.R. was born, Shaniqua continues to check up on us and provide us assistance with newborn care. If I could give 100 stars I would!! I DEFINITELY recommend to any and EVERYONE looking for a doula and I can't wait to utilize her services again in the future!!!"
Shaniqua was a great support during our difficult labor and delivery, both during early labor when she came to our house and during labor at the hospital. Our baby was malpositioned and Shaniqua was able to show us techniques to use to help reposition him and further his progress. She was also a great source of knowledge and comfort as labor continued its progress.
Shaniqua was great at liaising between us and hospital staff in order to identify the ways to move forward when it became clear that we would have to change parts of our birth plan due to how things were going. Furthermore, Shaniqua stayed with us after our son's birth in order to help us through our first feeding. Throughout all our interactions with Shaniqua, both in person and remotely, she has been quick to respond, unfailingly clear, knowledgable, and, most importantly, understanding. We really enjoyed working with her.
C.K Family-VA
We loved Shaniqua and how great she was throughout our whole pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. She was such a calming presence and a great resource leading up to being in labor and for the hours during labor. Shaniqua made me feel so comfortable with my body and the process of labor, teaching me many skills to help keep me calm and cope with pain. We had such a positive and empowering experience with her.
H.B Family-MD
T.C. FAMILY-DC
H.C. Family-MD
Shaniqua was an impeccable doula! She was knowledgeable, warm, and compassionate. She readily answered my questions, which made it easy to trust her expertise. She shared a ton of resources that helped us make informed choices. Our classes and workshops in preparation for labor and delivery were informative and practical. After our lessons, I felt equipped and prepared. Not only did she support me but my partner as well. During labor and delivery, she provided just the care I needed to assure me that I could make it. When I was ready to make rash decisions at the height of my pain, she came in and calmed my storm. I am ever grateful that she was part of my journey. If you want a doula of quality, seek out her services! Your birth experience will be better for it!
J.B. Family-VA
From our first prenatal meeting to our postnatal visit, Shaniqua was always just what we needed for support during that season of transition as we welcomed our first child into the world. Kind and observant, knowledgable and professional, she catches on quickly to the spoken and unspoken needs of her clients and acts with amazing promptness and accuracy to meet those needs for support. My husband and I ended up having an unplanned home birth because my labor moved more quickly than we had anticipated. Shaniqua came to our house at 2 a.m. and immediately jumped into the chaos (it was probably quite chaotic since I was pushing by that time). She perfectly balanced making sure I was supported and supporting my birth coach (my husband). Not only that, but she also jumped into the role of birth assistant when the midwife arrived and our original birth assistant was still not present (she arrived after our birth). All in all, we had a wonderful birth experience and Shaniqua played a huge role in making that happen. We are so thankful for her and her work as a doula!
Shaniqua was an amazing doula for my husband and I. Although my birthing experience didn’t go according to plan due to pre-eclampsia and having to deliver sooner than expected, Shaniqua was there every step of the way. She responded to any question/ concern I had promptly and I really felt supported. I’d recommend her to anyone seeking a doula and will definitely use her again for the birth of my future children.
E.M. Family-MD
I had a somewhat difficult pregnancy. Shaniqua was a God-sent. She was reliable, punctual, and mentally present at all of our appointments. She sought consent to do anything that involved physical touch- which was extremely important for me. During my delivery, she was a rock star. Having her there in the midst of a pandemic was so comforting. It was like having a very close friend there who knew everything I wanted and got when I needed it. I'm very grateful for Shaniqua and her gifts.
A.J. Family-MD
My overall experience with Shaniqua was excellent. She is beyond knowledgeable at what she does. I came to her expressing my concerns from my first labor and told her I wanted this journey to be completely different. She ensured just that by filling me with so much knowledge in preparation for labor. She was always available for me when I needed her from the visits, FaceTime calls, and texts. My laboring experience peaceful, easy, and special thanks to Shaniqua. Support continues after labor, she continues to check on my baby and I even after birth. She even provides an abundance of resources from referrals, informational videos , and items. I truly appreciate my doula and would recommend her to all new mommies.
L.M. Family-MD
Hi Shaniqua: It was a pleasure having you as a doula. At first my husband wasn’t too sure about getting a doula wasn’t interested at all. However, after the first meeting you won him over! You had me at the phone interview, at how Knowledgeable, informative, and honest you were. Because of you I found my confidence to rock this whole labor and delivery. You made me see things in a different way and I love how you encouraged and motivated me. I told you I wanted to labor at home as long as I could and that’s exactly how it happened and you were by my side helping me getting through the contractions. If I decide to have another child I would most definitely get you again and recommend you to friends and family. Thank you Shaniqua for everything you totally rock being a doula!
L.M. Family-MD
This review is long overdue! Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had Shaniqua. Because our hospital was only allowing 1 support person in the room, we opted for a virtual consultation. I was unsure if it would help but I am extremely glad we did. Shaniqua is so knowledgeable, encouraging and motivating. She helped me not only prepare physically for delivery but mentally as well. Postpartum was quite challenging for me. Shaniqua has made it a point to check on my mom journey despite not having to. I can’t recommend her enough! Her guidance was everything for me!
L.G. Family- D.C.
Shaniqua is fabulous! She was warm, professional, pro-active, and always on time. She started doing overnights with my baby when he was 3 weeks old, and we trust her completely with him. She often checks ahead to see if there are nights I'd like to reserve ahead of time before her schedule gets booked up.
Before I hired her, I checked her other references and found that they also had glowing things to say about her.
W.C. Family- D.C.
We loved Shaniqua! Shaniqua worked with us and our two-month-old for 8 weeks and is an incredibly positive person, responsible and responsive, and has a genuine love for newborns and their well-being. We always looked forward to seeing her - it felt like having another family member who would visit us every night.
She also has plenty of experience in seeing many different sleep patterns in babies, which was incredibly helpful as new parents to understand what is ‘normal.’ Along with that, she always had ideas of what we could try and experiment to help our child sleep better and longer, which was so important as his needs seem to change quite regularly!
K.M. Family- MD
We started working with Shaniqua approximately two weeks after our (then) 4-month-old daughter was hospitalized for ten nights due to severe acid reflux and milk protein intolerance. My husband and I were in extreme crisis mode, as our daughter was still experiencing bottle aversion, severe cramping, and hours of colic.
Shaniqua was instrumental in helping our daughter sleep, self-soothe, and meet weight and growth milestones (e.g. – rolling over, hand/eye coordination, and mimicking).
I'm not sure what we would have done without Shaniqua! She took care of our daughter overnight a couple of nights a week for a few months and our daughter was sleeping through the night by the time she was 4 months old (without having to "cry it out")!
She gave us a typed plan that was really helpful in building good sleep habits during the day and the nights when she wasn't here.
She was also so amazing at coaching us and answering our millions of questions as things evolved along the way and meeting us where we were.
P.P. Family- VA
Shaniqua was a wonderful help to our family! We started working with Shaniqua for overnight care a
few weeks after bringing our newborn home. Our baby was premature and had reflux.
Shaniqua was very patient and attentive to her needs while
working with her overnight. We subsequently used her help during the daytime as well for several
weeks.
She was able to get our daughter on a good nap schedule, and she helped her to learn to self soothe in a gentle way and fall asleep in the bassinet on her own. Shortly after, our baby started sleeping 8-10 hour stretches overnight!
She has extensive knowledge on newborn and infant sleep and was always willing to share resources and offer ideas for how to assist our daughter to sleep better.
K.B. Family- MD
We cannot say enough wonderful words about Shaniqua! Her kind and professional demeanor was a delight to have taking care of our baby.
Shaniqua cared for her with such warmth and gentleness as well as always working on new developmental goals like longer naps and strengthening her grip.
Our baby has the most fun with Shaniqua dancing, singing, laughing, playing, and reading. Shaniqua even got her to enjoy tummy time with her creative and fun ideas!
Her proactive approach to caring for babies insures our baby gets what she needs before becoming upset or fussy- keeping her happy throughout the day.
A.P. FAMILY-DC
"Shaniqua started with us the day we brought our son home from the hospital. As first-time parents, we really appreciated her instruction in baby care basics. Beyond swaddling and diapering, she taught us how to soothe our son and get him to sleep. This was really helpful to know for example when he was making noises in his sleep, when he can self-soothe, and when he's awake and needs an intervention.
He was sleeping 7-8 hour stretches from 4 weeks, which was a huge relief and helped us feel prepared for life with our son after she left. She got our son on a really manageable schedule from an early age which helped us adapt to new parenthood.
Shaniqua helped our son's development with tummy-time and age-appropriate play - I loved seeing her sing and dance with him. She answered our constant questions about his care, development, breastfeeding, and more with research-based information. I would absolutely recommend her as a newborn care specialist and hire her again!"
L.M. Family-VA
Shaniqua is professional, reliable and wonderful to be around. She is extremely knowledgeable about newborns and passionate about her work. We were able to trust her with our newborn from the moment she started with us. Shaniqua helped us with our second son and her advice, even as second time parents, was absolutely invaluable in our first months with our son. We continue to use her tips each day. She helped us establish healthy sleep habits from the outset and our son was sleeping for long stretches in no time!
Shaniqua stayed on top of our needs and was proactive about offering suggestions to make our lives easier. She not only goes above and beyond during her shift, but she makes herself available for questions and advice via text at any time. Her comprehensive care and advice regarding newborn care, schedules and sleep habits allowed our family to actually enjoy the early newborn phase. I would recommend her as the best teammate for any family with a newborn!
V.L. Family-NJ
As a first time mom, I had many concerns regarding my 13 month old’s sleeping and eating habits. He was not sleeping through the night and appeared to be the pickiest eater. We struggled trying to help him get past these challenges. A friend recommended Shaniqua to me and I am forever indebted to her for that. Such a small gesture changed the dynamic of our home. Thanks to Shaniqua’s guidance, mealtimes are no longer stressful and everyone is getting better rest at night! Despite the distance between us, Shaniqua is ALWAYS right by my side to coach me through a challenge no matter the time of day. Each day I grow more confident in helping my toddler through his developmental leaps and creating healthier eating and sleeping habits! She even guided us through bottle weaning!! I was terrified of this process but Shaniqua made it a breeze!! Shaniqua’s kindness, patience and reassuring demeanor put me at ease throughout this journey and I am truly grateful!!
H.G. Family-FL
We worked with Shaniqua to help our 14 month old drop the bottle as a sleep prop. I was dreading this process, but knew we had to do it because of some upcoming life events. Shaniqua was not only super respectful of our comfort levels and preferences, but offered tactical advice through every speed bump along the way. There was a huge difference in our little girl’s sleep quality within just a couple days and we’re so happy that three weeks later she is now sleeping like a champ in varying locations and cribs as we move across the country. We’re so appreciative of Shaniqua’s bottle-weaning plan and support. She met us where we and our baby were and helped us reach our goals as painlessly as we could have.
L.B. Family-VA
C.K. FAMILY-DC
When we found out that we were having twins, we immediately knew that we were going to need nighttime help and are so happy that our search led us to Shaniqua. Due to Covid, our initial conversations and communications were via phone and email, but even so there was an instant level of comfort when speaking with her. She exudes calmness and kindness, and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to early days and nights with multiples. We knew instantly she would be the perfect fit for our family and were never disappointed!
Shaniqua began helping us the day we came home from the hospital and was with us for the next 10 weeks. She was wonderful in helping us to establish a nighttime routine and set the stage for best sleep practices going forward. She provided detailed logs for each baby every morning so that I knew exactly how the night went. This also made it so easy to track the progress they made each week. She’d check in with me everyday to see how things were going and would continue to offer advice and guidance. Most importantly, I had total confidence in her ability to provide my babies with what they needed through the night. This is more than just a job for her- the true love and tenderness she has for the children and families she works with is a gift. Shaniqua became a real member of our team during her time with our family and is someone I continue to reach out to to this day. I cannot recommend her highly enough!
M.S. Family-VA
Thank you SO much for changing my life!! You were able to transition my baby from co-sleeping to crib, out of swaddle and on a schedule! He is really a new baby and thank you for all your patience and answering all my questions! It was great to work with you!
We do not have enough great things to say about Shaniqua. She is very professional and has made my husband and I feel very safe and comfortable. She has helped us with getting our son to sleep through the night as well as providing great tips on naps and feedings. She has even recommended great toys and exercises through his different stages. From only a few weeks old our son has been great with her and loves their morning songs and play time. We would 100% recommend her and will definitely be using her again in the future!
I could probably go on and on but we really appreciate all of your help!
HP Family-VA
Hi, I just wanted to thank you so much for your time with our little boy, you definitely changed our life for better! After so many sleepless nights our little one sleeps through the night (7PM-7AM) and has a regular sleeping and feeding schedule. Calling you was the best decision we ever made and we can not thank you enough! I will for sure recommend you to all our friends.
HP FAMILY-VA
M.K. FAMILY-VA
Shaniqua B-Dubose was employed as a Newborn Nanny/Nurse for my daughter after her 3rd child was born. I would like to share a review of her performance for those inquiring about references from my perspective, baby's Grandma, who was also present for several weeks after Baby was born.
Shaniqua was easy to talk to, understandable, and friendly without being intrusive with any family dynamics. Her experience and calm demeanor was immediately observed which heightened our comfort level.
I greatly appreciated her delightful personality and smile. Shaniqua is aware of pediatric development, milestones, and had the ability to merge unobtrusively into family life.
H.L. Family-VA
Shaniqua has done evening and nighttime care for our twins for almost three months. She is a wonderful caregiver and is truly exceptional at what she does.
When she initially came to work with us we were two very extremely tired people. She came up with a true regimen for our kids and with her guidance, we were finally able to start getting sleep at night.
She gave us recommendations based on their age (and adjusted age), weight, and behavior. Our kids have very different personalities so it is imperative that they each have their own rules for sleep.
She also helped us figure out easier ways to feed them both at the same time, and provided us with a child development schedule.
I cannot explain how grateful we are to have met her. She has allowed us to have a modicum of life again.
N.P. Family-DC
"Shaniqua is a real pro. She's confident, kind, knowledgeable, and timely. We felt totally comfortable trusting her with our baby, and she did a great job helping him learn to sleep through the night. She built a great relationship with our older daughter, too. She was always clear in her communication with us and made sure we were all on the same page about expectations. We can't recommend (or thank) her enough. In fact, everything went so well that we still sometimes call on Shaniqua to watch the kids overnight so we can have a romantic getaway. A+"