Jennifer Thorson Doula Profile

We hired Jennifer fairly early in my pregnancy, around 5 months, so we had lots of time to work with her. I was looking for someone who would give me strength and as well as soothing support with a take charge attitude, and that was Jennifer. During labor, Jennifer was amazing. My labor was 28 hours, ending with a c-section. Jennifer was with us every step of the way. She helped me labor at home for almost 11 hours and by the time I got to the hospital I was 6cm! She led me through labor with position suggestions, encouragement, reminders to drink fluids and so much more. As labor became more intense, I relied heavily on her for help coping with pain. After 20+ hours of natural labor I decided it was time for an epidural. Jennifer came up with creative ideas to help labor progress with the epidural. When pushing came, I was exhausted and the epidural had worn off. I found myself seeking out Jennifer's voice above all. When my midwife began suggesting that interventions were needed I relied on Jennifer to help me make decisions. While I was being prepped for my c-section, Jennifer was offering support to my husband and mother. She met me in the recovery room afterwards where she helped me with initial breastfeeding and made sure I was completely settled in before departing. I continued to use Jennifer for support as I emailed and called her multiple times from the hospital. It was helpful to have someone I trusted to talk to about what the various nurses were telling me vs. the lactation consultant vs. pediatricians that changed daily. After discharge I continued to talk to her via email leading up to our postpartum visit at home. Jennifer was by my side every step of the way during a long, tough labor. As a first time mom, I relied heavily on her during labor despite having the support of my husband, mother who is a nurse practitioner, my midwife and hospital staff. I highly recommend Jennifer as a doula and hope to use her again in the future!
 

My husband and I hired Jennifer back in November as we were looking for a complete natural birth. Since we interviewed her, we were  sure that she was the person that we were looking.

Through the following months, she visited us at home discussing a variety of topics. Not only had she reviewed with us what would happen during birth but also breastfeeding, baby care and relaxation. In fact, one of the best conversations that we had was when Jennifer opened a discussion between my husband and I about the people that we wanted staying at our house during the first months of our daughter (we are both from out the DC Metro area). This has been quite a sensitive topic during the pregnancy and Jennifer was an excellent mediator during that dialogue.

As my due date got close, I had problems with my baby being breech. Jennifer helped me with several materials that guided me to turn the baby. At the end, my water broke (unexpectedly) at work and Jennifer was the first person I called (even before my doctor!). At the end, I had to have a C-section. Even under these circumstances, Jennifer came to the hospital right away. She arrived probably about an hour after I called her. She stayed with us for good 12 hours explaining the process, checking on my possible contractions, keeping me relaxed during the multiple exams and, overall, being the friend and relative that my husband and I did not have present at the moment. Right after I had my baby Jennifer was on top, helping me with breastfeeding and bonding which was quite a job as I was coming back from general anesthesia.

Two weeks later, she came to my house and kept helping me with breastfeeding and baby care. My daughter and I had some breastfeeding issues but with Jennifer's help we solved them right away.

Again, I totally recommend her.  If I decide to get pregnant again (hopefully a VBAC), she will be my doula without any doubt!
 

Jennifer is a wonderful doula, and my husband and I both highly recommend her. Terrific advice and help, and an interesting and good person to boot. Really outstanding in every respect.

My husband was originally skeptical about hiring a doula, but after our birthworks class, was open to the idea. We contacted Jennifer late in the process, and she met with us to talk about our birth plan and answer any questions several times before the due date. Once we got close, she kept up-to-date on our doctor visits, and promised that we could call her at any time of the day. Turns out we did. My water broke at 3 am, my husband called her at 4, and (given the timing of my contractions) we were all on the way to the hospital together by 4:45.

Jennifer worked with us & the hospital staff through 18 hours of labor to ensure that I was comfortable and informed at every step. She wasn't pushy with the doctors or nurses, which was important to us, and helped me labor in a number of different positions, including some that the nurse (who is studying to become a midwife) wrote down for future use. Jennifer also made some suggestions to the hospital staff that, ultimately, I believe helped me avoid having a C-section.

Jennifer was also helpful in ways that I wouldn't have initially expected. She explained what was going on to anxious grandparents, and she even stopped by the house a couple weeks after the birth of our daughter to check in, answer any questions, and provide postpartum advice.

We can't recommend Jennifer highly enough. She even converted my skeptical husband, who now thinks the investment in a doula was completely worthwhile. After I delivered our daughter, we both commented that we didn't know what we would've done without Jennifer's help. We will definitely use her again for any future children we might have.

I had a great experience with Jennifer Thorson during the recent birth of my son Layton and I'd highly recommend her. As a first time mom I found Jennifer to be the perfect combination of being deeply knowledgeable about motherhood and birthing while having the ability to be really genuine and reassuring. She is very passionate and sincere about her work and it showed during my delivery – my husband was serving in Afghanistan and could not be there for the birth so Jennifer went above and beyond to provide him constant updates and pictures over her phone while being fully present for me in the delivery room. My husband was touched that she was able to facilitate him feeling so involved even though he was 8,000 miles away. Jennifer has a calm and caring presence and is informative without being imposing. I wish every laboring woman could have a doula as talented and wonderful.

 I highly recommend Jennifer Thorson as a doula.  Her knowledge and guidance proved to be invaluable both before and after the birth of my son.  She was responsive to my many questions and needs as I went through my first pregnancy and far exceeded our expectations with the support she provided.  With her guidance we made informed decisions throughout the entire birthing process and they were decisions that were the best possible ones for us. If I could do it all over again, the only thing I would change is hiring her earlier in the process.   Jennifer's intuition, knowledge and professionalism is valuable and impressive!

 Jennifer was an amazing doula.

She put in so much effort to get my labor moving in the early stages, and really encouraged me when I needed it.

She was an invaluable asset in the labor room. Her expertise, encouragement, and comfort really helped me to remember why I made the choices in my birth plan, and stick to it as long as it was still reasonable. My daughter had an asynclitic presentation and we ended up going cesarian after 35 hours. Without Jennifer, I am not sure what choices I would have made, but I do know that if she wasnt there I always would have questioned those choices. She knew exactly when to be kind and when to be a little firm (in reminding me to snack or drink).

I know that my husband valued Jennifer as much or more than I did. She really encouraged him, so he didnt feel lost or like an observer of labor but a participant in it. She was able to give advice or take over as he needed, so he was free to take care of himself as well as me. 

Labor was a facet of our marriage, and new family, that I will always treasure because Jennifer was there helping us be the best that we could be in a situation that was out of our control.

My husband and I hired Jennifer to assist with the birth of our baby girl.  This was our first child so neither of us knew exactly what to expect from the birthing experience.  Jennifer helped us to prepare for the birth with her prenatal visits, then proved invaluable the day of the delivery.  I labored for eight hours before I took medication.  I know that I could not have made it that far without her encouragement and various pain management techniques.  Her hands on assistance and support throughout my labor made for a great birthing experience. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and committed doula to assist with the birth of your baby.

Jennifer was a great advocate and coach for us during the labor and delivery of our son. She guided us through every step to help us have the birth experience we wanted. She helped us communicate with the nurses and doctors so that we understood everything that was happening and could make informed decisions. Jennifer was with us from shortly after our arrival to the hospital until our baby boy was breastfeeding successfully. She clearly showed her dedication to us and genuinely cared about making sure our needs and wishes were met and that everybody was healthy. She did not impose any particular philosophies or methods on us, or on the healthcare team at the hospital - rather she listened to our beliefs, feelings and wishes, and helped us to make them work with hospital practices and what the doctors and nurses felt to be important from a medical standpoint. Her knowledge and support proved to be even more valuable than we had anticipated - we are so glad we hired her for the birth of our first child and will probably be calling her when it's time for the next baby!

 Jennifer was an amazing blessing during my pregnancy and labor.  She met with us prior to the birth to discuss our needs and wants.  This was our second child, so she found out all she could about the first birth and wanted to see what we wanted the same and different.  I wanted her to be my voice during labor, which was perfect.

She was with us the entire time at the hospital and was so helpful - giving my husband breaks, massaging my legs and hands and just generally being around for help.

One of the best things she did was suggest alternative positions for me to labor in.  Instead of spending the whole time on my back, I found new ways to get comfortable, and it helped speed my labor along.

Jennifer was a wonderful source of knowledge and support before, during and after labor. She knew what my needs and wants were and made sure to make them known.  I highly recommend her as a doula.