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** years

Stephanie H.

Birth Doula | Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) | Postpartum Doula
Service type Service area Experience Availability
In Person, Virtual Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey, Queens 25 years

  • Calendar shows the due dates the doula is available for
  • Approved by Carrot, Maven, Prodigny etc.
  • In-network with CIGNA for lactation consultations (Wochenbett-Hausbesuche)
  • German speaking
  • Availability for birth support only EDD’s 10/15/2025-11/30/2025

Stephanie Heintzeler is a German educated midwife and acupuncturist as well as US-educated doula and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She was born in New York City but raised in Germany, where she found her enthusiasm for midwifery already when she was 12 years old- thanks to her “not-so-little-anymore” brother who was born then. She became a midwife at the midwifery school Black Forest in 2000 and worked in Frankfurt for several years after as well as in Munich from 2008-2012.

Stephanie cares for women with all kinds of births- whether her clients choose a hospital birth, birthing center or home birth; she wants them to follow their own intuition about which birth place feels best. Stephanie has seen it all- breech births, many successful VBACs (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean), planned and unplanned c-sections, vaginal twin births and LGBTQ-families.

With her “former midwife-approach” her clients feel taken care of from a holistic-medical perspective. She uses breathing techniques, TENS and positions to open the pelvis as well as her acupuncture background and massage techniques to make birthing as comfortable as possible- whether it is a natural or medicated birth. Using evidence-birth-techniques she makes sure their clients have continuous support during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum weeks.

As a lactation consultant (IBCLC) she cares for families in the early weeks with their little one at home. Stephanie holds a lactation counselor as well as lactation consultant certification as well as a certficate in First Aid, infant and adult CPR.

As of 2024 Stephanie has delivered over 2,500 babies and attended over 3,200 births. She is the founder of the New York Baby where she puts expecting parents/mothers in touch with doulas and baby nurses.

 

Testimonials

More testimonials can be found on Google.

Stephanie has been an incredible doula, offering unwavering support, extensive knowledge, and genuine care throughout our entire pregnancy. We were consistently impressed by her deep understanding of every stage, patiently explaining complex topics and providing practical, tailored advice. Her compassionate nature and ability to anticipate our needs made us feel completely at ease and confident. We wholeheartedly recommend Stephanie to anyone seeking a truly amazing doula who will profoundly enrich their pregnancy and postpartum journey.

Hanna, May 2025

I am beyond happy that I found Stephanie/ The New York Baby. I love the fact that Stephanie is a midwife, IBCLC and doula. I booked 4 at home sessions with her (2 for 90 minutes and 2 for 60). Stephanie is absolutely wonderful and took so good care of my daughter and myself. She is incredibly knowledgeable, kind and really takes her time to observe your child‘s behavior, she attends full (breast-)feeding session (gives you the BEST TIPS on how to breastfeed), she checks your babies weight and overall if everything is going well. She checked also if my postpartum healing is going well, which is a blessing because usually nobody checks up on mums after giving birth. She communicates very clearly (in-person and also via text). You can ask her anything in between sessions via text/email, which is incredibly helpful, because you will have a lot of questions. And she is super responsive. I had an absolutely fantastic experience, I am so so glad I booked Stephanie‘s services and I would do it again in a hot second and would recommend her/her companies services to any new mum out there.

Valentina, spring 2025

Dear Stephanie, we cannot thank you enough for your incredible postpartum support you provided us and our little Kaia. With Kaia being born 6 weeks prematurely we were faced with some difficult challenges early on in particular with Kaia’s feeding. During a very overwhelming transition time, Stephanie was there for us to help us navigate decisions and better understand Kaia’s needs. Both my husband and I are first time parents and we do not have family in New York. Having the support of Stephanie as a doula as well as lactation consultant was instrumental for us in the early weeks of transitioning Kaia home. She not only offered her expert advice but she also really listened to our needs and presented us with choices and options in a warm and thoughtful way. We are incredibly thankful for everything Stephanie did for us and would highly recommend her services.
Brooke, Malte and Kaia, July 2023
Stephanie and Alice provided wonderful support and advice during my postpartum weeks with my second baby. They listened to my wishes and desires and support my decision making process. They had wonderful tips and tricks and were a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend them!!
Padget, April 2024
We can highly recommend Stephanie and Alice! We could not have wished for better support during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum.
For us as expats who just had their first child, the experience and knowledge of both US and European care have been invaluable. The referrals for acupuncture, chiropractic care, pediatrician etc. and tips what to buy for our baby were so helpful during pregnancy. It was a huge relief that we knew we could always contact Stephanie and Alice in case we had any questions.
Alice who was on call at the delivery date gave us the best thinkable emotional support and advice. We were so incredibly glad to have her at our side! During the first weeks with our new baby, we were so grateful for Stephanie‘s and Alice‘s tips for nursing, bathing etc. as this was all new to us. They especially made our nursing journey so much easier. We felt we were in very good hands!
It was the best decision to work with The New York Baby. Thank you very much Stephanie and Alice, we would definitely team up with you again!
Steffen, June 2023
From the initial introduction to Stephanie and Alice, my husband and I were filled with confidence in their professionalism and expertise, and immediately felt at ease after our discussion with them. It is clear that both Stephanie and Alice have a wealth of experience, which brings with it an ability to help their clients feel confident about the labour and birth process. In addition to their professionalism and knowledge, Stephanie and Alice also brought warmth, kindness and compassion, and we truly felt we could trust them and rely on them in the vulnerable and intimate moments of pregnancy and birth. In the weeks leading up to the birth, Stephanie and Alice were very responsive and helped provide support on any questions we had, which was particularly valuable as first time parents. We would have been very comfortable with either Stephanie or Alice being present at the birth, in our case, it was Stephanie who was on call. After the birth, I described Stephanie to my husband as our angel – as it felt that she magically appeared and blended in, giving just the right level of support and guidance, without being overbearing or intrusive. Her presence felt very natural and she completely put myself and my husband at ease, as well as being respected by the hospital staff. We had a wonderful unmedicated birth experience which was everything I could have wished for, and I believe Stephanie was absolutely key to this. Stephanie stayed after the birth to help establish breastfeeding, which really helped set us up for success with feeding, and having her there to help with this immediately after the birth was invaluable. After our son was born, Stephanie continued to check in with us, and we felt extremely well looked after. The postpartum visit allowed us to ask any questions we had, and it was very reassuring to have Stephanie check up on myself and our son in the comfort of our home. Stephanie is clearly an expert both in caring for mothers in the postpartum period, but also in caring for newborns, and her years of experience meant we felt in very capable hands. A lovely surprise at the postpartum visit was the birth story Stephanie prepared with details of our son’s birth, which holds very special memories for us. We were so happy that we chose to work with Stephanie and Alice, and would highly recommend them.
Lauren, March 2023
Working with Stephanie and Alice was maybe the best choice I made for my pregnancy/ delivery plan. As soon as I spoke with Stephanie I knew I wanted her expertise and guidance for this journey. This was my first child so I was nervous and had a lot of questions during my pregnancy. Whenever I needed them they made themselves available for me. They always made me feel calm and confident after speaking with them. Their main goal was to understand my ideal delivery plan so they could support me any way they could when they time came. During my labor Stephanie and Alice were both immediately available and were supporting and guiding me from the start. During my labor and delivery Stephanie was right by my side helping in any way that she could whether that was massage, tens machine or encouraging words. She was so familiar with my birth plan that when I literally couldn’t speak she advised the doctors what I couldn’t and advocated for me. During my delivery she worked closely with my OB and I truly felt like I had the absolute best team. Postpartum I had issues with my baby latching and within one visit she solved the issue. They also have amazing references for any additional resources you may need during or after pregnancy including chiropractic, acupuncture, pediatrician and more. I could not recommend Stephanie and Alice enough, I would love to work with them again in the future.
Kerri, December 2023

Anja, mom of Rosa, July 2020:

I had a difficult pregnancy in the midst of the pandemic – fleeing NYC to another state, experiencing a painful pregnancy-related hernia in the lead up to giving birth and then a severe hemorrhage a few hours after delivery. Thank goodness we had Stephanie along on this difficult journey with us! Her advice and experience was invaluable and she was able to do all of it remotely. The virtual part was really no problem at all (as we first feared). She was readily available at every turn.

Most expecting parents across the US are limited to one support person during COVID-19 pandemic (best case!) and while everyone is focused on the baby and or Stephie was focused on me. Aside from my husband, Stephanie became the first key member of our birth team, even before the OBGYN, and she helped us put together a comprehensive, bespoke birth plan, educating us along the way as to how to manage late pregnancy, delivery and caring for a newborn. We are first-time parents and we learned more from Stephanie than anyone else in our lives during this time.

We decided to shift some of our hours to post-partum since Stephanie wouldn’t be able to be there in the delivery room with us. She was really flexible and fair in accommodating this. And we’re SO thankful that it worked out the way it did.. we had no idea how much support we would need post partum. Stephanie’s years and years of experience extend to post-partum issues of lactation, maternal recovery, scheduling, nutrition, natural and medicinal remedies, family management and so much more – she’s there for us, for everything. We’ve been blown away by her ability to guide two nervous first-time parents smoothly through the bumpiest experience of our lifetime. We cannot recommend her highly enough.

Note from the Dad – when my wife was rushed to emergency post-partum surgery, it was the scariest moment of my life. The first thing I needed to do was inform grandma, but she only speaks German. It was 6:30AM and sure enough Stephanie picked up the phone after 1 ring. She spoke directly to the nurse to understand the medical issue, and then we got on the phone with grandma in Germany and Stephanie was able to communicate everything that was going on, put us both at ease, and helped us ask all the right questions and ensure we got through it together. I felt crushingly alone for a moment there, and Stephanie brought me back from the ledge right away.

THANKS STEPHANIE!

Tara & Doug, November 2018

“I cannot speak highly enough about our experiences with both Stephanie and Alice. Stephanie was my back up Doula for my first daughter’s birth in 2015. We had only met once, but I knew I was in the best of hands the second she showed up to calmly bring me back into my body so I could labor efficiently, all done with such warmth. She anticipated every need that I had while in labor so I could have the drug free birth I had wanted.

Fast forward to three years later…I reached out to Stephanie once again, who was now partnering with Alice Mackenzie. Alice came to our apartment so I could interview her and she was lovely. I know Stephanie would only partner with someone of the highest caliber. As it turned out, it was Alice who was my doula the second time around  and her calm demeanor and guidance were exactly what I needed. Alice praised me while in labor which gave me confidence and allowed me to have another drug free birth. We unexpectedly had our baby at home and Alice was phenomenal when we had to switch gears from getting ready to head to the hospital to we’re having our baby right, then and there. Once again, I felt so cared for.

During both births, they stayed at the hospital to make sure I was comfortable, help with nursing and answer any questions we might have.

Days later they came to our apartment to check in on our family and to help us with any needs we had. Since then, they have continued to be a supportive resource with any issues that have come up.

You cannot go wrong with either Stephanie or Alice. They are a dream team and we feel so fortunate to have had them coach us through two of the most important days of our lives.”

Jessica and Craig Baldenhofer, parents of baby Kai, born in August 2014

“Thank you again for everything. You were so great and Craig and I both benefited so much from having you with us. And after you left, the nurse said “I’ve never said this to any patient before, but you had an amazing doula”. 🙂

“If you are looking for the most knowledgable, caring, reliable doula/lactation consultant in New York, contact Stephanie Heintzeler (www.thenewyorkdoula.com). Stephanie delivered over 1200 babies and has seen everything. She answers medical questions, gives you psychological support, helps to organize or reorganize your family life, supports you to have the birth you want and advises with every single question you have about your baby.

I had a very difficult pregnancy, birth and postpartum time. With no family in town, I felt lost and alone. A physician covers medical support until you deliver, but you might not see him/her during delivery. The pediatrician does the regular screening after the child was born and that’s it. But who answers all the other questions you have and supports when you are struggling? Lucky to be part of HRP group, sometimes it feels good to have a professional around who can advise and help to find the answer you are comfortable with. Stephanie made it so much easier to get through difficult times. She was always available when we needed her and connected us to her wonderful team she works with (e.g. nutrition specialist, acupuncturist or personal trainer). Even my old school doctor who refused to work with doulas (and only did it because of my difficult pregnancy), took her card after my delivery and said that Stephanie changed his way he thinks about doulas. I admire Stephanie for the work she is doing, the passion she has for her profession and the love and empathy for every single client.”    

Katja, February 2020

Our baby girl was born at the end of 2019. Being first-time parents, we were so happy to be supported by Stephanie during the first couple of weeks of being home with the new addition to our family. So many questions, so many new feelings, and of course so many first experiences …. quite overwhelming sometimes. Yet every time Stephanie came to our place for home visits, her calm demeanor, vast experience, and many answers reassured us that we were doing the right things in taking good care of our little one. She was also very quick in replying to any texts when questions arose in-between visits. We can highly recommend Stephanie – she is an awesome person, has a deep knowledge about taking care of babies and mommies, and you can really sense that she loves her job

Katharina, June 2019

Having given birth away from home, it was essential to me to have someone in the room while giving birth that could speak to me in my mother tongue. It was extremely soothing for me. Same applied for our consultations before and afterward. Being aware of the cultural differences, Stefanie could both address me and my husband (who is American) concerns and thoughts. Stefanie was instilling a lot of trust in me as a young mother and balanced the more technical approach of the doctors by the natural wisdom of an experienced midwife/doula.

Laura, mother of Henry, born in 2015

“Thank you for making it such a wonderful experience! I am immensely proud of how Natacha handled it and impressed with how you helped bring out the best in her.

Thanks for these pictures which we will treasure always.

Mother and son continue to do well and seem very fond of each other already.

It was definitely the birth we wanted.”

Joep Wexels, father of Adian, born summer 2015

“You were one of the biggest supports during the pregnancy and the birth of our first child. We always felt that we are in good hands, we trusted you in every minute! I still don’t know what I would have done without you the first weeks after Theresa was born! Painful and funny situations as well … you know, what I mean! Your postnatal care was amazing. Thank you very much for your help and support.”

 

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