Tammy Leeper, BS, CCCE, CD(DONA) Doula Profile

Thanks to Tammy, my son Arlo and I and our whole family are doing wonderfully! Arlo's nursing great! He gained 3 lbs. since leaving the hospital. He just started taking a bottle from my husband and pumping is going well. I'm so glad I had a doula. It's so true that having a good birth experience influences your experience afterwards and I'm so happy I did it without any meds. I really believe it truly helped me and Arlo and in turn everyone in our family.

I gave birth to my first baby at Saddleback hospital on Christmas day and Tammy was there to completely respect our wishes and ensure that we got the birth we wanted and deserved.  Things didn't go all completely as planned, I ended up with an episiotomy and having Pitocin after delivery, but there was no pressure on me to do it any other way.  Tammy helped me and helped my husband help me labor through without pain meds.  She was always there for me to look to as an additional trusted support person and that made me and my husband feel comfortable with the decisions we made.  

Having a baby is a huge experiene and after having gone through it, I can't imagine doing it without someone there to help.  Even if you think you know and have a good relationship with your doctor, doctors aren't there for most of the time, and you never know how your nurse will be.  Having Tammy there for me and my family was what made my experience as great as it could have been.

 Tammy was fantastic for the birth of our first child. She was very informative as well as soothing. We particularly appreciated the way she helped to translate what the nurses were saying into language we could understand.

Tammy's post-partum care was really excellent too. I wound up having a pretty severe complication, and Tammy coming by after we were discharged helped us to identify it and get me to the hospital before things got worse. 

Thanks for everything!

Gillian, Steve, and baby Warner

We hired Tammy during the second trimester, as she was recommended from a friend and we really liked her when we met her.  She provided a wonderful stream of support and information throughout my pregnancy.  She was readily available and I always had someone to talk to when needed, through email, text or home visits.  As a first time mom-to-be, having a trusted source of information and positive support made all the difference to me.  Tammy was present throughout most of my labor (21 of 26 hours!!!) providing me with encouragement, motivation and enthousiasm.  She also provided a steadfast stream of support to my husband and made us both feel like we had an advocate and friend with us in the room.  Tammy was calm and composed and explained what was happening at each step.  I especially appreciate that Tammy didn't push any method during birth, but explained each step and allowed us to make our own decision.  Her rapport with the nurses was great.  She made our overall birth experience that much more special.  We would highly recommend Tammy to anyone who is looking for a doula.  She is continually seeking more knowledge to become a better doula, and it shows.  Her energy is calm, yet strong.  When my litle girl was born, my husband and I cried with happiness, and Tammy cried right along with us.

Tammy was a fantastic doula to work with and I look forward to working with her again in the future. I met with several doulas before deciding that Tammy would be the right match for us. Neither my husband nor I had any experience with the birthing process, so it was important for us to have someone who had been at many births and could serve as a calm presence. And Tammy was very much a calming presence. She is very knowledgeable and was able to help me understand what was going on. So many doctors and nurses came and went that having someone with her kind of knowledge always in the room made me feel very much at ease.

Prior to the birth, I thought that I would not need a doula myself (as I would be busy giving birth!), but I still wanted someone there to support my husband. Tammy was definitely a good match for my husband, both by being a calming presence and by being able to answer questions that my husband didn’t know how to answer. And, as it turns out, while I *was* busy giving birth, I still needed Tammy’s guidance and wisdom and I was very glad to have her there.

There was one particular moment when I was struggling with the labor and really needed an extra push to keep going. Tammy was able to talk me through it and together we figured out what I needed. From that point on, I felt much stronger and relaxed.

Finally, my due date was close to Christmas. And, as my luck would have it, I went into labor on Christmas. Tammy knew in advance that this was a possibility, and she never made me feel uncomfortable to be there on Christmas day with me. She was 100% available to me and my husband and I am truly grateful that she was part of our first birth experience.

Tammy was an irreplaceable part of my VBAC birth. I wanted a doula who could be both a caring support for me and also help us assert and defend our choices and desires. Tammy was enthusiastic and supportive of my desire to have a VBAC and as natural an experience as possible. I had an on-again, off-again labor for almost 3 days, and she continually assured me that everything would work out in its own time even if it felt confusing. When she came all the way out to OC to help me labor through one night and then my contractions slowed, Tammy never treated me like I was too much trouble and encouraged me when I felt low. She even went with us to the hospital just to make sure the baby was doing fine. Then two nights later, she met us at the hospital when my labor finally got serious again. When my previously laid-back doctor suddenly tried to put a time frame on my labor and I felt pressured to “progress” in order to avoid interventions, Tammy assured me that I didn’t need to perform to anyone else’s standard of time and reminded me that I had the right to decline any interventions. I knew this, but having someone in your corner supporting you when you’re exhausted is invaluable. Tammy constantly guided and helped me to relax and release my tension even with hospital noise and protocols happening around me. With my permission, Tammy used acupressure to naturally encourage my labor, and my contractions soon became closer together and stronger and my baby boy was born within 4 hours. Tammy was a wealth of knowledge and a steadfast supporter. In fact, I felt so supported and safe that I never even thought about getting medical pain relief, and the thought that this was a VBAC (and therefore a concern to the hospital staff) never even crossed my mind. Tammy was ready and able to help in any way I needed and was the constant voice of strength and encouragement in my ear that I will always recall when I look back at my son’s birth.

Tammy Leeper is not only a fantastic doula but a beautiful person. It was great getting to know her throughout our journey to parenthood! She offered great information and resources from the very beginning. What I appreciated about Tammy the most is that when virtually everything we had listed/desired on our birth plan went awry (epidural, c-section, etc) - she was supportive every step of the way. Her presence during my labor was so comforting and now looking back, I can't imagine having gone through it without her.

She also served as our post partum doula which was also a great experience. She assisted us with adjusting to our new life as parents in so many ways. Most importantly, for me, she really helped me to emotionally process everything that took place during my birth. Again, her support and encouragement was unwaivering and invaluable. I highly recommend her and her services!

We cannot say enough good things about Tammy as our Doula!
During our prenatal visits, she was always available to answer our questions and did a wonderful job educating us about our choices so we could make informed decisions.

With her companionship, I was able to stay focused and achieve the natural childbirth I always wanted. She was encouraging & reassuring to both me and my husband and always had a way to make us feel calm & safe.
Because of her, we had such a positive birth experience and will not hesitate to call her for the birth of our second baby.
We think Tammy is just wonderful and we were truly lucky to have her as part of our journey.

Love,
The Alvarez family.

 

Tammy was definitely my doula match. The greatest thing she did for me was to help me be physically and mentally prepared for the birth of my baby. She is extremely knowledgeable, and was able to answer all of my questions and address all of my concerns before, during, and after labor. She kept it real, and didn’t sugar coat anything. She supported my decisions, and I truly appreciated her professionalism as a doula. Even though my husband was unable to attend the birth, I was confident knowing that Tammy was available to support me. It was an awesome experience!

With her bright, soulful & welcoming eyes, we knew Tammy was the doula for us within minutes of meeting her! Tammy was flexible, supportive & just as excited as we were when well into my pregnancy we decided to have our baby at home! My husband & I initially questioned the need for the additional support a doula (Tammy) would bring since included in our homebirth plan was the presence of a midwife. But, we trusted our intuition which told us that Tammy was an important part of our experience & boy was she! After laboring for 24 hrs on our own, we knew it was time for Tammy! She was MY ROCK keeping me hydrated & well-massaged; guiding me through contractions to monitor my breath & tone, encouraging various positions and most of all staying by my side, smiling & gently supporting both my husband & I for well over 12 hours! The birth of our son is one of the most amazing experiences of our lives and Tammy helped us bring him into the world in a calm, gentle and loving way! Tammy's fairy wings must be hiding somewhere because she is a magical and priceless gift to have during your pregnancy and most importantly on the day you give birth!

Tammy was my doula for my homebirth last June and she was invaluable.  Tammy is warm, compassionate, strong, and intuitive and basically everything you could want in a doula.  She knew when I needed her, and she was there with me during 12 or so hours of active labor and pushing.  When my labor slowed down and we were talking about maybe going to the hospital if things didn't shift in a couple hours, she was very encouraging and told me that I could do it.  She was there with me while I tried to figure out how to push and felt out of control.  She was amazing.  And on top of that, she took some really nice photos during the actual birth and afterwards.  I would recommend her 100% to any mama!!!