Amber Therrien Doula Profile

Amber was the best doula a first time mother could dream of.  She has this wonderful balance of soothing calm and energy that made me at ease knowing she would be there. She would find out about anything I wanted to learn about. Knowing that when the time came, she would remember all the little and large details of preganancy, birth and beyond that were most important to me. It made my husband's focus easier as well knowing that he could ask her for anything if needed. And as confident as I was she was a major part of that. Her constant strength and knowledge base helped so much to answer my questions. Past knowledge, she was the best labor partner one could ask for. She helped me focus when I got nervous, and seemed to intuitively know what and when I needed something. She did this one thing that i will forever love her for. She put cold cloths over my eyes and around my head when I felt overheated. I get overly warm and have the hardest time cooling and it was amazing. In the whirlpool she helped me through contractions. She made me laugh through the calmer moments and helped me find my strength in others. She was right there for everything we could want while giving us all the space we needed. I can not look back on those memories and not imagine her right there. From her coming to my house for the first false alarm, to the ride to the hospital for the real thing, breathing through contractions holding her hand, hearing her encouraging words, to birthing my fuzzy "kitten". She had a ton of hair  :) She helped my husband and I through the most magical night of our lives. We will always be thankful for the caring energetic assistance she lended us, as well as the humor.

Amber came down to Richmond, VA from New Hampshire to support me and attend my birth. Since we didn't know exactly when my daughter would make her appearance we scheduled her trip for the week of due date. As it turns out I went into labor the same time she got on the train that Saturday morning. A friend picked her up from the train station and they arrived at my home just as the baby was crowning. Ten minutes later I was holding my beautiful daughter. While Amber didn't actively participate in my birth she stayed for the week and was an amazing help with my postpartum nesting in. Her calm presence and loving support were invaluable. She made sure I ate and drank, helped with the house chores, sat with my daughter while I took baths, and helped remind me slow down.  Her presence also made it possible for my husband to enjoy baby bonding time and not feel burned out from having to take care of everything on his own while I went through the work of learning to breast feed and tend to our child.