What my clients say about me
“Ilka is one of the most caring, compassionate people I have met in my life. She was a great support throughout my pregnancy, offering to share her knowledge and resources, but never pushy about it. In preparation we worked with visualization and meditation as well as sharing a lot of practical information about birth, tips about what we might want to have in the room (we never had time to buy that pull up bar because our baby arrived early!), making lists what to do in early labor, who we envision being present, how to ask for what I need - just a lot of things that did not occur to me before but turned out to be super helpful when the moment came.
She is the perfect combination of an accomplished professional, and a warm, listening mother. Her training in somatic practices really comes through in how she meets you and your baby, she is very skilled in reading through touch and her physical presence is reassuring and warm. She is an advocate for natural birth and natural remedies but does not deny the value of western medicine when it is needed. If you are looking for someone not only to support you during the pregnancy/birth/post partum, but also to stand up for you, and take care that your wishes for the birth are listened to and met as much as possible, I warmly recommend her.
Also, she picked up my placenta at 4pm and had the capsules ready in my hospital room the next morning. In a pretty, handmade package.” (Ronja Ver)
She is the perfect combination of an accomplished professional, and a warm, listening mother. Her training in somatic practices really comes through in how she meets you and your baby, she is very skilled in reading through touch and her physical presence is reassuring and warm. She is an advocate for natural birth and natural remedies but does not deny the value of western medicine when it is needed. If you are looking for someone not only to support you during the pregnancy/birth/post partum, but also to stand up for you, and take care that your wishes for the birth are listened to and met as much as possible, I warmly recommend her.
Also, she picked up my placenta at 4pm and had the capsules ready in my hospital room the next morning. In a pretty, handmade package.” (Ronja Ver)
"I just wanted to thank R. for referring her friend Ilka Fanni. I had her encapsulate my placenta into pills. She picked up the placenta right away and brought back the pills the next day. Her rates seem very reasonable. If you are thinking of encapsulating your placenta, please give her a call." (A.O.)
My first son is over one month now and I want to write a few words of gratitude to an incredible person, my doula Ilka.
She truly did an amazing job by supporting me and helping along the way. She was always available for me, answered all my questions and provided a great support.
She also did an awesome job by involving my little-to-know-about-labor husband into the whole process, therefore making overall experience even more joyful and unforgettable.
She is a very strong person. Including physically. I literally hanged on her shoulders for some long hours.
Ilka is SUPER knowledgeable about all the mother-to-be business starting with educating me on the diapering world and ending in deep pain-coping technics with a terabite of useful stuff in between.
I recommend Ilka to all the women who are planning to have their babies.
I want to keep in touch with her as she is a very interesting person and she is always happy.
I will miss you Ilka!
Thank you so so much!
(L.M.)
Words cannot express how grateful I am for all your support throughout this experience. You were a huge help to me during my birth and I am truly touched by your warmth and kindness. You really went above and beyond to make this a very special and memorable time for me. You are a remarkable doula with a huge heart and beautiful spirit. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You are a beautiful lady, I am blessed to have met you! (C.L.)
Ilka is an amazing birth doula who is warm, compassionate, and very skilled at what she does. She is able to draw on her many skill sets to support the mother, baby (babies in my case), and family before, during, and after labor and delivery. She is knowledgable in massage therapy, homeopathics, EFT, visualization techniques and position recommendations.
My husband and I firmly believe that we could not have delivered our twins naturally (no pain meds!) without her support. I had a 24 hour labor that almost went into c-section twice but it was avoided both times because we had the perfect combination of a doula and doctor who trusted my body and those of my babies'. One of the two doctors in the delivery room actually commented to me later on how impressed she was with Ilka. She was very focused on me and my needs, even with all the people and flurry of activity associated with delivering twins. She was a liaison, advocate, and teacher both in and out of the hospital.
We initially weren't sure if we needed a birth doula because the positions of babies could have ruled out a natural birth outright but when they were in the right position at around 34 weeks, I thought it might be a good idea. I mainly wanted support for my husband and someone to turn to as a sounding board. Ilka ended up being so much more than I had ever envisioned. We were very lucky to have just come upon her on yelp and have her as part of our lives. She really was and has been there for me and my husband. During delivery, she made sure not only I but also my husband ate, stayed hydrated, and got rest. After delivery, she went to Target for me to pick up lots of odd and ends and assembled our bassinet. When we needed postpartum support, she contacted her network and we were able to find help. I could go on and on.
Ilka is very passionate about and good at what she does. Please do yourself a favor and contact her early and see for yourself what an amazing person she is!!
(H.R)
My husband and I firmly believe that we could not have delivered our twins naturally (no pain meds!) without her support. I had a 24 hour labor that almost went into c-section twice but it was avoided both times because we had the perfect combination of a doula and doctor who trusted my body and those of my babies'. One of the two doctors in the delivery room actually commented to me later on how impressed she was with Ilka. She was very focused on me and my needs, even with all the people and flurry of activity associated with delivering twins. She was a liaison, advocate, and teacher both in and out of the hospital.
We initially weren't sure if we needed a birth doula because the positions of babies could have ruled out a natural birth outright but when they were in the right position at around 34 weeks, I thought it might be a good idea. I mainly wanted support for my husband and someone to turn to as a sounding board. Ilka ended up being so much more than I had ever envisioned. We were very lucky to have just come upon her on yelp and have her as part of our lives. She really was and has been there for me and my husband. During delivery, she made sure not only I but also my husband ate, stayed hydrated, and got rest. After delivery, she went to Target for me to pick up lots of odd and ends and assembled our bassinet. When we needed postpartum support, she contacted her network and we were able to find help. I could go on and on.
Ilka is very passionate about and good at what she does. Please do yourself a favor and contact her early and see for yourself what an amazing person she is!!
(H.R)
Ilka helped my husband and I through 5 days of labor! I do not think I would have made it as far into the process without her support. Her knowledge of pain management techniques is excellent and she also has a wonderful knowledge of homeopathics.
Ilka is connected with a variety of exceptional care providers and when my baby was in an awkward position, she was able to refer me to a chiropractor. That experience helped me continue to labor naturally for a significant period of time.
In the end, I did have to have a c-section but I felt very comfortable with that decision because I knew I had done everything I possibly could to have the baby naturally. I think laboring to that point helped establish a positive post partum experience for both me and my baby.
Ilka was also available before and after the delivery for coaching and support and helped with any questions I had. Ilka also encapsulated my placenta, which I found I didn't need immediately after giving birth as I recovered quickly, but have found to be helpful now that I am back at work. (J.C.)
Ilka is connected with a variety of exceptional care providers and when my baby was in an awkward position, she was able to refer me to a chiropractor. That experience helped me continue to labor naturally for a significant period of time.
In the end, I did have to have a c-section but I felt very comfortable with that decision because I knew I had done everything I possibly could to have the baby naturally. I think laboring to that point helped establish a positive post partum experience for both me and my baby.
Ilka was also available before and after the delivery for coaching and support and helped with any questions I had. Ilka also encapsulated my placenta, which I found I didn't need immediately after giving birth as I recovered quickly, but have found to be helpful now that I am back at work. (J.C.)