Jennifer Mossholder Doula Profile

Jennifer was our doula for the birth of our fourth child.  She brought a calming reassurance and a steady sense of humor and support with her.  From beginning to end she knew when to step in and help and step back and let me work in my own space when I needed her to.  I can't say enough good things about Jennifer and how she was able to enhance our birth experience.

As first time parents to be, my husband and I hired Jennifer Mossholder as our doula to help us navigate the birth process after she came highly recommended from one of our close friends who also used her services. Now three weeks out from the birth of our daughter, both my husband and I have remarked how we could not have had the positive outcome we did without her. Prior to delivery, Jennifer was available to answer all of our questions and offered us a wonderful, just the facts, private childbirth education session that prepared us well for what to expect from a medical perspective during labor. When the big day came, Jennifer was key in helping me manage early labor with non-medical techniques; the nurses remarked they were unsure just how far along I was because I was handling everything so well. When transition hit and I was advised to remain in bed due to fetal distress and unable get an epidural to manage the resulting pain from immobility due to an unforeseen medical condition, Jennifer kept me focused on what I had to do to make it though each contraction by providing me encouragement and helping me focus on my breathing. And when my husband was at a loss for how to "make things better", Jennifer helped him understand what I needed at each step of the way. We hope Jennifer will be available when we have another baby, because we couldn't imagine having another one without her help!

My first pregnancy experience was nothing short of aweful.  For my second pregnancy, I wanted to find someone to have by my side with the knowledge and experience to help me have the best experience possible.  Jennifer was a blessing to me during this pregnancy.  With almost 7 years since my first pregnancy, Jennifer took the time during her pre-labor visits to review information about the pregnancy, labor, and post-labor process with my husband and I that we had forgotten.  My husband also enjoyed having Jennifer around to ease the purden as labor coach.  This pregnancy and delivery was a breeze in comparison to the first and much owed to Jennifer for being there through every contraction, epidural, and even for post labor rejoicing.  Thank you Jennifer for making my second and last pregnancy a joyous one to remember.

Our doula was Jennifer Mossholder, chosen because of her experience at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr and her breastfeeding knowledge.
In the days leading up to induced labor, Jennifer was supportive as I endured the frustration and disappointment of prodromal labor.

The labor itself did not go according to plan. Everything I had wanted to avoid: hospital birth, induction, c-section, etc, became unavoidable. Still I look back on the labor with a positive light due to the support I received from Jennifer. With her help, I was able to achieve my goal: to labor naturally and to push unassisted. When it came apparant that I would need a c-section, Jennifer helped put my mind at ease by making sure all my questions were answered.

My husband was grateful for Jennifer's support as well, since her presence allowed him to catch little snippets of rest during the long labor.

I had the pleasure of using Jenn's services for the birth of my first child at a birth center in 2006.   I had decided early on that I wanted natural childbirth and started researching doulas to have someone help me and my son's father through the birth process.  I was very lucky to have found Jenn.  She is a very kind and warm person and I felt a great connection to her the first time I met her.  We met a couple of times before the birth and she helped me put together my birth plan and she was always available to answer any questions I had leading up to the big day.   When I did go into labor, Jenn came to my house to provide support prior to the departure for the birth center.  It was great having her there to provide comfort and reassurance and help with pain management.   Once at the birth center, Jenn continued to provide her outstanding support in getting me through the labor without the use of any medications.  My labor didn't last an exceptionally long time given it was a first pregnancy, but it did take over 2 1/2 hours of pushing before my son was born and Jenn was so helpful in getting me through it because I was getting very tired and frustrated by the end.  I had such a positive experience with Jenn's services with the birth of my son that I hired her to be with me for the birth of my second son in December 2009, also a natural childbirth at a birth center.  Again, Jenn was great with helping me get through labor and managing the discomfort.  Her presence was even more important to me for the birth of my second son since my son's father wasn't able to be present.  I really cannot say enough good things about Jenn and her abilities as a doula and would strongly recommend her services to anyone.

Jenn was fantastic. down-to-earth, practical, the only ideology she practices is YOURS. She listens to what you want, whether that's a totally natural birth or full-on-drugs, and makes it happen. She helped save me from a c-section, worked really well with my family and the hospital staff, and provided the just-as-necessary support after the birth, checking in constantly to see I was ok. She also has a great network of other doulas she works with who have other expertize - breast-feeding issues were (and are) particularly difficult for us - and she was able to draw on these to help us out. Three cheers for Jenn!! She's the best.

I don't even know where to begin...I am sure my husband and I would not have made it through the hardest day in my life with out Jenn.  I cannot imagine trying to do that again without her.  

From the beginning of my pregnancy, and all the insecurities and questions and feelings of "I can't do this," through the last 3 weeks and the contractions coming and going whenever they felt like it, Jenn was a part of it all.  Jenn is a wonderful wealth of knowledge and experience that was a huge comfort and support for us during some really wacky things!  She is always available for my silliest of questions, and the serious ones, too.  I know I can always reach her by phone or email or text message and get a quick response, which is a huge comfort for a someone going through her first pregnancy and really has no idea what she's doing.  Jenn was very comfortable with my 2 huge dogs, putting up with their need to be in her lap, all while helping me get through contractions.  She is very supportive and calm, which was very reassuring for me during labor.  It was a wonderful feeling knowing that Jenn was there with her knowledge and experience.  She was awesome!!  We really thought the entire experience was much less stressful with Jenn there.  My husband found her presence a relief and hugely supportive.

Jenn's childbirth education class was great for both my husband and I, and we didn't have to spend 8 Saturday's during the summer to learn it all!  Jenn taught the class in small groups, which was more comfortable and made it easier to ask tons of questions.  I know my husband felt very reassured about my labor and delivery after taking her class.  Jenn also did my belly cast, which was a hilarious experience!  

I definitely recommend having a doula, especially Jenn!  I will not do this again without one.  

I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Jenn Mossholder as my doula. Even before my birth she was helpful and supportive. She met with me twice prior to my birth, which really helped me know what to expect from her and the process. She made me feel very comfortable. She also was very good about answering all my questions via email. Her communication was top notch. Once my water broke, she was at my house and stayed with me there until we went into the birth center. I labored all day and night and next day. She was with me the whole time giving me the support I needed. I was unsure prior to hiring her about how much I would need her, but it turned out I needed her a lot! My husband slept most of the night while she was with me during labor. She did not once mind walking up and down four flights of stairs endlessly with me, or running out at 5am to get me something to eat. Come 1pm the next day, my baby had flipped and was butt first, frank breech. I was then transferred to the hospital. I was hysterical, but Jenn stayed right with us, offering support and advice. She had a natural birth and a c-section, so she experienced both. After my surgery, Jenn was with us after I was moved to the maternity ward, where she helped me breastfeed. It was a very very long labor, but she was always there to offer as much or little support as i needed. Her knowledge as a lactation consultant (expert and guru, in my opinion) made her the most well rounded doula I could find. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to Jenn and the level of care of which she provided. It exceeded any expectations I had. I originally hired her "just in case" i felt like i needed some extra support, little did I know at the time, that I would need a LOT of support from her. I had talked to many doulas prior to hiring Jenn and she was by far the most professional, easy to talk to, and the easist to communicate with (phone, email, etc).