Here are a few cherished moments from couples and families we've supported over the years — each birth a unique story of surrender, strength, and God's faithfulness. Sharing these beautiful glimpses reveres their journey and the beauty of mothers and fathers bringing life into the world.
As doulas, we deeply value the role husbands play in the birth process. No one knows a mother better than her husband, and his voice and his presence - whether active or quietly supportive - is essential. Our goal is to help husbands realize their role and feel confident, empowered, and connected, so they can stand as pillars of strength and encouragement for their wives. We’re here to support them too.
Dara and Kaleen were by far our favorite part of our pregnancy and birth! They are both so intentional, listen well to concerns and questions, and give great advice and encouragement. They explain things very thoroughly which was so helpful with this being our first pregnancy. They made us feel heard, empowered, safe, and excited for labor and delivery. During the delivery they were consistently helping physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Their calmness, direction, and encouragement allowed me to have the confidence and endurance needed during my labor. They were also so helpful postpartum. We were able to text them with any question we had and they were great at getting back to us and helping us through all the changes and new things after birth. They both exceeded our expectations as doulas and we feel so blessed to have had them play such a big role in the birth of our son! We are so very grateful for their ministry and service!
Nothing eases the ferociousness of labor quite like a steady, servant hearted doula. Dara has assisted us for the birth of both our precious sons, and I cannot fathom my birth experiences without her. Whether you find yourself in the hospital with unforeseen complications, or tucked away at home with a blissful water birth, Dara will truly be the heart and hands of your birth. She will wash you in the word while washing your laundry. She will wipe your brow and turn your face towards Christ. While filling your postpartum belly with a home cooked meal, she will steady your heart with cheerful truths and an unspoken understanding that only comes from a seasoned mother. I did not know Dara prior to hiring her as my doula, but left our first meeting feeling like old friends. Doula-ing is one of Dara’s God-given gifts, and I hope you get the chance to experience the blessing she is firsthand!
After 2 hospital births my husband and I felt led by the Lord to pursue a homebirth for our 3rd baby. We soon heard that we needed to meet Dara Aldy. We immediately secured her help and started learning about natural childbirth!
Followed by months of intentional preparation, on August 6, 2005 and again on November 11, 2011, my husband, Bradley, and I experienced the most beautiful homebirth experiences thanks to the nurturing care and support of our dearest friend and doula, Dara Aldy.
On these two dates we were blessed with our son and daughter! Dara’s services were exactly and yet beyond what we needed to experience a peaceful labor and delivery as well as a smooth transition following our births .
Both deliveries with Dara were nothing less than amazing and miraculous. For this, we are forever grateful for Dara’s wholehearted love and care for us during that precious season of our lives!
Dara and her birth team were unbelievable and we will definitely be hiring them again! Their birth package is not only helpful but focuses on personal relationship and support. One of my favorite things about the package is that they don’t just serve you during labor and delivery but they offer two amazing classes (on childbirth and postpartum) that are so informative. My husband and I felt we were going into this with our eyes open and we were ready and excited not just for labor but also for postpartum. During labor and delivery the team was a calm and steady presence and knew exactly what to do and say and most importantly had a deep respect for the sacredness of our space during labor and delivery. In addition to this, they made us the most delicious breakfast after our baby girl was born and left our house cleaner than they found it! I would 10/10 recommend them to expectant parents (especially first time parents) they proved as a great support to my husband and myself during this sacred time of our lives. Not only will you get an incredible Doula team when you hire them but you will also find wonderful friends in them.
Words can't fully capture the gratitude we feel for Dara and Kaleen!! They are filled with the Spirit and their calm presence, deep knowledge, and unwavering support turned what could have been an overwhelming experience into one of the most unifying, peaceful, and beautiful moments of our lives.
Our home birth was everything we hoped it would be—and a huge part of that was because of them. They didn’t just assist; they anticipated, encouraged, prayed, and guided… All while still having my husband to be my main support person! Their intuition was spot-on—knowing when to step in with suggestions, and when to quietly hold space. They also brought a wealth of practical knowledge and holistic tools—breathing techniques, positioning, massage, herbal remedies—that made all the difference.
They didn’t just show up at the birth, but had been faithfully teaching us and coaching us for weeks beforehand with prenatal classes and follow-up meetings. They empowered us with knowledge that was crucial in the moment to help us trust the Lord, my body and the birth process.
Postpartum, they continued to check in, offering support, wisdom, and care. The encouragement from skilled doulas who are believers is irreplaceable. Our experience was exceedingly sweet with them, and we will be forever grateful🤍
In a world full of disastrous births, postpartum issues, frustrated mothers, and broken marriages, I’m reminded of how thankful I am that God brought Dara into my life at the time that He did. She taught me the beauty of birth, the surrender and patience it takes to bear contractions, the courage it takes to labor without an epidural, and she pointed me to the truth in knowing that God created me (women) for this experience. I now know the strength and power that is gained from this experience, and I am so thankful to God that we had her training, coaching, mentoring, and supporting Brady and me through it all. I have no shame. I have no complaints. I have no regrets. I feel so strong and beautiful as a mother, and God has just so moved my heart with love, patience, gentleness, and humility. Motherhood has been such a natural transition for me, and I’m grateful for Dara setting the example and sharing her family and her home with us both before and after Forest’s birth. Brady and I can not recommend -highly enough- the importance of having a doula to all our friends. We have a new passion and reverence for God’s power and glory seen in childbirth. We are so grateful for her pouring into our lives. Since our experience with Dara we’ve had 3 more babies, and I’ve actually been inspired to serve as a doula myself!
“It was truly a blessing to see birth done this way- at home. While I was on the fence, because everything seemed so foreign to me, I can certainly say that it was a joy and blessing for my wife to give birth at home with Doulas and Midwives! The support that Melissa and Dara provided- each step of the way - especially during labor, gave me- as a husband - sincere comfort, because I knew my wife had her team there helping me support her. She gave birth to our incredible son, and the sweet moments they captured on video and in photographs will be treasured by my wife and me for many years. Thanks be to God and thank you, Heart and Hands Birth!”
Dara truly was a God send for us at our births! Especially with our first, she helped prepare me to go through birth for the first time, she brought so much peace and comfort in the midst of a long and challenging labor, she provided confidence to both of us going through it for the first time. She honors and encourages the spiritual and emotional experience that birth is. We truly felt we would not have made it through our first birth without her! Dara brings motherly love, comfort, joy, grace, strength, peace, and helps you be able to feel you are in the best hands possible. She worked incredibly with the rest of our birth team, cooked food, helped clean up, and prayed over us. We truly feel dara is a necessary part of our births and we are so grateful for how much she has impacted both of us as we’ve grown our family. I recommend her to everyone, especially first time moms, because she truly is the best doula out there!
We cannot recommend Dara highly enough. As both mother and father, we didn’t realize how much we needed her until we needed her, and when that moment came, she met the need perfectly. She was a huge support to me, as dad, so that I could support mom.
Her professional competence was evident in every interaction: skilled, well-trained, clear in her communication, a steady advocate, and completely reliable from start to finish. What makes Dara truly great, though, are her character qualities. Her intuition, patience, kindness, and calming steadiness brought us great comfort. Her gifts of hospitality and empathy created a peaceful atmosphere in an otherwise inhospitable hospital environment, and her compassionate presence helped us cross the finish line. Dara is a remarkable doula, and we are deeply grateful for her help through two intense labor and deliveries.
I highly recommend choosing Dara as your doula because she will give over the top effort to make your birth as peaceful as possible. She will make your faith & relationship with Jesus come alive during your birth. She will help you and your husband work together in the most beautiful way. She is experienced, so you can rest in her confidence & knowledge from her many years of experience. She will also communicate with you in early labor to help you decide when to call the midwife or go to the hospital (this was very helpful for us in our first birth because even though we were well educated it’s still hard to tell what stage we are in during the intensity of the moment!). The opportunity to meet 1 on 1 with Dara during pregnancy will help prepare you to welcome a new life into this world - both the labor and delivery part, but also the post partum season. Dara is passionate about motherhood and will be completely for you and your family.
