Portland, Maine’s Doula of Choice
If you’re looking for a doula near Portland, Maine, Melissa Tomback comes highly recommended. Her experience and breadth of knowledge are second to none. See what her clients have to say about her and her dedication to them!
Client Testimonials
Jessica Allen
In a society where there’s so much pressure and judgment put on women by women in regards to the hardest thing you will ever do in life; give birth, Melissa was there judgement free to support us through it all. One of her first statements to us was something along the lines of: “Whatever you want for your birth is ok.”
We had met with a handful of doulas in the area who were all lovely in their own right but we just weren’t feeling a great connection with any of them. As soon as we met Melissa we knew she was the right person to help us bring our daughter into the world. Her approach to the whole process creates a more educated parent.
She made us work for it, she wasn’t just going to tell us the answer (which really with giving birth there is no “right answer”) or give us her opinion. She provided us with the tools to make our own educated decisions and then supported every decision we made wholeheartedly.
I didn’t have the birth we had hoped or planned for but I can say without a doubt in my mind that without Melissa’s calming presence and unwavering support I would have had a much more difficult time.
Her ability to read me and know exactly what I needed in that moment was amazing. We are forever grateful for her services and would highly recommend having her be a part of your birth support system.
Miriam Markowitz
“After Bodhi was born, I immediately told my partner that having Melissa as our doula was one of the best decisions we made in our birth plan. Melissa met us at the hospital when I was stuck at 4 cm and immediately kicked us back into gear. She walked me through labor options while giving me full ownership of my choices. What really worked for us are the many sides to Melissa: She danced and cheered alongside my partner to our labor music playlist, she was creative and warmly pushed me when I needed it, and she was our advocate through the whole process while constantly checking-in about our written birth plan. She speaks “doctor” so could translate interventions and questions or reframe them to make sure the doctor understood my concerns and I understood theirs. Finally, Melissa doesn’t disappear after birth. She acknowledges her professional limitations and so she connected us to a postpartum doula, lactation consultants and genuinely wants to hear updates on Bodhi.”
Julie Bickford
“Melissa is amazing as a Doula! I knew right after meeting her for the first time, I found the right person to help with the birth of our first child. Nothing went as planned and she was there every step of the way. I had severe preeclampsia and my son was born via C-section after being induced a couple of days before that. Any time a decision was supposed to be made Melissa was there every time we needed her. She explained each step that the doctors were going over with us. My son was 8 weeks early and was immediately taken to the NICU after birth. My husband went with him and Melissa stayed with me. I could not have asked for better support. We spent 39 days in the NICU. She visited and was a great emotional support for me as I dealt with postpartum depression. Even after being discharged and readmitted a couple of times to Barbara Bush Hospital, she continued to be a valuable support system. I am so glad we chose her and would recommend her to anyone!”
Anna Paschal
“I was hemming and hawing over hiring a doula and finally 8 weeks before my due date I gave Melissa a call and after chatting with her and reading her other testimonials I decided to hire her. And, let me say it was the best decision I made during my pregnancy!
Melissa was a true delight to work with leading up to my pregnancy and after. She was incredibly like-minded and understanding when it came to my desire to have a natural childbirth. She listened to me and my birth partner and helped us come up with a birth plan. I thought I was paying her for labor support, but what I ended up getting from Melissa was far more. She provided us with incredible recommendations and guidance every step of the way during those last two months. I have yet to meet anyone in the birth community as well connected as Melissa!
I ended up having a breech baby and Melissa was quick to recommend some of the best acupuncturists, chiropractors and websites to explore. She also provided numerous articles and materials in regards to a lot of the late pregnancy testing and newborn testing that is "required.” In the end my baby did not turn and a Caesarian was necessary. I don't regret for a second still having a doula. I feel the resources she provided me with were above and beyond what I expected. Having her present for the labor would have been incredible I'm sure, but I still feel it was well worth the investment for her guidance and expertise along the way.
After my baby was born we had some difficulties with nursing and again Melissa made incredible recommendations for a wonderful Lactation Consultant and other suggestions. Without her assistance, support and referrals, I very well may have given up on breastfeeding, but she made me feel supported and empowered that it would get better!
In short, hire her, no matter how your birth ends up, home, caesarian, natural...etc you won't regret it!”
Camryn Hansen
“I was Melissa's first VBAC client, and she did a wonderful job helping me have a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). After I had had an extremely high-risk first birth with placenta previa and a scheduled c-section at 36 weeks, I had a completely natural birth with no medication after laboring only about 5 hours. It was exactly what I wanted, and I was so happy that Melissa was there to support me & help me make my birth plan a reality.
She also helped me plan for things I had not known about ahead of time, like whether or not to put antibiotic drops in my newborn's eyes. At one point early in the labor, when they said I wasn't dilated enough to go into a labor room, and offered spending the night in the prenatal center (the same exact prenatal center where I had had a traumatic experience with my first baby), Melissa helped me make the difficult decision to avoid this and go home for a few hours instead. Going home allowed me to relax and go fully into labor when my body was ready, whereas I feel strongly that staying in the prenatal center would have caused me undue stress and perhaps inhibited the natural birth that I ultimately had.
Melissa is practical, good at asking questions, straightforward about the way she presents information, and not afraid to advocate on your behalf for what you want. (She spent many years as a public defender! She is really good at advocating for people who aren't in the position to advocate for themselves.) She also pays great attention to detail, and doesn't seem to forget anything you tell her. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to have her as my doula.”
Sarah Birnbaum
“Melissa was the perfect doula for us. Upon meeting her for the first time we were impressed by her extensive knowledge, ability to articulate, and humble willingness to learn. She was easy to be around and exhibited humor and grace in dealing with sensitive issues and emotionally charged subjects. Throughout my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum she was well organized and presented us with an abundance of evidence-based information. She was open, available, and eager to help address any questions or concerns. It was easy to text or call her at anytime.
One of the main reasons we hired Melissa was to avoid a highly medicalized birth experience or c-section. However, our hospital experience was not at all what we planned. Our daughter came into the world after a long induction, frustratingly painful labor, and eventual medically necessary c-section. Melissa was welcomed into the Operating Room during the birth and provided a quiet and reassuring presence during a scary and emotional time. Due to health issues our daughter was taken to the NICU for 10 days after her birth and Melissa tirelessly supported us even during this extremely hard time. Melissa helped us roll with the punches and was with us every step of the way. She made our challenging experience much more bearable by helping us make decision after decision while offering us unfailing support through it all. Melissa never got in the way and worked side by side with my partner to take amazing care of me. She truly cared about our wishes and preferences and repeatedly helped us advocate for what we wanted despite the myriad of decisions and interventions. She was understanding, non-judgmental, and super helpful for the entirety of our long hospital stay and beyond! Melissa was the perfect balance of hands on and off and used blunt, direct, and forward communication throughout. Melissa exceeded our expectations in a doula and went WAY above and beyond for our family!”
Elise Pelletier
“Melissa was a fantastic doula for the birth of my first son. During my pregnancy, both myself and my husband appreciated Melissa's candidness and energy as we prepared for labor. She is an extremely approachable person that we instantly connected with and felt we could trust. She always provided us with a wealth of information related to any questions we had not only about my health during pregnancy, but also choices that would need to be made related to the labor and birth. She was always available for questions and we liked that our relationship with her did not feel formulaic or routine.
During labor, she was fantastic! She provided incredible support and played such a vital role in the delivery room. Her approach was gentle and caring. It made such a difference having someone in the room who has experienced labor and can provide a non-clinical perspective. My husband appreciated her presence and felt there was a great amount of balance and guidance. My labor was long and exhausting, and she stayed with us from early in the AM on into the evening. I couldn't imagine going through labor without her.
After my son was born I had problems nursing and Melissa continued to be a great support throughout the ordeal. The early days of parenting are a whirlwind, and having a clear minded support like Melissa to better the situation was beyond helpful. I highly recommend Melissa as a doula!”
Verna O’Neil
“Melissa Tomback was our doula for the winter VBAC birth or our little girl in 2018. We were thankful for all of the ways that Melissa supported us before, during, and after the birth. Melissa talked over concerns we had about the birth ahead of time and provided us with good information to help us in our decision-making. She went above and beyond to stay with us when we went to the hospital in labor only to stall out and require two days of pitocin and other efforts to bring forth baby. Melissa had to rearrange some things in her life to remain with us for such long time, but her presence was unwavering. During labor she was compassionate and helpful. Towards the end I had lost focus and Melissa together with my husband rallied me for the final push. My husband was thankful to have her to bounce ideas back and forth and commiserate with during such a long event. During my labor and birth there was a two-day snowstorm and after those two tiring days Melissa's car had to be unburied, but there was no complaint! We also appreciated a home visit from Melissa later to check in on us and process our birth together. I would certainly recommend her as a doula to others!”
Emily Carton
Melissa is an excellent doula. She was a great help to us in the prenatal, birth, and postpartum periods. She demonstrated expertise, flexibility and intuition, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which unfortunately prevented her from being physically present in the delivery room. Nevertheless, Melissa was “on call” for us throughout the process, continually checking in, asking questions, and providing advice. Especially considering that our daughter arrived three weeks early, Melissa’s steadiness was enormously helpful.
Moreover, our previous meetings with Melissa had armed us with the information we needed to make informed decisions when we arrived at the hospital. She clearly presents both traditional and alternative methods in a no-nonsense way. This allowed us to feel confident in formulating a birth plan and then adapting to changing circumstances. Having Melissa available for postpartum support was also invaluable. We would recommend Melissa to anyone!