Christy Hall - christythedoula

 A natural birth was extremely important to us. A home birth would have been ideal, but our insurance did not agree. Since a hospital birth was our only option, I knew I'd need an advocate with me at the hospital to make sure all went the way we planned unless there was an emergency. Christy was not only an excellent advocate, she also helped guide my husband and me through our pregnancy, answering all my questions (and I had a lot!), bringing me resources, and making welcome suggestions along the way. As we got closer to and eventually passed my due date, Christy made herself readily available if I needed her. Once our girl was finally ready to be born, Christy made sure we knew we could count on her to be there whenever we felt ready to have her with us. Just as she had for the months leading up to birth, Christy helped guide me through my natural birth, working with the nurses to make sure I was taking advantage of all the natural pain management that I could. She even took excellent pictures of the whole thing-this was great as we weren't thinking about our camera at all and now we have a beautiful record of Avani's birth. A few hours later, our girl was born- a healthy 9lbs 3oz. She stayed with us as I attempted to breastfeed for the first time and talked me through what the heck the nurses meant by a "nipple sandwich". By the time it was all over, I felt like I had not only an advocate, but a good friend as well. In the weeks that followed, Christy made a couple of house calls to make sure all was well with me and our new baby and answered the million questions I had. She even brought over a sling for me to use while I figured out my Moby wrap! I highly recommend working with Christy-she knows what she's doing and she's a wonderful resource.

Posted 11/23/2012

As another reviewer noted, I too was drawn to Christy because of her work with incarcerated women. I knew within minutes of meeting Christy that I wanted her as our doula. When my baby came almost 3 weeks early (out of her on-call window), she was in communication with me immediately. I fully expected that she would not be able to attend, but that was not the case at all. She arrived exactly when I needed her and was amazing. She quickly figured out what worked for me and provided the guidance and support that got me through it. She maintained her professionalism throughout, never overstepping or passing judgment. Both my partner and I relied on her in different ways and were completely comfortable and open with her.

Before the birth, I had considered encapsulating the placenta, but because I went into labor so early, I had not had a chance to investigate it. Afterwards, when faced with the question about keeping the placenta, I explained this to Christy who immediately volunteered to take custody of the placenta and have it encapsulated. With her network of resources, she knew someone who would do it that day and she delivered it to us at the hospital the next day. I was so impressed and grateful for that gesture.

We were fortunate to have Christy at our birth and cannot say enough positive things about our experience with her.

Posted 9/6/2012

Admission: I had pretty low expectaions heading into our doula-assisted birth. I knew little about doulas beyond the fact this was what my wife wanted, and I wanted her happy and comfortable as possible during labor. I was prepared to be as helpful as a knot on a log, a hood ornament while my wife did all the hard driving. And, well, while that was STILL largely the case, I have to say that I was shocked how empowering the birth process was for me. Christy made sure I was in the thick of things and the rock for my wife during 40-plus hours of labor. She never made me feel anything less than necessary and intergral to the birth. She also never overstepped her bounds or left us wanting for guidance. She was, quite literally, a coach. And a damn good one at that. I like to think that she was there for ME, so I could be there for my wife. Easiliy the MVP of April 9, 2012.

Posted 8/24/2012

I feel lucky to have had Christy as my doula and have already recommended her to friends who are expecting. Christy was punctual, generous with her time and fielded many of my questions and concerns both before and after labor and delivery. In addition to her many years of experience, she brought a wonderful intuitiveness to my birth experience. During the delivery of my son, I felt like she knew exactly what to say to me to give me the confidence and strength to have the experience I'd hoped for. And she always seemed aware of including my husband in the process, even in the earlier months of pregnancy when he hadn't yet developed as many questions and concerns. Christy made it easy for both of us to trust her deeply from the start.

Posted 1/12/2011

I knew Christy was the doula for us when we read about her work with incarcerated women.  Wanting to assist women and their partners in birth is a special calling but seeking out incarcerated women told me a lot about the kind of woman Christy is. And we were right.  From the get go Christy was a friend. She was both professional and friendly, organized yet able to go with the flow when need be. As our doula, Christy guided us during the birth of our son- never pushed.  When the birth plan changed (as it often does!) she supported our decision and continued forward despite the fact we hit our 40th hour and were still not done!

For me, Christy was a cheerleader who inspired me to climb yet another flight of stairs or breathe deeply when I didn't think there was anything left to give. She climbed and walked and stretched right along with me for two looong days. She never left my side. For my husband, she was a friend who helped lighten the mood when things got heavy.  In the end, it was Christy's ability to provide support for us both in different ways at the same time that impressed me most. We both had a full time doula!

Support from a doula begins before the baby is born. Christy helped prepare for nursing, pumping breast milk, bottle feeding, diapering, food preparation and dealing with the unexpected issues surrounding the extended family. For us, we found Christy to be the perfect liason between us and the family during the birth- leaving us to the business of having our son. When our son was born, she arrived again to assist us in being new parents.

We found Christy to be honest, forthright, confident and incredibly hard working and believe any family who is seeking a doula should contact Christy Hall. You'll be lucky to have her at your side.

Posted 1/9/2011