Melissa Johnson - Drawn From Love Doula Service

Melissa was amazing. I would not have been able to have a natural birth if it hadn't been for her help and support. She was in constant contact with me when I went into labor. She met us at the hospital when I decided it was time to go. She was also supportive of how I wanted to give birth. She never tried to push one method or another. She was very  knowledgable and was more then happy to share all of her knowledge but in the end she just wanted be supportive of me. Since I wanted a natural birth she had a variety of methods to help me with pain management. Between her and my husband helping me manage my pain she made my labor very pleasent and almost enjoyable. She stayed with me after the delivery of my son and helped make sure he was nursing well and that I was doing well. I can not speak highly enough of Melissa. I have been recommending her to all of my friends and family who are planning on having children. If and/or when I have more children I hope that Melissa will be available tot help me with them. 

Posted 5/7/2013

Melissa did a great job as my doula. Her motto is that she will do anything you need. During our prenatal's she reiterated this several times. During my labor she lived up to this motto. She was willing to do whatever I wanted her to do, so that I could be comfortable. She even told me to yell at her if she was doing something I didn't like. I never had to yell at her, because she was a natural at observing my behaviors and responding to those behaviors. She is very friendly, has a great sense of humor and treated my husband and I with kindness. She did a great job of helping my husband fulfill his role as a support and partner during the labor. I will use Melissa again and would recommend her to anyone.

Posted 3/21/2013

I just gave birth to my 2nd baby a perfect little boy! I cannot express how different my two experiences have been. I had a little girl 2 1/2yrs ago, had an epidural, and was given pit. There were no complications with the birth and we were both healthy BUT my daughter was a horrible nurser and I suffered from post partum depression, the troubles with nursing didn't help our bonding and the first few months of her life were very difficult. After doing some research on the side effects of epidurals and pit I decided I wanted to try a natural birth. I was skeptical that I could do it because I'm a pansy when it comes to pain! My husband introduced me to Melissa. Our husbands are war buddies and he thought her expertise might be helpful. Melissa met with me twice before I gave birth and provided me with encouraging words and great advice on how to deal with the last couple months of pregnancy. I was overdue and Melissa was there encouraging me to hang in there and wait till he was ready. When I was 5dys overdue I scheduled to have my water broken. Melissa was there with my husband and me when I checked it and stayed with us through the whole process. After the Dr. broke my water Melissa was there making sure I was comfortable, showing me different positions to ease the pain, reminding me to release tension, and reminding me of questions I had for the Dr. When my contractions were coming closer and stronger Melissa massaged my hips and helped me through each contraction. Before I knew it, it was time to push and my handsome little guy was born! Melissa was very aware of what was important to me and spent the entire day making sure I was comfortable. She showed me a few techniques to help with nursing and my little man latched on right away. The birth of my son was a wonderful experience and my husband and I are so grateful that Melissa was there to cheer me on! We love our little man so much and had such a wonderful experience with Melissa as our Doula!

Posted 1/8/2013

Melissa was amazing!!! My wife just gave birth 5 days ago to our second child. It was a completely different experience from our first birth. Our first birth, my wife use all the drugs and shots you could get. This time she decided she wanted to do it NATURALLY and that is when we found Melissa. Melissa spent time with my wife showing her good positions to sleep in, ways that I could massage her, the birthing ball, and great books to read. She consistantly checked in on my wife to make sure she was doing well and letting her know that she was there if she needed anything.

The day of the birth Melissa was there in minutes. I was blown away by how she dropped everything and rushed to my wife's side. As we walked the halls of the hospital, Melissa showed my wife certain movements and positions to lessen the pain of the contractions. During delivery, Melissa was there massaging my wife's back and shoulders, helping with breathing techniques, positioning my wife in multiple positions to help relieve her pain, and encouraging her all the way through until the end. Overall, Melissa spent over 12 hours in the delivery room with us.

Having Melissa there helped out so much. All I had to do was hold my wife's hand and tell her I loved her. Melissa did every thing else and made this experience ten times better than our first. I have a better appreciation for my wife and the birthing process. Doing it all natural is the way to go. Without Melissa, we wouldn't have made it. She was amazing and we will be using her again in the future. We love you Melissa. Thank you for everything!

Posted 1/1/2013

As a social worker at a homeless shelter, I was seeking pro-bono doula services for a client in need. The client was a scared first time mom with no family or support services. Thankfully, Melissa Johnson responded to the need. From my first meeting with Melissa, I could tell she was exactly what we were looking for. She was very knowledge on all aspects of pre-natal care, the birthing process and post natal care. She continued to go above and beyond throughout the whole process. She was there during nighttime emergency visits to the ER. She attended doctor’s appointments to help the young mom understand the latest developments with her pregnancy. She took time to teach much needed pre-natal information and worked on a detailed birthing plan. She continued to raise the bar by gathering donations for the mother and son who were in need. Through the donations the soon to be mom was able to provide every needed item on the baby register list. Most importantly, she stayed by the mother’s side in critical times. She provided much needed advice to the mother during the labor, provided comforting massages to alleviate the pain and then she was there with the skills needed when the labor got difficult. I cannot express how thankfully I was that Melissa was there during the most critical time in this young mother’s life. She was professional, thoughtful and continued to go above and beyond. She continues to be there for this young mother to help with post natal care and ongoing education on raising an infant. I would highly recommend Melissa’s services.

Posted 11/10/2012

Melissa is a wonderful Doula. She helped us reach our goal to deliver our precious baby boy medicine free. She offers sincere encouragement and was a wonderful support to my husband, mom and me before, during, and after the delivery. She has very strong hands and offered WONDERFUL counter-pressure that really helped during hard contractions, and she was able to gently offer suggestions so that my husband knew how to offer me the support I needed when the labor was especially tough. She deeply cares about her job and was there for me to answer questions weeks before the delivery- sometimes even in the middle of the night! When I went into labor, she was immeadiately at the hospital and stayed with us several hours after our son was born. She never left my side and even let my husband and mom take a nap so they could be well rested when I went into active labor. We are so thankful for her and could not give her a stronger recommendation.

Posted 8/9/2012

I am a first time mother, and at first I did not think I needed a doula. I was SO wrong! I really wanted a natural childbirth, and without Melissa I may not have accomplished that goal. She was very supportive during labor. There came a point when I realized she started reading my mind - like when I needed a certain focal point to stay where it was or a cold washcloth on my forehead. It was awesome to not even have to ask. I felt so cared for. It made me be able to handle the pain better.

My husband was not there for my labor because I could not bear to have anyone in the room. I didn't know I was going to feel that way until labor started, so I am very glad I had a woman support person, my doula, Melissa to be there for me. I know for a fact that if I would have been able to have my husband be part of the labor, she would have made him very comfortable. They met a few days before my labor started, and he said, "I think I am going to need her there!" This first birth is going to be remembered so joyfully, and I feel I owe a ton of that credit to Melissa. 

Posted 6/27/2012