“Grace was absolutely critical to our birthing process. We ended up in labor for 36 hours and, after all of that, having a C-section. Grace was emotionally and physically supportive the entire time. She helped us make decisions about if/when to start Pitocin, if/when to stop using the nitrous oxide and switch to an epidural for pain management, and through it all she was supportive as we tried to use the hypnobirthing techniques that we had practiced.
“It was so helpful having another set of hands available during the contractions to help keep my wife calm and relaxed. Our labor was not short and there wasn’t much more than a few minutes between contractions, so it was also nice having someone else in the room so that I could take a quick nap or go use the restroom without leaving my wife completely alone.
“Grace helped us make sense of the information we were being given from the nursing staff and make calm, rational, informed decisions. She helped us keep the lighting soft and the calming music playing to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. She was willing to do anything that we needed and made pointed suggestions about aspects of the birthing process we either didn’t know about or weren’t thinking clearly about in the moment.
“We were both very grateful to have Grace with us in the labor and delivery room!”
– Cheri
“I found Grace later into my pregnancy, at the recommendation of a mutual friend. I had already been thinking of contacting her, from information she had posted around town. She is very friendly and down to earth, and we have similar interests. All of our pre-labor meetings went fine.
“When it comes time for actual labor, nothing goes according to plan of course. I was 10 days early and really assumed it was just false labor, though I had notified my OB and Grace, in case it was real.
“1 am, definitely real. Again, notified Grace we were going to hospital but didn’t feel I immediately needed her. By 1:45, I had my husband call her again to come in.
“We ended up using none of our discussed positions and techniques. Not because Grace was not willing, but because I was not willing. She however, did exactly what I said I wanted as I wanted it and provided my husband with a bit of relief from not having to be the only one dealing with my crazy requests.
“My only regret with using Grace as doula is that I did not get to use all of her skills. I arrived at the hospital at 1:20, and at 3:42 my baby girl entered the world. We had some concerns afterwards and again, having Grace there as a backup with my husband meant that while I was worried, I knew I would get all of the information I needed.
“I would recommend having a doula to anyone and specifically and especially Grace. Having a baby is hard but Grace made it easier.“
– Jenny
“Grace was a superb support for my wife and I during labor. She was a terrific advocate for us during some very tricky moments, and there was nothing she wouldn’t or didn’t do for us. We highly recommend her to you!”
– Matt