Tracy Armstrong - Best Beginnings Doula Care

Tracy was very knowledgeable about various subjects and was ready to answer all of my questions (even the crazy ones!) She helped me to feel a lot more confident about childbirth and my ability to take care of a newborn. I’m a control-freak with a big personality and she was able to handle me really well when I went into labour. My husband keeps telling everyone that he would have been lost without her! We would recommend Tracy to others in a heartbeat and hire her again if we were to have another child.

Posted 1/24/2013

Our birth experience was just as important to Tracy as it was to us. She took the time to understand our birth plan and always made it clear that the decisions were ultimately ours and she was merely arming us with information. We could not have been happier with her services and highly recommend her without hesitation. Tracey made our first birth experience a wonderful one and we would hire her again without question.

Posted 1/24/2013

On the morning I went into labour, we texted Tracy around 3am to let her know it was the real deal! When she arrived at our home, she went straight to work without me even asking. She began to provide the deep massage I needed and even held a bucket for me while I threw up. At the hospital, she provided incredible physical and emotional support, not only for me, but for my husband who spent hours holding the shower head over my spasming back. When the big moment finally came, she was there, camera in hand, capturing the moments for us. Being delirious in pain, I had no idea how beautiful the birthing experience actually was until Tracy brought over a CD with all of the pictures from that day and we watched them together. While I am incredibly blessed with a very supportive husband, I really found that having someone outside of our family, but committed to us, was invaluable. At every step, she was the voice letting us know what was happening and what to expect next. When Jordan had to take Blake to the NICU, I wasn't alone in the birthing room; Tracy was still there beside me, coaching me as I expressed those first few drops of colostrum that Jordan would then give to our baby boy. I couldn't have done that alone. Are you deciding whether or not to have a doula throughout your birthing process? Feel free to contact me for more details of how Tracy supported us and why, when we decide to have a second child, she will be one of our first calls when we find out we're pregnant again.

Posted 12/17/2012

We began considering a doula to attend the birth of our second child, after the birth of our first child didn't exactly go as planned. We were nervous and hesitant to even think about trying to have a natural, drug-free birth the second time around. Tracy helped us realize that what happened during our first birth experience did not dictate what would happen at our next one. She helped us put into words what we wanted this birth experience to look like, and most importantly, she helped us achieve it! The support we received before, during, and after our birth was amazing. She took time to make sure we both felt at ease, making sure that I wasn't feeling any anxiety from the birth of our first child, and reassuring and reminding my husband of his very important role in the weeks leading up to birth, as well as during labour and delivery. During labour, Tracy gently directed my husband on how to help me through the contractions, while also helping me herself. Tracy's calm voice and soothing touch helped keep the intensity level low, which greatly helped us in having a peaceful birth. Although she was a great support in labour, It's hard to pinpoint Tracy's actions exactly - both my husband and I agreed that, while it didn't seem that Tracy did all that much, she played a huge part! I believe that is just Tracy's way; calmly and quietly supportive without being intrusive to the intimacy of the miracle that is unfolding during labour and birth. Thank you Tracy for an amazing birth experience!!

Posted 6/18/2012

My experience with Tracy Armstrong was a very positive one.  She was very helpful throughout my third trimester and birth and post- birth of my son.  I was enrolled in Tracy's prenatal class as well, and i felt that through this class i got to know her better than if i had just met with her a few times. At the start of my labor Tracy came over to my house and offered loads of advice and had confidence in what she was talking about and doing.  I was very helpful to have someone there who had much more experience with birth than me or my mother or anyone else. Just having her there certainly calmed me down a lot, knowing that I was with someone who was familiar with what was going on. 

During labor in the hospital she was at my side the whole time giving me the attention that i needed.  She had a lot to offer in terms of advice for things to make me feel better.  When i was in heavy labor she was very encouraging, and especially during the last two hours when i was pushing she provided lots of encouragment.  She was very positive and reassuring during the whole labor and that was what i needed because i felt quite scared. I needed someone there to reassure me and Tracy did that very well. 

i would recommend Tracy to someone else. 

Megan Davies

Posted 4/29/2011

I met Tracy during stroller robics with my first daughter. Sarah was born by emergency C-Section after a long and unproductive labour. After days on oxytocin induction which was recommended after my water broke I was still only 2 or 3 centimeters dilated. My temperature started to rise alarmingly and when it was explained to me that fever for the mother could damage the brain of the unborn child...my husband is still amazed at how fast that operation was put together.

For our second baby we wanted more guidance and someone else in our corner. Tracy was a pure delight and rock solid support. For me, it was nice to help out a friend starting a new business. I had no idea how much of a difference she would bring us! Prenatal classes with our first pregnancy left me feeling there was no way I wanted a touchy-feely doula experience. Tracy was open, kind, supportive (in all ways), able to step back and let us make decisions, a Tiger (fighting for our decisions), and truly made the difference (communicating with us and our birthing team).

We went through labour twice with our second daughter. Tracy worked with us at home until contractions were less than 5 minutes apart, yet after a night at the hospital my contractions stopped and I was faced with oxytocin or going home. Tracy and our nursing team got us home. We worked all day to get me back and Tracy was with me and Eric throughout the experience, constantly supporting our decisions. She reinforced our requests for more time at each phase of labour. Eric said he might not have persisted so much on the second attempt. Rachel was born VBAC without any interventions, perfectly healthy, just as we hoped and dreamed.

I highly recommend Tracy's services. I wish she were with us for our first baby. Her confidence, knowledge, experience, and genuine care set us at ease throughout the last few months before our daughter's birth right up to ensuring she was healthy and at ease at home. Yay!!

Posted 3/4/2011

My husband and I were so happy to have Tracy with us through the duration of the birth of our son. She stayed with us for more than 24 hours of our rather difficult labour, and was a source of calm and peace for both of us. She was incredibly helpful, and stepped in at any point she was needed. When she wasn't actively engaged with me and my husband, she helped keep the house tidy. When we were unexpectedly transferred to the hospital, she came with us and helped where she could and provided comfort when needed. When the baby was delivered and taken to NICU, my husband went with him to make sure everything was okay, and Tracy stayed with me in the delivery and recuperation room until the doctors were finished stitching me up, to make sure there was someone with me. I highly recommend Tracy's services; her sense of humour and professionalism are wonderful, and we were so happy to have had her presence with us during the birth of our beautiful baby!

Posted 2/8/2011

Tracy was extraordinary!  She was amazing at stepping in with exactly the right support without intrusive at all. Her support before and after the birth were great, and her empathy, intuition and expertise during the birth were perfect - I don't know how we would have done it without her.

Posted 1/24/2011

When I decided to get a Doula, my husband wasn't exactly thrilled. He didn't really understand how a Doula was different from our Midwife, nor did he like the thought of an additional cost. I, however, preferred a Doula for the birth of my first child because I did not like the thought of family and friends with me while delivering. While searching for a Doula I found many whom I found to be a little too "hippie" and the moment I spoke with Tracy on the phone I knew she would be the one. I had expected Tracy to be helpful during delivery, but didn't realize how helpful she would be before the baby came. In the last month of pregnancy, she offered a lot of emotional support and was able to sense when I was stressed or worried and help me though those times. I felt like Tracy and I knew each other so well; it was like I was talking to an old friend who just happened to know a lot about birthing. During labour she was awesome, she was with me every step and her and my husband really worked together. Tracy would let my husband know when it was a good time to leave and get something to eat or get a moment away. She also helped direct him in ways he could support me - he remained my primary support - and didn't get pushed aside. My birth didn't exactly go as planned, so Tracy helped me cope emotionally with what would happen next and why. Mostly though, she offered supportive conversation, much needed comic relief, and ideas when something wasn't really working. Somehow, Tracy knows when to step in and when to step aside; also how to read the moment and just do what needed to be done.
The true testimonial for me was the way my husband felt about Tracy after the whole process was over. He adored her and couldn't put a dollar value to what she did. I don't even want to imagine what our birth would have been like without her there. If you are thinking of a Doula, get in touch with Tracy knowing she comes HIGHLY recommended.

Posted 12/13/2010

Tracy has always been passionate about birthing, babies, and children, even before she became a mother. She is extremely knowledgeable about the birthing and postpartum processes, to the extent that friends and acquaintances will come to her for advice. She has a natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge that she is always enhancing with ongoing education. Her calm and considerate demeanor, passion for all things pregnancy-related, and her considerable doula skills make her the perfect addition to any family's birthing process.

Posted 9/12/2010

We had the opportunity to work with Tracy during our second pregnancy. After our first – a highly medicalized and intervention-laden hospital birth, we were looking for a more natural and holistic approach to the birthing process. We chose to surround ourselves with people who would support our quest for an organic labour and delivery.

After our original meeting with Tracy, we felt that she was a perfect fit for us – sharing many of the same values and ideals that we hold in such high esteem. Throughout our pregnancy we met with Tracy, who shared with us her vast knowledge and resources – putting our minds at ease and giving us both the confidence to go ahead with our planned home birth.

During my labour, Tracy was an amazing source of strength and inspiration – encouraging me to mentally focus my energy while at the same time, providing physical support to make me more comfortable as my body prepared for birth.

In all, we are delighted that Tracy was a part of this amazing time in our lives and would not hesitate to recommend her services to anyone looking for a caring, supportive and highly knowledgeable doula.

Posted 9/9/2010