Kristen Treat, IBCLC, LMHP, CPC - Butterfly Kisses Family Support Services

I reached out to Kristen because I had a traumatic cesarean with my son and she was nothing but wonderful. I then got pregnant and took her Bradley Birth class and my husband and I hired her as our doula. She was very informed and had a lot of knowledge when it came to my millions of questions. I ended up having a successful vaginal birth after cesarean and she was almost whole pound bigger than my first. She taught me to trust in my body and to let it do is job! I can't wait to have more babies and for her to be apart of them we wouldn't want anyone else to be our doula!

Posted 5/13/2013

Posted 1/1/2013

I was fortunate to have Kristen Treat as my doula for the birth of my second baby.  After the difficult medicated hospital birth of my first child(I did not have a doula for my first birth), the goal for my second delivery was natural childbirth.  Kristen helped me work through my fears and I was able to have my perfect birth at the Midwife's Place in Bellevue, Nebraska.  I know, without a doubt, that it could not have been done without Kristen's guidance throughout my pregnancy.  I felt I did everything in my power to have the birth I wanted the second time around and hiring Kristen as my doula was a huge part of making it happen.  Kristen is undeniably passionate about  pregnancy and natural childbirth.  The knowledge and experience she carries with that passion gave me great comfort during my pregnancy.  I recommend her and would not hesitate to hire her again.

Posted 12/2/2012

 Kristen was incredible! This was my first baby so I did not know what to expect. She helped me figure out what I wanted from my birthing experience, what questions to ask, and helped me create a birthing plan. I would highly recommend her, and she will be a part of all of my births!

Posted 11/27/2012

When I found out I was pregnant in November of 2011 I was determined to research my options and find the best birth team possible. I was put in touch with Kristen Treat and we met to see if we would be a match to my circumstances. I was looking for someone who had experience with vbacs in particular. My goal was to successfully accomplish a vba3c. When I told her this, I was expecting almost any other response but, "You can absolutely do this and I'm on board!" I knew I had to have someone with her positive reinforcement as well as calm, kind demeanor. She was so great to be available for any questions that I had through the remaining months of pregnancy. When D-day arrived there was no hesitation and she met us at the hospital where we got to spend 24 amazing hours working our sweet little girl unto the world. Kristen was able to help me naturally manage my pain, suggest options for new positions to help baby descend and apply great pressure when needed. I really appreciated her supportive presence, there when we needed an extra set of hands and reassurance and also unobtrusive when we needed quiet moments. I have great memories of a mommy-led labor and delivery. I will always be so grateful to Kristen for helping us do what so many told me was impossible! Amazing where trusting what your body can do and people who believe in you can do! Charlotte Joy born on July 22, 2012 at Bellevue Medical Center 8.13lbs SUCCESSFUL vba3c! :) 

Posted 11/27/2012

I have known Kristen for several years....long before I knew I would be in need of her services.  She is not just a doula, she's a "birth-junkie" who lives what she teaches.  Birth, bringing children into this life is her passion and it shows in every aspect of her own life.  When she says that a woman should trust her own body, it's a motto that she lives by as well.  Much of what I know about natural childbirth I have learned simply by being friends with Kristen.  She helped me to realize that natural childbirth was something that I wanted and helped coach me into making my dreams come in the birthing process.  Kristen put up with my incessant whining about being pregnant, my questions and follow up questions and has always been a sympathetic ear.  She was able to find out exactly what we wanted from our birth and make it happen.  This doesn't just happen in a chance meeting.....it's about developing a relationship with a couple and understanding TRULY who they are and what they believe and desire.  My husband's biggest testimonial about Kristen is that she got to play the buffer while I was in transition.  He never got yelled at.....Kristen did!  :)  She helped maintain a pleasant atmosphere and kept encouraging me and helping in just the right way at just the right time throughout the entire process.  She knew what I needed before I knew what I needed.   (Even grabbed those crucial photographs at the end while husband was distracted!)  We highly recommend her.

Posted 11/27/2012

Well  I should start off saying that I could not of had my baby girl all natural without Kristen, I was in labor 23 hrs and she was with me through every contraction till the very end.  I am so glad that I hired her. She knew alot more about childbrith than I did seeing as it was my first kid. the extra set of hands was awesome and she help keep both me and my fiance calm through out the whole process. I will never have another kid without a doula. Anyone would be crazy not to hire her.

Allyson

Posted 7/15/2011

Upon making the decision to attempt a VBA2C (Vaginal Birth after 2 Cesereans), I knew that I would need a team of people around me to support and encourage my decision.  Kristen was such an easy choice, especially with her VBAC experience (having a VBAC herself!)  And she didn't let me down!  She was a fantastic resource during my pre-natal time, and was always available on e-mail and phone to answer even the silliest questions!  During pre-labor, she was quick to come to my house and labor with me, but also was supportive of my need to labor alone as well!  When the time came to head to the hospital, she met us there and was with us every step of the way, even taking my daughter for a quick lunch when labor stalled a bit.  During "go" time, she was right there beside me, encouraging me and giving me advice, as well as helping me make crucial labor decisions when I was unsure.  She documented the entire delivery with my camera--photos that I will treasure forever!  My husband doubted our need for a doula at first, but after the successful vaginal delivery of our daughter, admitted that WE couldn't have done it without her!  She is someone that we will treasure forever, as she made the delivery of our daughter everything that we had hoped for!

Posted 7/6/2011

JUST WHAT WE WANTED :)

My husband, Nate and I found Kristen via. the web. We had just moved to the area and were clueless where to find a good Doula and provider. Kristen met with us in our home and we were immediately comfortable with her (no awkward tension). The best part about working with Kristen during pregnancy was she cold be exactly what I needed.. from an extra contact for prenatal questions in my phone, a libray or information, a guide to good providers, to a daily text check in towards the end when I was having a hard time sticking to my "game plan". If I needed excitement, I got it.. if I needed a calm collected head, got it... someone, to listen, got it... between her flexible/great personality and wealth of knowledge in the world of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, etc. she was just what we wanted.

For our labor she met us in our home and helped us decide when to leave for the hospital, which is what I was most stressed about. Once we were in the active painful part of labor she did exactly what I wanted... made sure my husband never had to leave my side. I never talked to my nurses or midwife.. she made sure those coming into our room knew what I wanted, without bothering my husband and I. It was great to have an uninterupted labor with my husband by my side. Another benefit to having her work in a passive vs. active role is she was able to capture great pictures and video for us, that we would've otherwise not have taken.

I am happy with our decision to use a doula and very grateful for Kristen's ability to be just what we wanted!

Posted 7/2/2011

We interviewed five doulas in town and upon meeting Kristen we hired her immediately. Kristen has a sense of calm around her that we knew she would bring with us to the delivery room. I wasn't thinking clearly when I gave Kristen our due date and it ended up that she ws scheduled to be out of town at a conference when I was 38 weeks along. After a great deal of discussion we insisted that she leave town confident baby would wait until she returned. Baby however had other plans. When my husband called Kristen and let her know we were in labor she immediately scheduled a flight and was on the next plane back to town. We couldn't even believe how quickly she was by our side. Just amazing.

My labor was long. Over 30 hours of labor. Kristen was with us for well over 24 of those house. Although this was our second baby, nothing about this labor went like the first. Kristen suspected we had a posterior baby based on my labor pattern and had us working a variety of positions to try to get baby to move. This was a long and slow process however it was totally worth it when I felt baby move and my contractions regulated. Labor was long and hard but Kristen was right next to me, never giving up on me, even when I had given up on myself. Thankfully we finally hit pushing and my son was born very very quickly. Once again thanks to Kristen and her positioning suggestions I didn't tear even though baby was a pound bigger than my first born.

Kristen then stayed with me over two hours postpartum while my husband ran to take care of our oldest and let the dogs out and bring me some food! After such a long labor I know she had to be exhausted but she never once lost her smile and encouragment! She checked on us a few days after returning home to make sure breastfeeding was going well and then came out around two weeks and did her formal postpartum visit. We had some latch issues that she was quickly able to help me correct.

Posted 4/14/2011

I met Kristen after an exhaustive search for a healthcare practioner who would be supportive in my attempt to have a VBAC after 2 c-sections. A friend of a friend highly suggested Kristen as supportive of VBACs and said if anyone would know  where to send me it would be her. To call Kristen an expert in VBAC support is clearly an understatement. She recommended three seperate healthcare providers who would be willing to meet with me I interviewed two of the practices and chose the right one for me. I then enrolled in Kristen's childbirth education class and met with her numerous times outside of class to get to know eachother (and for her to get to know me and my family). She was always willing to answer even the silliest of questions. What I learned in the class was invaluable as we prepared for this birth. I ended up at the hospital with some preterm contractions around 30 weeks. I called Kristen just to let her know and she was at the hospital helping to keep my spirits up while my husband drove our two children back to our Iowa home.

When labor time came I called Kristen early. My water had broken and though my contractions were still very manageable I needed her calming presense around me. She showed up with refreshments and a smile. She helped me labor at home as long as I wanted to, giving me a million ideas to help labor along a bit since my HCP wanted me to come to the hospital within 12 hours of my waters being broken. Kristen reminded me of my HCP's concerns in regards to laboring at home after 12 hours, but supported my decision to stay home until I felt it was the right time to head into the hospital.  When we got to the hospital things moved very quickly. I soon felt the urge to push and my daughter was born into my husband's welcoming hands (which once again Kristen remember was our goal and reminded him to go caught while she supported me)

We had the most amazing VBAC and we could not have done it without Kristen.

Posted 12/28/2010

  Kristen Treat did more for us than any other caregiver in my life.  She had to actively assist us for several *days* of labour and she did so with grace, joy, strength, and expertise.  She has the capacity to be whatever you need from her at any given time and her attitude and ethic always compliment each reflected situation.  -If you don't know already, dynamics of a birth can suffer from radical shifts-. She never judged us, nor answered for us.  Simply offered us the most reliable information, offered pro's and con's and then left us to make our own informed decision. And to her credit once we came to a decision she really helped us stick by it.  

I was suffering from a nasty first delivery a few years back and was carrying a lot of emotional baggage into delivery.  We did not know it at the time, but an infection due to a kidney stone forced us into a premature birth for this, my second baby!  Needless to say, no birth plan could have prepared us for what was ahead and we weren't afraid for a second with Kristen there.  She literally did not leave my side and she even helped coach my husband in techniques for pain relief.  I can not express my gratitude!  And her techniques, many and varied, truly helped baby advance safely with minimal discomfort.  I remember one productive contraction that was particularly .ah. hard, after adjustments pain vanished and we both felt the head slip down inches further. This time, though a much more challenging birth, absolutely no post partum or regrets, ladies!  Our daughter did not even need assistance from NIC.  Result was safe and rewarding and well smoothed out between us and hospitol staff.  Pre and Post, this woman makes herself readily available for Q and  A, too.

I am  now a believer in Doulas and especially in the honed skill of ctraft by Kristen Treat.

Posted 11/17/2010

Kristen is the most amazing Doula and friend a woman could have.This was my fifth pregnancy but the first time I used a doula.Though this was our fifth pregnancy there were some very different circumstances.We're having TWINS!Since I was having twins there was so much that was different from my previous deliveries.The previous year I had lost a twin pregnancy so there were many emotions that accompanied this delivery for both my husband and I.Feelings that I never expected and were difficult to work though while in labor.Kristen was there to help me work through it all.She supported us & made me feel so comfortableShe helped me focus on my precious babies that were about to arrive, & helped me accept that whatever I felt was OK.
In addition to all the emotions the physical delivery would be different for twins.I was able to have a vaginal delivery, and Kristen was there to re-emphasize everything the doctor was telling me and help me feel in control of my delivery.I chose to have pain medication during my delivery for several reasons, but I still needed Kristen there to help and support me. Kristen also helped my husband be, well, not so freaked out and how he could support me.Once I delivered my beautiful baby boys, that was not the end of Kristen’s support. Kristen helped me learn to tandem breastfeed my twins. She also helped me learn to “wear” my babies and talked with me about the benefits of both breastfeeding and baby wearing. She brought some of her own baby slings for us to try out so we didn’t waste our money on a sling that didn’t work for us.Sure, I could have delivered my twins without Kristen’s support, but the experience would have been so different. With Kristen’s support this experience was so positive. I felt comfortable physically and emotionally. I will and have recommend Kristen to anyone of my family member or friends that is pregnant.
 

Posted 11/9/2010

I don't even know where to start with Kristen.. she was amazing!  With this being my first pregnancy, my husband I were scared to death.  We didn't know what to expect.  We met with Kristen before the birth and she answered some of the questions we had. 

The day my doctor told me I needed to be induced, Kristen was the second person I called (after the hubby of course!).  I was scared and I think she could tell by my voice.  She calmly reassured me this was normal and she told me what to expect.  She met me at the hospital not even 15 minutes after i got there.  She stayed with me until they gave me some sleeping medicine and said she would be back in the morning.

Staying true to her word she was there at 7:30! I don't remember much of the morning but all I know is she was sitting there through every contraction.  I decided to get an epidural and like most mothers I was feeling very guilty.  Kristen reassured me over and over I should not feel guilty and there was nothing wrong with easing the pain.

I ended up with a c-section after a scary labor, but Kristen was right there through it all.  She would explain to me what was going on in a way that eased my mind.  She even came back to visit to see how I was doing! 

Kristen, like I said, was amazing.  Having a baby can be a scary experience, but having Kristen there helped A TON.  I would recommend her to anyone! :)

Posted 11/1/2010

I worked with Kristen in her Childbirth education class. What she taught me and my husband made ALL the difference in our birth. I only wish she had not been on maternity leave from doula work at that time as I can only imagine how amazing and supportive she would have been. As it was she answered our calls into the night and talked us through so many things that came up. If you have the opportunity to use Kristen at your birth I would jump on it!

Posted 5/5/2010