Nori Tobon Birth & Postpartum Doula in Seattle, WA

Nori was the whole reason my birth experience went as smoothly as it did. Not only did she prepare me and my husband for what would likely occur, but she prepped us beforehand with research behind the decisions that are made during these moments. This was so unbelievably smart and helpful to discuss beforehand, so we didn’t have to make any hard decisions during labor. Nori also provided such a comfort, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. She helped my husband learn ways to help me manage labor pains, paid attention to what sort of environment I preferred, and even took photos of us with our newborn. I can’t imagine not choosing Nori!

— Emily S.

We truly cannot imagine how we would have navigated the first few months of new parenthood without Nori. Nori’s greatest strengths include her deep wisdom, unmatched knowledge of newborn care, and calm confidence that instantly puts parents at ease. She has a “magic touch” for soothing babies and helping them sleep, and we believe our little guy started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks due to Nori’s gentle, consistent sleep routines. (We were not sleep training at this young age—it was Nori’s consistency and routines she developed for us and our baby that helped our baby know it was time for sleep.) Nori also has a gift for coaching new parents with warmth and empathy: she taught us all the invaluable baby care skills we needed to know—diaper changing, addressing diaper rash, bottle feeding, sleep and bedtime routine, safe sleep and swaddling, soothing, bath routine and hygiene (nail trims etc), and more. She is the most (obsessively!) punctual person I know—we knew we could depend on her to arrive ten minutes early to every single shift. That consistency and reliability really put our mind at ease—my husband and I would excitedly say “tonight is a Nori night!” whenever she was coming and by 5 or 6pm, we already felt more relaxed knowing she would be arriving soon (and always early). She was a reassuring presence in helping us address a few early issues: a dairy intolerance in my breastmilk, and a (worrying-looking but ultimately totally innocuous) skin condition he had early on called transient neonatal pustular melanosis. For the first few months, the only person who could take care of our baby in a way I (the mom) could truly relax (without a single worry or needing to check in to see how things were going) was Nori—because she could provide him an unmatched level of attentiveness, care, and detail orientation. She would notice the smallest things, like a spot of diaper rash or whether to increase the oz in his bottles. Finally, I’ll add that in conversations with our friends about their night nannies and postpartum doulas, we have learned that Nori is truly one-of-a-kind—lots of our friends had wonderful experiences with their doulas/nannies, but no one was truly “Nori level.” She is exceptional and inimitable! We recommend her enthusiastically and without reservation to any family—she is priceless.

— Catharine R.

We could not be more grateful for having had Nori as our doula. While my first birth ended with a healthy baby and mama, it was not quite what I had envisioned 😅. But the great team of nurse midwives I worked with made that 30+ hour labor as good as possible. So when we were preparing for our second kid, I knew stacking the deck with amazing women is what I wanted to do. Nori and I were connected through a friend and she was a godsend! She felt like home immediately. Her support pre-birth was thoughtful and grounded. She focused on what worked and didn’t during my first birth and what I was looking for during my second. She gave me pain management tools as I was determined to have an unmediated birth. The TENS unit she provided literally got me through labor. And she was always a text away. Plus I will say—she has a spidey sense about when her clients are going to go into labor. She just knows! And she coordinates her availability to accommodate. The day I went into labor, I had mild contractions all day that stalled in the evening. She was in contact all day, providing guidance. When things finally got spicy late in the evening, we had a major problem with the nurse midwife team located near my home where I was supposed to give birth. They couldn’t find enough staff to deliver according to their protocols. Thank God for Nori. I went 3 centimeters to 10 in about 45 minutes and my husband and I had no idea what to do when the birth center became a non-option. Without Nori, my kid would no doubt have been born in the car! Nori directed us to the right hospital—on speaker phone the whole time. She called the hospital and coordinated our arrival and the transfer of our records; all while she was driving to meet us there! She was calm. Sturdy. In control. She met us right as we got there and the baby was COMING! If it weren’t for Nori, my husband probably would have missed the birth because the hospital was determined to get our insurance even though I was in full blown push mode. She took charge, made sure my husband got in the room, and above all, made sure to communicate to the nurses what she sensed was happening with me. I delivered standing up within 7 minutes of getting to the hospital and if Nori hadn’t directed someone to catch my kid—he might have hit the floor! It was wild and the most magically intense birth ever. Nori literally saved the day. I honestly cannot thank her enough. She is unflappable. She is so cool under pressure. She is assertive. She is tender. Informed. Incredible. Everything I could ever have hoped for. She turned what could have been such a traumatic experience into one of the most profound moments of my life and there is no way to quantify my gratitude. She is hands down the best best best. We <3 Nori!

— Maggie T.