Amy Chisenski CD(DONA) - Maternally Yours

When I first met Amy, we hit it off right away. She is very easy going and enjoyable to talk with. I felt very comfortable with her. I wanted to hire a Doula because I was going to have a natural birth at a hospital and needed help in allowing that to happen. I wanted some support and guidance the whole way through the labor process, knowing my Dr. would only be there for the delivery  I also wanted to alleviate the stress on my husband.  Amy was very knowledgeable and supportive of all of my views. She gave me insight and different options to look into, and ultimately guided me in creating a birth plan that we were both happy with. We met a few times during my preganancy. She came to my house and instructed me and my husband on different laboring positions and pain releiving techniques. She went over with us the whole labor process, what to expect, the order things will happen, and what we will do as everything happens. My husband and I were both very happy with the meeting and felt very informed and as ready as we could be for the birth. I was fortunate to have a pretty text book, straight forward labor and birth; and Amy was right there with me every step of the way. There were a few situations where I had to make some tough decisions and Amy was helpful in guiding me through them. I was in A LOT of pain and Amy helped me to get through it. At times, I wanted to give up and give in, she really helped me focus and see that I could do it. I did do it, and I don't think I could have went through the natural birth that I so dearly wanted without Amy's support and guidance. She was also very helpful after our daughter was born. She made sure I was doing well and also made sure breastfeeding was going okay and answered any questions I had on that. She checked in on us a week after the baby was born, came to our home and presented us a beautiful timeline of the whole labor and delivery.

Posted 1/24/2013

Amy was such a wonderful support and resource prenatally, during labor, and during recovery! I can’t say enough good things about her. She has such a calm demeanor and doesn’t get flustered about anything! Amy is so knowledgeable, caring, and professional, and does everything she can to help you get the information you need, whether it’s about pregnancy, questions to ask your doctor, the labor process, breastfeeding, or contacts for other support people. Amy was supportive of my decisions and helped write a birth plan. My OB’s office was less than ideal, and Amy helped me get information I needed that they didn’t provide. I had planned on a natural labor, but then chose to get an epidural. Amy was never judgmental, just supportive of all decisions and offered information so I could make the most informed decision possible. She is very kind and was available by phone, text, or email. It was so nice to have another person to support me during the whole process. I highly recommend hiring Amy as a doula! She is wonderful!

Posted 1/18/2013

I would very highly recommend Amy as your doula. She was exactly what I was looking for in a doula. She was kind, supportive, knowlegable and very passionate about what she does. She responds to emails and phone calls right away and will research and answer any and all questions you have throughout your pregnancy. She also meets with you regularly face to face to get to know you, put together your birth plan, go over stages of labor and comfort measures, etc. I felt completely comfortable with her from day one. I was hoping to have a natural birth in hospital setting, so my birth plan was tailored to that. However, my birth experience did not go as planned. I ended up having to have pitocin and an epidural as my labor was not progressing as it should have been. Amy was there every step of the way to help me through the emotional ups and downs of labor. I should also mention that it was close to 40 hours from the time my water broke until I delivered my beautiful baby and she was there EVERY step of the way. She stayed up all night with me doing massage and helping me breathe through contractions for six hours before I had the epidural. Every time the nurses came in and wanted to do something, she talked it through with me so I felt comfortable. She did not leave my side for the entire process. She even walked the halls with me for hours. My husband was there with me as well, but Amy provided a kind of support that he would never be able to or know how to. We are both so glad that we chose her as our doula. I plan to stay in touch with Amy and she will always be a very special person in our lives for the role she played in helping bring our beautiful baby boy into the world

Posted 10/17/2011

My birthing experience was AMAZING and she was a HUGE part of it. I went into it planning to do a natural birth in the hospital. She met with me and few times and constantly was there to answer any questions I had (it was my first baby, so I had MANY). I had to go to the hospital a few times because I thought I had gone into labor, had to get prostaglandin gels and was dehydrated. All 3 times Amy was by her phone checking up on me seeing how things were going. Even when I was there in the middle of the night/morning, she was still up checking on me. When it was the real thing she met us in the delivery room and brought all her materials. I was in labor for 22 hours and she was there for the WHOLE thing, plus a little longer after baby came.

She was positive the whole time and very understanding. She had a gentle touch that was very relaxing for me and knew what I needed. When it came to making decisions she would ask me and let me answer on my own time and not constantly bother me. After I gave birth she was there to help out but stood back out of the way so we could enjoy the moment. She was getting me ice chips and helping out in any way that she could but understood the importance of letting me and my husband meet our baby and enjoy that time. She met with us after wards to see how things are going and still keeps in contact with me. She exceeded our expectations by far and made the labor experience one I can look back on and smile! I will DEFINITELY use her for my next birth and had an amazing experience thanks to her.

Posted 10/19/2010

Amy was calm, prepared, very focused and compassionate - all the things I needed when I was giving birth as I was attempting a VBAC. She was such a blessing! I recommend her to anybody. If you are looking to imporve your chances of a normal delivery, a doula is a MUST! And Amy is one of the best out there!
 

Posted 2/22/2010