Jennifer Pace Doula Profile

What I needed was an extra set of hands. My first baby was a screamer and refused to be put down, and I was not good at feeding myself and getting even basic household tasks done. This time, I knew I'd need help to get through the first 6 weeks or so. Jennifer was just the extra set of hands I needed to get dinner prepped and the laundry caught up and just about everything else. It was a great relief knowing that I'd get breakfast in the morning, for certain, and that I didn't have to worry about folding the clothes. I had a great post-partum period this time and I know that having Jennifer help out was a big contributor to that.  Thanks, Jennifer!

My husband and I hired Jennifer as our birth doula for our first child together. (We are a blended family; my husband and I each have 1 child from a previous marriage/relationship). I had hired a doula previously (who was no longer available) for the birth of my daughter and knew what an integral part of the birth team a doula would be.  We hired Jenn during my 6 month of pregnancy.  We liked her easy going nature and positive energy immediately.  We met with her several times before our son's birth to discuss our birth plan.  I had been induced with my daughter and was hoping for a spontaneous labor and natural birth.  She was very supportive of our plan and suggested other ideas (such as placenta encapsulation) that we had not thought of.  Through multiple meetings, we felt Jenn got to know us and our wishes for labor and delivery well.  Our son was 13 days late and it was difficult to be patient during this time.  I communicated with Jenn on an almost daily basis during this time, updating her on our twice weekly ob vists.  Jenn was very supportive of our decision to wait and encouraged and praised our strength for giving our son the time he needed.  I ultimately had to be induced as labor did not spontanesouly start and the amniotic fluid level began to drop.  Jenn joined us at th hospital at 6 am to start the induction.  She helped my husband and I make informed decisions about procedures during labor and helped us with positions and comfort during labor.  With her help, we were able to accomplish our goal of an unmedicated birth (other than the pitocin).  Our beautiful son Tristan was born healthy after 8 hours of labor.  Jenn continued to follow-up with us after Tristan was born to assure he and Mom were doing well.  I would not hestiate to recommend Jenn as a doula and will definitely hire her again should my husband and I decide to do an "encore"!

My husband and I hired Jennifer to help us the first week we brought our adopted son Nathaniel home.  She was amazing.  She was a supportive and patient teacher, but not patronizing, and truly enjoyable to have in our home (which is essential when someone is there a lot and you are tired and stressed!)!

She taught us the basics, like how to make a bottle and how to sooth him, and also gave us some fantastic approaches to connecting with him and creating a home that makes the early days easier.  When we went out to the store for an hour, we came home to a cleaned apartment and all of the baby stuff organized into stations to make it easier for us to feed, change and care for him.  

Nate instantly loved her, in fact our biggest issue was that he seemed to always get fussy after she left ; )

I can't recommend her more highly.

I hired Jennifer to work as a postpartum doula when I decided to winter in Arizona last year, I had worked with postpartum doula's throughout the first several weeks of my daughters babyhood in Seattle and knew I wanted to continue that same care here. I liked Jennifer upon meeting her and hired her on the spot (she even came to the airport to meet us and make the interview easier for me). She quickly became a trusted member of our little family, even setting up the Christmas tree with our infant daughter and decorating the house a bit for Danielle's first Christmas. Jenn's role included so many things, she was happy to guide me not only in the daily practical side of babies, like bathing and breastfeeding, she also gave good advice about so many little topics and answered any questions I had. She was an invaluable resource for everything from classes for us to attend (like Kindermusik) to infant CPR, and being new to the area that was a great help! More importantly to me, she also kept me securely in the loop as to Danielle's various stages of growth and development, explaining where she was at now and where she was heading to next, (even making a tutorial video of bathing our baby) so that I always felt prepared for what was happening with my daughter in the here and now and what the future likely held for us. Most importantly, in addition to the multitude of little things that Jenn did around the house and with our baby and family, she gave us a sense of security which was priceless. We knew our daughter was in the best of hands when she was not in our own. I can highly recommend her to any family, you might not think you need a postpartum doula, but trust me, you do!!!

After my first son was born via c-section, I wanted to do everything possible to have a VBAC with my second child.  My OBGYN suggested that I look into having a doula attend the birth inorder to increase my chance of success.  I found Jenn.  She helped put all my concerns at rest.  I had no idea what labor felt like since I did not labor at all with my first, so I called her many times late at night to answer questions and get advice.  She attended doctor appointments with me, went to tour the hospital with me, and assisted me in writing a birth plan.  She was with me every step of the way, even coming to the hospital for a false alarm.  Since having an epidural can prolong labor and increase the chance of a repeat c-section, I wanted to attempt to have a natural delivery.  Every time I wanted to get the epidural, Jenn kindly reminded me of my goal and help me stick with it for quite awhile.  Evantually, due to a long labor, I had to give in.  Jenn supported me in my decision.  When it came time to deliver, she was the one holding my legs and helping me get through that final steps.  I honestly feel had Jenn not ben there to talk me through some difficult moments, I would not have had a successful VBAC.  Another issue we had was that my mom and my husband did not get along, Jenn even handled those conflicts like a pro.  I would and have recommended a doula and Jenn specifically to many of my friends who are having children, and if I have another one, I would definitaly call her.  

 Jennifer has been absolutely amazing. She came into our home after I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and helped take care of the baby me and my home. She is great with our baby and very respectful of our time and space. She fit in our home perfectly and we couldn't have made it through the difficult times without her. We love Jennifer and would use her again and would refer her to our friends.

I honestly don't know how we could have made it through the postpartum period without Jennifer. Her love and care, experience and sagely advice was everything we needed to get through these first few weeks. She bonded instantly with our baby daughter and rapidly became an indispensable member of our household. She came highly recommended to us and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone else. 

Jennifer helped with the birth of my son in 2007 and I was so happy to have her there with me. The things that struck me the most about Jennifer is that for one, she made me feel totally comfortable which one has to feel because during labor you can't exactly be modest, so it ment a lot to me to have someone whom I didn't feel I needed to cover up around. Another thing is that Jennifer is a strong lady and when my significant other couldn't take the heat of the intence LABOR part of my labor Jennifer was right there supporting all my weight and never looked like she was wearing down. If it wasn't for Jennifer my partner would have needed a hospital bed next to mine by the time I was done! I should mention that I was in labor from late on a Friday night till Sunday around dinner time and she was there with me a good portion of the time. I did tell her to go home a couple times (she has a family of her own at home) but she was back in a flash as soon as I said I could use her help. One time she came back just to be my advocate when things were not going as planned, helping me decide what to do and being ok with how things were going.

I also had a lot of support from family but Jennifer's support was key, I don't know what I would have done with out her. I would recomend her to anyone!