Encouraging words from amazing clients:
“Rachel is an amazing doula….I was in labor for 2.5 days and she stayed connected with me during the whole processes. I wanted to have an all natural VBAC and she believed in me that this was possible! During my transition phase when I wanted to give up….she prayed with me and God heard us because the baby arrived a half hour later!! I could not have done it without Rachel by my side! I was so blessed to achieve my goal of having an all natural VBAC! So grateful that God led me to her and she was able to be my doula. I highly recommend her!! She is a beautiful person inside and out….she will make your birthing experience a memorable one!! I plan on having her for my third baby as well!” ~Michelle R. (Canton)
“This amazing woman who I am blessed to call a dear friend was a breath of fresh air to have in my delivery room! During labor when I started throwing up she didn’t skip a beat and immediately brought out her peppermint oil to help. She had many techniques to help me out when it became crucial to do different positions to get baby to descend more. Plus she provided some fun as well! Anyone looking for an amazing doula you have one right here in Rachel! Thanks for an enjoyable birthing experience my dear!” ~Gretchen P. (Canton)
“Rachel is professional, compassionate, knowledge and warm. I would recommend her in a heartbeat!” ~ Whitney K. (Ann Arbor – fellow doula)
“Rachel is amazing!! I’m so glad my husband and I had her with us during our birth. Our little Liam decided he wanted to come a month early and during the first big snow storm of the year. We had no idea he was going to come early. Rachel came to the hospital to be close to us if we needed her at a moments notice. She was such a vital piece of our team. She helped me achieve my totally natural birth, something I never thought I could do. ♡ thank you Rachel!!!!” ~ Leanna Cromwell
“I have been taking 3 pills a day since I have received them. I was really impressed with the packaging. I loved the umbilical cords you shaped into a heart. It is fascinating to look at all the veins that connected the twins and I and the tea baths were a cute surprise. What I appreciated the most was how hard you worked and went out of the way to encapsulate for me when I know I was very last minute. I hope to use more of your services in future pregnancies.” ~ Jessica O. (Dearborn Heights)
“I was looking into getting a birth and postpartum doula and a doula that would be able to encapsulate my placenta after birth. I connected with the South East Michigan chapter of doulas and a few other resources to find the best fit for me. I needed someone who would fit my budget, my values, located close to me for meetings and someone I would feel comfortable working with. I ended up choosing my good friend as my birth doula and my mom as a postpartum doula and I found Rachel, from Sun Stand Still Doula for my capsulation of my placenta.
I chose Rachel because of one thing — the verse at the end of her email message. That may sound so silly, but being Christian myself and praying for the right person I knew that this was a sign. This was my first baby and to be honest I was trying really sure what I was doing, so this little sign allowed me to have full confidence in Rachel and her work and the interaction we would have after my babies birth.
I had my little one November 30th at 10am and for some reason, I totally forgot to call Rachel the night before to let her know I was in labor. I felt like an awful client, and was so apologetic when I got ahold of Rachel later that day, after I remembered I was suppose to keep and transfer a living organ to someone after I left the hospital. Rachel was on the spot and decided to meet us at our home to pickup the placenta the next day. We lived 45-60 minutes away from her, I felt so bad to have her drive all the way to us but that is the convenience, customer service and love that she provides.
Rachel surprised us also to have the pills ready in 24 hours. She brought them back the next day (yes another 45-60 minute drive for her) in the most adorable little Christmas bag. Everything was so professional. From the bag, to the pill bottle with her logo design, to the best part of the whole experience— the umbilical cord shaped and dried into a heart. My heart and eyes exploded with emotion and tears when I saw the umbilical cord. It was a representation of the life I gave to my baby while inside me. Of course my hormones were all over the place, but I never expected to see this with the pills. It was so thoughtful and memorable of Rachel to add this piece.
My main hope for using placenta encapsulation was to avoid postpartum depression. Having a baby during the winter season, I have heard, can be very isolating and hard for mom who can’t take baby for walks to get fresh air or have people come over as often because of illness going around. To be honest this method of encapsulation has most of the society grossed out, but it worked. I can actually say that I could tell a drastic difference from the days I took a dose versus not taking a dose. The pills gave me energy that I didn’t think I could find, a boost on milk supply from the get-go, the drive to be sociable (which I’m a homebody and like my alone time -so this was interesting) and the signs of depression were no where to be seen.
*Note: The bottle had approximately 70 pills. I took 2 a day for the first 2 weeks and then 2 pills when needed or I noticed my mood or energy wasn’t very high.
Rachel was such a blessing to me and my growing family. Our time together only lasted for about 24-48 hours, but within the time we emailed or texted and saw each other I would recommend her over and over to anyone looking for a placenta encapsulation service. I’m so very grateful for her business and the impact it has had on my life.”~ Katie M (Gibraltar)
“When I first decided to pursue placenta encapsulation I had a lot of questions. Rachel helped answer all of them and allowed me to take my time and do my own research. She made the process so easy – she picked up my placenta from the hospital in a super timely fashion and dropped them off at my home–easy peasy! My milk supply has been tremendoulsy better than after my first and I attribute that to the placenta pills! She also took time to check in on me and my family, even stopping for a moment to share kind words with my toddler, which really stood out to me as most people focus on the baby post partum. Rachel understands that mom and the other family members need consideration as well. Highly recommend Sun Stand Still Doula Services for all of your birth and postpartum needs!” ~Heather T. (Southfield)
“It was my first pregnancy and my husband and I didn’t know what kind of support we may need during labor and delivery. Working with Rachel, however, turned out to be one of the best decisions we could have made. From the first day I contacted her she was always quick to respond, supportive, and genuinely caring.
I began having contractions July 10th and by 9:30pm July 11th I was in surgery getting a C-section because my little guy just couldn’t make his way out on his own.My husband texted Rachel in the middle of the night, and she headed right to the hospital to provide us with much needed support. Rachel helped me find comfort – finding new positions, rubbing my back, and using essential oils to help soothe me. She always had an encouraging word – and kept reminding me that I could do this even when I was feeling exhausted. Rachel also supported my husband who was running on little to no sleep – and helped keep my family up to date on my delivery progress.I also have to rave about Rachel’s Mommy-Fix-It lotion – which has been wonderful! I tried using Aveena lotion on my son’s arms and legs but within an hour the dry skin would start to appear again. Rachel’s lotion, however, does the trick – and works wonders on my son’s sensitive skin.If you are considering a doula, I highly recommend working with Rachel. She has a calming presence, and will help support and encourage you throughout your journey.” ~Sarah G. (Rochester)
“A wonderful experience from the pick up at hospital and dropping off at my home. The convenience of having that as part of the service is huge.
My daughter is just over 2 months old and I just finished with my capsules after taking 2 every day in the morning.
With this being my second pregnancy/birth, I can compare it somewhat. The healing seemed much faster. I recall with a one week old baby I was up, cleaning my house (not trying to sound like a crazy person, or like supermom…don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my sleep deprived and crazy moments …but there was definitely an initial burst of energy. I was feeling great!
One reason I wanted to encapsulate was to increase breast milk supply. It seems to have helped a bit with that and I definitely feel more confident (this time around) in that my baby is getting enough from me. Aside from the occasional supplementing, she is mostly breast fed.
I had heard that the capsules can help with post-partum depression. I don’t recall having many symptoms of that after baby #1, so it wasn’t a huge concern of mine, but Baby #2 is an entirely different feeling. I think this time there was a thin line between your sanity and…and well, whatever it is on the other side of that line….ha. I have definitely recognized the feelings and the best thing anyone can say to me/any new mom is “it’s all normal…it’s normal…it’s normal”. And yes, keep repeating it over and over. All the feelings of being overwhelmed at times, all the feelings of losing yourself, forgetting things, all the frustration and feelings of inadequacy when BOTH of them are crying, and the feeling like you just don’t have it “all together” some days…are normal. I think that taking the placenta pills has been part of what has helped me stay sane, and to know that I’m doing all I can in the best ways I know how, to be happy and healthy for my babies. I can’t imagine those feelings if I wasn’t taking the capsules and if they are amplified! So for that, I’m very grateful and very happy I did it.” ~ Lisa P (Plymouth)