I cannot recommend her enough! She was absolutely incredible throughout my friend’s labor and birth. She brought such a calm, encouraging, and reassuring presence that made the entire experience feel so much more positive and peaceful. She was supportive, knowledgeable, attentive, and truly made birth and labor such a wonderful experience.
She also has such a natural way with children! She is incredibly patient, kind, and loving, and kids are immediately comfortable around her. You can tell how genuinely she cares about both moms and their little ones.
If you're looking for a doula who will support you, encourage you, and make you feel cared for, Emma is absolutely the person to choose!
— Rachel S.
Emmabele was amazing with my little! We hired her for nannying and my daughter absolutely loves her. Shes very trustworthy and reliable. Her prices are very affordable! Definitely recommend.
— Jessica Z.
Emmabele is a knowledgeable and professional Doula. She helped my wife write a birth plan, spoke with the doctors regarding the best course of action during my wife’s 24- hour labor. She also helped us with sleep routines, breastfeeding techniques and different birthing techniques.
Emmabele responds to texts promptly and always answers the phone for any questions we may have. I would recommend her services to anyone. Thank you!
— Michael C.
My issue started when she didn't pass the background checks. She claimed to be certified as a postpartum doula, but then she was only certified for birth and labor -- not anything that comes afterwards.
I ran a background check on her to verify the resume she sent to us. It came back with a LOT of issues. Two of her former employers didn't exist. There was one reference for her as a doula, but the others she provided turned out to be for nannying and babysitting -- not for any doula services. I tried calling two more references and those numbers also didn't go anywhere. And the two I finally did reach agreed at first to talk to me, but one of them randomly cancelled at the last minute and the other one turned out to be another reference for babysitting, not as a doula.
She said she spend time creating lists and stuff for us, but they turned out to be screenshots from Google and random lists from TikTok influencers.
She agreed to a certain set schedule every week and then tried to get out of it by saying those days weren't "technically" in the contract. She started making fake burner FB accounts to monitor us online.
It was just weird. Ultimately, we were too afraid to bring her around our newborn, so we cancelled, and then she kept ALL of the money we paid her -- even the supposedly "refundable" part.
Just know that any money you give this girl will be a sunk cost. You're never seeing that "refund" again.
— Justin A.
Emmabele's response
For anyone reading, this person and Anna S are the same client.
I have passed every background check, even here on Bornbir. They show my trainings clearly. I have certificates for my trainings.
Two places I worked years ago have closed down or bought out by new companies. I have proof of working for them.
I provide many references. Some for doula services, some for nannying/babysitting since I did that for a long time. I was made aware that this client cancelled calls with my references and never followed up.
I create lists and important information on my own on Canva. I do not have any fake accounts online.
When told it was a breach of contract to switch days so I could have time off for a personal matter, I explained the schedule was not set in the contract. I had no problem working the schedule we agreed on.
My contracts have a clearly stated 25% nonrefundable retainer fee. Cancelling the contract means you unfortunately lose the fee. Any refund owed is returned.
Emma worked for us from August 2023 to February 2026. She provided nanny services for our twins starting at 6 months of age. Emma is a generous person who genuinely loves the children for whom she provides care.
— Kristen G.
Hi, I am Emmabelle’s mentor. Emmabelle is kind, caring, and has a lot of potential as a Newborn Care Specialist. She takes advice well and is honing her skills and knowledge. She has worked with a previous client of mine and they commented on how sweet she was. She’a very sweet and truly cares for her clients and their babies. It’s great to be able to guide a passionate caregiver!
— Nikki S.
Emmabelle provided exceptional care for our baby! She truly put us at ease during our date nights, allowing us to enjoy our time together without worry. I wholeheartedly recommend her services to anyone in need of babysitting or doula support!
— Brooke L.
I have worked with Emmabele and would trust her wholeheartedly with any child and truly trust that they are in the best hands with her! She gives them all of her attention and love when they are in her care! She’s also has so much training and knowledge about what would work best but understands circumstances and families may have different wishes. she works well with them to figure out what works for both of them! She’s so patient and flexible with parents and willing to work with the babies on anything to help them succeed! I would highly recommend her for your child’s care!
— Jordan R.
Hi All -- I wanted to post a sincere warning to pay close attention to red flags (even small ones) when hiring an independent postpartum, newborn care specialist, or birth doula. I wish I had, and my family suffered as a result.
My husband and I hired Emmabele Hodges in June of 2026. By July, we deeply regretted it.
She claimed to be a DONA certified doula since 2023. She finally admitted in writing that she does not hold any DONA certification. This was the first red flag that I should not have ignored, as her behavior only got worse.
She then asked us to sign several contracts but did not honor the terms. She attempted to double-book us with other clients and take personal vacations during the time she was supposed to be working for us. She repeatedly broke promises to our family and then claimed to have never made them.
Avoid this doula if you care about the safety of your family and finances. Check certifications. Call references. Do background checks. Pay attention to patterns, not promises. Actions speak louder than words. Good luck out there!
— Anna S.
Emmabele's response
Hi everyone! I wanted to share my side of things to let people know more of this situation.
I have never claimed to be a "certified" DONA doula. I am fully trained through DONA, working on getting board certified by them but it takes experience and a number of hours. I am still a full spectrum doula and newborn care specialist. You can begin working as a doula after being fully trained.
This client is claiming I double booked her, but I wanted to share that I asked her and her husband if I could take a birth client while working overnights for them. They agreed to this and that is the only client I signed on to take. This is very common in the industry and backup doulas are used to ensure coverage if there is any interruption.
Lastly, I want to clarify that I asked for time off months in advance (up to one week) for an extremely sensitive personal matter. When this request was denied, I then offered to still work as scheduled knowing how hard it would be for me. I made a good faith effort in coming to a positive resolution with this client, but unfortunately it was not possible.
I have been background checked, have numerous 5 star reviews and references, and I just want all families to know that I am trustworthy, reliable, honest, and do not want this one negative review with false claims to taint my reputation. Thank you. ❤️
Emmabele worked with us for overnight care support for our newborn son during his first 8 weeks. Emmabele was proactive in communicating with us before he was born and thoughtful about aligning with our needs and preferences as second time parents. It was wonderful to have her with us during those early sleepless nights as we helped navigate his transition into the world. Her feedback and notes as we adjusted his schedule to stretch his sleep and improve his feedings was invaluable.
— Meredith G.
Emmabele was our newborn son's overnight doula for 6 weeks when he was between 6 and 12 weeks old. She was on-time every night, took excellent care of our baby, and in a short time helped him go from only fragile contact naps on my shoulder to comfortably sleeping for several hours at a time in his crib. My wife and I were very comfortable leaving our baby boy in Emmabele's care. She has a sweet and bubbly personality, is flexible, and communicates very well. She is also very knowledgeable about baby products and has great recommendations, and she left us with plenty of advice for the coming months. We highly recommend her for all of your doula and newborn care needs!
— Dominic C.
Emmabele is a joy to work with. She’s responsible, reliable, offers a wealth of professional knowledge, and communicates well. She goes above and beyond, and truly cares. She’s a gem!!
— Elena H.
Emmabele has babysat for our family and she is always a joy to have watch our little girl! We love her personality and character! She is always so kind, loving towards our child, nurturing, and joyful! We will definitely continue using her and would recommend her to anyone! Thank you Emma❤️
— Grace D.
We used Emmabele as our newborn overnight doula for approximately 6-7 weeks. We had a rotation of doulas and Emmabele was our absolute favorite! She was always punctual and was able to find a balance between having our newborn contact sleep while adjusting to sleeping in his bassinet. She really made an effort to check in every night she was with us to get any updates with the baby and always checked on me during this period to make sure I was doing okay during the postpartum period. I recommend Emmabele 100% for any newborn and caregiving services!!
— Rebecca W.
Emmabele is extremely reliable and really good at communicating needs with the parents or caregivers she works with. She’s very flexible and understanding. She is always so willing to help anyone she knows because she has such a big heart and is so caring. I met her through working together in childcare and she and I immediately hit it off as friends because we both have a love for children but she just has that bubbly personality that you can trust! I know she will be an amazing fit for your family!
— Jordan D.
Doula and baby sitting services
— Jill C.
Emmabele provided tons of insight and support throughout this entire process. I would choose her again!
— Kami C.
