Brittany Berghammer Doula Profile

Brittany was an absolute gem during my labor, despite me calling her at 3am and saying to get to the hospital STAT!! She provided so much support both for me, and for my husband, and helped me have the labor I wanted - all natural in a hospital setting!

She stood up for all my requests and made sure I got what I wanted, helped the staff understand my goals and desires, and was by my side the entire time, regardless of what was happening. She also accompanied me to a prenatal appointment to make sure the birth plan I had was in my chart and that the OB understood what I wanted. She came to visit again while I was still in recovery room the day after, and at home making sure I was doing well there, too!

And to top it all off, she encapsulated my placenta and brought it the very next day while I was still in bed at the hospital - this made a HUGE difference in my postnatal recovery...I experienced no PPD this time around, my cramps afterwards were almost non-existent and my energy levels have been wonderful. I went out 4 days after birth and everyone was amazed at how great I looked - I attribute this directly to the help I had from her, all around. I can't recommend her enough, she rocks!!

Brittany's knowledge was invaluable to me during the time that I was pregnant, in labor, and the weeks following my delivery.  She has a way of being supportive without being pushy.  She was so informative.  I relied heavily on her opinion when I had questions coming out of my doctor's visits.  She even took the time to attend a few with me just to make sure I asked the right probing questions.

The day of the delivery, we called her in the wee hours of the morning to meet us at the hospital.  She got there before we did! Without her and my husband coaching my throught the pushing phase, I wouldn't have made it!  She was calm, relaxed, and just knew the right things to say to me to keep me and my husband motivated and calm.  She came prepared with an arsenal of supplies to help me throught it.

I relied on her even more that I expected post delivery.  I called her when I was so stressed with breast feeding and thought I wouldn't be able to keep it up.  She talked me off the ledge, so to speak.  When the baby was crying and I had done all that I could think to comfort him, she suggested that he might be experiencing gas troubles and recommended the gripe water...and she was right!  Another instancem when the baby hadn't pooped for a couple of days, she reassured me that it was normal for them to have changing poop patterns, and sure enough not long afterwards he made of for those days in a big way.

I'm just so glad the stars aligned and we were blessed to have her as a part of our birth experience.  I would recommend her without a moment's hesitation!

 Thank you so much for helping me through delivery! I can't imagine a better birth experience and you were such a huge help. My husband and I have been talking all day about how wonderful it was to have you there and how you just seemed to know what to do at every turn. Your quiet confidence and sweet spirit were so calming and you seemed to know just what I needed at every minute. My husband said when he saw me lean on you during that first big contraction that he was so happy you were there and was so thankful for the "human touch" you brought in contrast to the standard hospital procedures. Your massaging my back during contractions and pushing was so key in keeping me calm and helping me cope. Even when I was having my freak out moment on the bed right before our son was born you were so wonderful in calmly reminding me to use low tones and relax. I was definitely panicking at that point since the nurse wanted me to move to the bed and your calm really helped me get it back together enough to push him out. Even just your presence and your ability to calm the mood helped us have so much more confidence that we could actually get through everything and go natural. My three biggest goals: to avoid pain meds, to avoid an epesiotomy, and to actually feel present when I met our son were met and I was so thrilled that those were attainable. I have only taken one motrin for cramping since and really haven't had any pain. I don't have any pain from my stitches and almost no swelling which is such a contrast from our daughter's birth. I really don't even feel like I've had a baby in the past month, let alone today. Thank you so much for helping me accomplish my goals and for just being a great support person. I will definitely recommend you to anyone I know who is thinking about a natural birth!