Kendra Szudera, CD(DONA), HCHD Doula Profile

 I knew before I got pregnant that I wanted to have a natural child birth with a midwife and a doula.  Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone in Boise who had given birth naturally.  No doula references. I found Kendra on doulamatch.net  It was so helpful to be able to read references and to learn about Kendra.  I was impressed with what I read and was not disappointed when we met in person.

Many family and friends questioned why I would need a doula.  When I explained the purpose, they eluded to the fact that my husband should serve that purpose.  I am so glad that I went with my instinct.  Since this was my first pregnancy, it was so helpful to be able to talk through our options with Kendra.  From the very beginning nothing went according to my birth plan.  I asked Kendra a lot of questions and it was so nice to have someone backing my decisions.  Due to a low fluid level I had to be induced.  After 24 hours on pitocin without an epidural and 5 hours with an epidural I ended up having a c-section.  Kendra was there the whole time offering physical and emotional support.  What I appreciated most is that she helped my husband know exactly how to help me physcially and emotionally too.  I would never have been able to do it without both of them.  They worked so well together and I felt like we were all a team.  I was heart broken when i did, in the end, have to have a c-section.  The hospital staff just kept saying healthy baby and healthy mom.  I was disappointed and emotional.  Kendra was the only one to reinforce that it was natural to be disappointed and okay to "mourn" the birth I did not have. 

Kendra is worth her weight in gold.  Apart from the birthing process, she has been an invaluble resourse on cloth diapering, baby wearing, and local vendors.  I highly recommend Kendra.  Thanks again Captain Huggy Face!

Kendra is our Mary Poppins.  She comes into your life, works her magic, and then fly’s away with her umbrella.  Her support and knowledge was an essential part of our birth.  When my husband didn't know what to do, Kendra made a suggestion and helped.  Her training with hypnobabies helped keep me focused and relaxed.  We met Kendra at the 'Doula speed dating' event, and clicked right away.  She kept up with our pregnancy and practice with hypnobabies.  Kendra is a plethora of information, and always has a helpful suggestion or tip when you need it the most.  She is very flexible, easy to get along with, caring, willing to help in any way she can, and I would highly recommend her to any one.  

My husband and I feel so lucky to have met Kendra. She was recommended to us by another doula in Boise. She thought Kendra would be a good match for us since we were doing Hypnobabies and she was right! Right from the start, we felt very comfortable and at ease with Kendra. She was easy to talk to, supportive of our wishes, and excited for our baby's arrival. Over the course of my pregnancy, we met several times and she even came to one of our birth classes. She let us borrow literature and was always full of information.

My labor ended up being very long and tedious; not at all what I'd planned. Kendra was caring and supportive and did everything she could to keep me comfortable. She had so many suggestions for comfort measures, like massage and hip squeezes. After about 68 hours of labor and very slow progress, we decided to transfer from our birth center to St. Al's. Kendra was with us every step of the way. She kept excellent records and guided us through some of the harder choices we had to make. She was an amazing pillar of support for my husband too, who, along with me, was feeling quite fatigued. 

After 80 crazy hours, our baby was born vaginally! Kendra was awesome, especially during the pushing phase. Together, she and my husband cheered me on and motivated me to push that baby OUT! She stayed with us for quite a while after our daughter was born. We finally had to TELL her to leave so she could get some rest.

I think Kendra spent 26 total (consecutive) hours with us. Even though our plans didn't go exactly how we wanted, it was still one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We owe a lot of that to Kendra. She was an incredible part of our birth team and became a good friend to us too. We're so thankful for everything she did for us!

Kendra was awesome! She worked with me, in order to have a doula at my birth, even though I lived an hour away from Boise (we would meet in Boise, instead of in my home, since we travelled there often for my doctor appointments).

She answered any questions I had as well as she could, and if she didn't know an answer, she didn't hesitate to say so...but then would work to find out. She was full of information, both regarding labor and delivery, our specific hospital (which we had never delivered at before), and VBAC too. She also had information and experience with babywearing and cloth diapering, and allows borrowing of many books and magazines, too.

She was great during labor and delivery...she was able to verify information the nurses gave me, or telling me straight facts about what was allowed and what wasn't. She brought tools to help me along, including essential oils, a stereo with hypnobabies tracks/music, as well as a ton of suggestions on positioning and pain relief. I really don't think I'd have made it as far as I did without her! She even stayed around until I was settled in recovery (I had an emergency cesarean due to prolapsed cord), and initiated breastfeeding, which I was really grateful for!

Also, she came back again, in a day or 2, after she called to check in and I was having difficulty nursing the baby, and wasn't receiving any help from the nursing staff (and the LCs were off duty at night)...and helped me with latching issues. Even after I returned home, she was still providing help, via email and phone calls, to help with nursing, as well as finding out additional information regarding the birth I experienced.

Overall Kendra was really great...it was nice having information and plans leading up to the birth, she helped me know a bit of what to expect, and having her there during the birth as well. I highly recommend having a doula, in general, and Kendra does awesome.

 I gave birth to my son about a month ago and I'm so pleased with my birth experience.  Of course it didn't go as planned or as I had pictured it, but with Kendra's support it turned out perfect.  I was planning on delivering at a birthing center, but due to a narrow pelvis and other contributing factors, I ended up delivering at the hospital.  I was able to deliver naturally (not even an IV) and I attribute that to the help of Kendra and the midwives. I believe that had I labored at the hospital without a doula, unwanted interventions would have been taken.  

At first, I really didn't think my husband and I needed the help of a doula.  I was so wrong.  Kendra was such an asset from beginning to end.  She helped educate us on everything from prenatal care to postpartum care.  She is very well educated on the entire birth experience.  Her personal experience was very helpful too.  She helped me with cloth diapering, baby wearing, and lactation information.  I highly recommend Kendra no matter where you plan on delivering.  

We have used kendra for the birth of both of our children. she always goes above and beyond the duity of a doula. we had complications with our first child and lost her. kendra arranged meals from our church for us and picked up everything we needed. she has such a sweet personality. for our sencond child we took the hypnobabies class and wanted a natural birth. she was there for us when we had any questions. she did a great job making sure my birth plan was followed. my birth was painless, quick, and peaceful. having kendra's calm presence in the room hleped my husband and i keep the calm enviroment we wanted. we will continue to use in the future when we have more children.

Kendra was a great help to me at the birth of my son.  She had a lot of information for my husband and I when she met with us prior to the birth.  My husband was skeptical at my desire to have a doula with me, but she was able to help us feel comfortable and give us an idea of what to expect from her at the birth.  She gave us information about birthing positions, although once I was actually ready to push, I certainly didn't remember any of it, so I was very glad to have her there to help.  Kendra helped me to try different laboring positions once we figured out that sitting in the tub was not helping me progress further than an 8.  She kept me calm and as focused as I could be, and also helped to make my needs known to the doctor (informed her that the birthing bar was not working for me at all!).  Kendra also checked in with me after the birth, to make sure everything was going well and that breastfeeding was working for us, which it was.  I had a wonderful birth experience and a large part of that great experience was due to Kendra being my doula.  I would definitely recommend her!!

I had a GREAT expierience with Kendra.  When I first called her she was very professional and very sweet.  We met and she continued to be very understanding and helpful in all ways.. She was very reassuring and made me feel very comfortable.. During the time before the baby was to arrive she would keep in constant contact and always asked if I needed anything. I had a scheduled delivery, therefore it was a bit easier to coordinate a time to be there.  The time scheduled was delayed and she was very patient.  During the delivery she was on top of her game. She set up the music and made me feel very comfortable, like I was at home.  She guided myself and my husband, she was supportive of everything that we had discussed in my plan at the hospital.   It was a long day for all of us (15hrs).  She was there the whole time for me.  Thank you Kendra for your continued support even after the baby arrived.  My husband said if we were to do this again we would not only hire her for me but for him too....He needs the emotional support  LOL!!  I highly recommed Kendra to stand by your side! :)

 I prepared for hypnotic childbirth without medication.  Kendra is very knowledgeable and is skilled in working with a hypno-mom.  Kendra is very nice and sweet.  Kendra and I had many conversations prior to the birth and I felt so comfortable with her.  Kendra is very informed and was able to answer any questions I had.  She always presented facts and fully supported decisions that I made.   While I was preparing for my birth, Kendra was available anytime to answer questions and calm fears that I had.  I began my birthing time confident. During my birth Kendra was able to guide my husband to better support me and give him the breaks.  She was a comforting presence and was helped me tremendously when my labor did not start after my water had broken.  Kendra made sure all my needs were met. Things did not go according to plan.  I had many hard decisions to make when my baby wasn't coming like she should and I had to deal with problems with my care provider.  Through it all, Kendra was there to help me and discuss my options with me.   While I was coming out of anesthesia, Kendra captured my husband's first moments with our new baby.   I am very successful with nursing this baby and Kendra had everything to do with that.  She has been a continual resource for me with questions and concerns that have come up after the birth.  I would fully recommend Kendra to anyone.  She was invaluable to my birth experience.  I will be calling Kendra again to come help me with the next baby.  I feel as though I gained a trusted friend through working with Kendra.  Pick her, she is awesome!

We had an awesome experience with Kendra as our doula.  I really wanted a natural childbirth and was successful in achieving this with Kendra's help.   It was really great for my husband especially because he felt like he was free to enjoy the childbirth without worrying too much about the little things.  Kendra was there at the house before to help me labor there as long as possible.  She helped  take care of me when he was packing stuff into the car, getting brownies ready for the nurses, etc.  She was so knowledgeable about the whole process and it really eased my concerns as well as my husbands.  We ended up at the hospital only about 45 minutes before the baby was born so I was able to labor fully at home which I think helped a lot in the quick progress of my labor.  When we got to the hospital I was at 10 cm with my water intact and ready to start pushing.  It was ideal.  AND my doctor liked Kendra so much that she asked for her information to pass on to other patients of hers.  This is a huge endorsement for her to add to ours.  We loved our experience with Kendra and would do the same thing with our next child - but maybe try to make it to the hospital a little earlier...

:> LiAnna

My experience with Kendra as my doula was great.  It was great to have her by my side coaching me and making sure everything was going according to my birthing plan.