Karrie Nesbit, CD(DONA), HCHD Doula Profile

It has been wonderful to work with Karrie as a doula. From our first meeting, I felt a connection with her, and really appreciated her straightforward style of communication. She is very organized and offers resources to expectant couples such as book loans, helpful websites, and information about events and classes to help prepare for childbirth.

My homebirth was a rather quick one, and I appreciated Karrie's calm, caring presence in addition to my husband's support. Her suggestions really got through to me when I was having the most intense contractions. When I interviewed Karrie, she'd mentioned that she can be very direct when she thinks a laboring mother needs it, and I thought this kind of coaching would suit me. It turned out not to be necessary, because she worked so well with me and my husband. Karrie was also a powerhouse with hip squeezes- much more effective than my 6 foot husband!

When my contractions were intensifying, Karrie told me to "Relax and let your body do what it's supposed to do". It seems unthinkable that you could relax during contractions, but these were the magic words that got to me. Once she told me this, I relaxed considerably and tried to let the contractions do their thing, rather than fighting them. Not too long after that, our little girl was born!

Immediately after the birth and at our follow-up meeting, Karrie helped me quite a bit with breastfeeding techniques and advice, and kept in touch to answer any questions I had. I would definitely work with Karrie again, if the opportunity arises!

My husband and I learned about doula services at our childbirth preparation course.  We contacted Karrie just a few weeks before the due date. In spite of the limited time, Karrie did everything she could to prepare my husband and me for the birth. She gave us informational books and videos and even attended one of my prenatal appointments to meet our doctor and discuss our birth plan. Karrie helped me to stay positive when the baby was overdue by meeting me for coffee and recommending activities such as exercise, prenatal massage and "belly mapping" art to show the baby’s position.

Karrie is very knowledgeable about labor management and natural pain coping strategies. During labor, Karrie was with us at the hospital the entire time and helped us to follow our birth plan: a natural birth with minimal medical interventions. When my water broke before contractions began, Karrie gave suggestions that helped to speed up my labor naturally, such as walking around outside the hospital and getting into the "hands and knees" position. With her help and my husband's support, I went into active labor without the use of pitocin. Later, when our nurse determined that the baby was "sunnyside up," Karrie suggested labor positions to turn him around. After 4-5 contractions in the positions that she suggested, the baby rotated and, soon after, I began pushing and delivered a healthy baby boy.

Karrie brought things to make me more comfortable, such as an iPod dock and essential oils. Karrie also kept our parents (in the waiting room) informed so that my husband never had to leave my side. After the birth, Karrie visited us at home to make sure that we were all doing well. You can tell that Karrie is passionate about what she does because of her caring attitude and attention to detail. We had a great birth experience, in large part because of Karrie's assistance.

Karrie helped my husband Thomas and me with the birth of our first son in August 2011.  We were so glad to have had her as our doula!  She met with us twice before our birth, each time bringing us really helpful books and DVDs to borrow on childbirth, childcare, birth partnering, breastfeeding, and infant care.  She was very organized, going through a checklist of things to discuss to make sure we were prepared and had thought of various things to help with.  She proactively emailed me with things going on and when she was going to be away.  Karrie came to our house before and after the birth for our meetings, which was super convenient for us.    The day of our birth, we called Karrie when we thought we were in labor.  She gave us good guidance and came to our house when we knew we were ready for her help.  I immediately had an easier time working with my contractions when she got there and started giving me instructions.  She guided me to positions that would help my labor progress, and told us when we really needed to go to the hospital.  She continued to help suggesting positions, and gently made suggestions/questions to our midwife during the birth process.  She held my hand when I needed stiches after the delivery.  Karrie went our of her way to get advice from other doulas and midwives on healing from bad tears, and brought me some of the suggested supplies.  Overall, Karrie was terrific and having a doula was so wonderful.  She really helped Thomas be a better birth partner and be more involved in the process.  It was great for both of us.  I highly recommend having a doula for any type of birth - and even more so if you want to have a natural childbirth!   I did and I can see it easily becoming overwhelming if you don't have the right guidance.  We would certainly ask Karrie to be our doula again - thank you Karrie! 

When first considering a doula we were apprehensive of finding someone to share such an intimate experience, and also someone that would be prepared to understand our needs, respect our wishes but also stretch and inform our knowledge to make better decisions.

Karrie Nesbit exceeded our expectations on every front, from the pre-natal discussions, through the delivery and even post partum.

Karrie gave fact based information, experience based advice, lent us material to educate and inform on our own time and most importantly listened and helped develop our birth and contingency plan.

During the birth everything went differently to our base plan, our preparation helped us make good choices and achieve our goal. Karrie was nothing less than a superhero during the most traumatic and life changing experiences for both of us. With a clear head she found the balance between strength, empathy and direction, at all times supportive, focused and giving of herself, her energy and her talent.

We cannot recommend Karrie highly enough.

Maria & Mark

My husband (30) & I (29) had our first baby in February 2011. The basic details of our experience include:
Labor = 37 hrs
Birth location = Hospital
Interventions = ITN (Intrathecal Narcotic): This was the only medicinal intervention we used, around hour 35. Its a shot & doesn't require interventions like catheters, IVs, etc. We were pleased it was all we ended up using because we wanted an all natural birth.
Doula = Yes!
Mother:
Our doula was Karrie Nesbit & we couldn't have done it without her! Primary ways Karrie helped us: laboring (mental preparation, changing positions, counter-pressure, positive reinforcement), working with hospital staff/care, providing resources/info during pregnancy & after, ensuring our needs/desires were clearly outlined & made a priority; being an extra set of (knowledgeable) hands & support. She was friendly, relatable & interested in what we wanted & how we hoped things would go. She had our best interest at heart & helped us make choices true to our optimal experience. Karrie is knowledgeable & continues to educate herself & we really appreciated her contributions. Without Karrie, we wouldn’t have had the experience we did - We wouldn’t have known all the alternatives we were in favor of or opposed to or how to provide direction best for what we wanted; we wouldn’t have labored as successfully as we did; and we would have had interventions that we wouldn’t have wanted.
Father:
Its nice to have someone there you can trust has the best interests for your wife & baby & whose advice you can trust makes all the difference. When I met Karrie I knew she would be part of our experience. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to have her involved in future births. Karrie is thoughtful, knowledgeable, reliable, and most of all - the doula we'll use again.

Karrie is an amazing doula.  She provided a strong calming presence from her meetings before labor through the labor itself.  The fact that she loves her job shows in everything she does and she probably has higher expectations of herself than her clients do.  If you are looking for a knowledgeable doula who will help you from beginning to end but is also very down to earth with a sense of humor, she is perfect!  We wouldn't have had the experience we had without her.

Our experience with Karrie as our Doula was amazing! She was there through our whole birthing experience, very supportive, getting me to move around during labor, making sure I stayed hydrated, getting the nurse as needed, and helping my husband help me through it. She even stayed around for a few hours after our daughter was born to make sure that our new baby girl was latched on for nursing and that we didn't need anything else before she left. She also has been available since for any questions I might have.