Colleen

11/11/2024

I had an amazing experience working with with Christa as my doula. She was incredibly helpful throughout my entire pregnancy, birth, and even into the postpartum period.  Anytime I had a question about something birth or pregnancy related I would text Christa, and she would provide me with expert information in an easy to understand way.  This prevented me from spending hours online doing my own research and getting bogged down in online forums. If I had to make a decision about something, she would always give me a list of pros and cons. She was able to combine her depth of knowledge with her past experiences as a doula to provide really personalized information. For example, she knew so much about what it was like to deliver at my hospital having attended multiple births there that I felt super prepared going in and therefore, better able to advocate for myself. 

During my birth, Christa was absolutely the most comforing person in the room. She has a calm, reassuring presence that makes you feel secure and supported. Having her with me during contractions made me feel so much better when I felt overwhelmed during labor. She was also able to make my husband feel better when he didn't know what was happening and provided helpful guidance on how best he could support me.  I was initially on the fence about paying for a doula, but hiring Christa was the best decision we made. I fully attribute my positive birth experience to having her there throughout the process. I cannot recommend her enough! 

Hannah

12/10/2023

Christa supported my second birth, and the experience was absolutely night and day compared to the first birth. This was the first time I'd worked with a doula, and I so wish I'd known Christa for baby #1. From her initial reply through our postpartum visit, she was 100% attentive, encouraging, and welcoming of our questions. Her gentle advice kept my delivery as low-intervention as possible and was vital for a natural birth. I especially appreciated her collaborative attitude toward the hospital providers! My baby was unexpectedly LGA with shoulder dystocia, and Christa's comfort techniques helped labor move along while preserving my sanity. We are so thankful for her support! 

Alexa Fan

1/14/2023

Working with Christa could best be described as an invaluable experience that increased my overall confidence, peace, and knowledge as a first time mom. The birth process really intimidated and scared me but I didn't know where to find a good supppet person. In doing some research and talking to other people in the field, I came across Christa. Christa was there every step of the way through pregnancy, providing support, education, clarity, and advice. Having her to walk me through all the uncertainties and provide a safe space for me was something I didn't know I needed, but am so thankful I received. I know for a fact my labor and birth experience was as smoothe as it was thanks to Christa. I would highly recommend her to anyone wanting a positive and empowering birth experience. Her kindness, care, and passion for what she does were evident and I felt like she was an answer to prayer. I'm so thankful we found her!

Jessica Fischer

9/20/2022

I was so lucky to have Christa as a partner in the births of my two sons. Both births were similar in that very little went to plan; I wanted natural, drug-free deliveries, but ended up needing emergency c-sections. Christa was an absolute angel who was by my side, helping me to stay calm, think through options rationally, and make thoughtful decisions. She is a very kind and graceful caregiver who anticipated my needs and helped me to be as comfortable as possible. I would recommend Christa to anyone considering a doula. You will not regret investing in the loving support she provides.

Stephanie

9/14/2022

This was my second birth and first time having Christa Joy as our doula. My first birth ended in a csection and I was petrified of having another csection with baby #2 (spoiler alert I had a successful vbac!). Leading up to labor Christa was incredibly supportive and available to check in after each doctors visit towards end of pregnancy. She gave me great questions to think about and ask my practice. For our in person visit it was clear she had given my first birth experience and my vbac goal much thought. We had a clear plan set up for labor and I felt a weight lifted off! Fast forward labor for baby #2 and I was successfully able to vbac! Not only did we have a plan going into labor the best thing Christa did was help me to feel empowered. She reminded me several times this was my birth experience and encouraged me to ask all the questions to my providers leading up to labor and even during labor. I recall asking questions of the providers coming in to check on me and it gave me so much confidence in myself and my birth experience. Christa was such a support during labor - she gave me ice cubes all night, watched the monitors all night, and encouraged different positions within what I was able to do. Baby #2 experience was a complete night and day experience from baby #1 experience and I truly give a lot of credit to Christa for giving me a redemptive birth experience! If I'm crazy enough to have more children Christa will be my doula no questions asked. If you want someone who will listen, offer refreshing perspective, and empower you as a woman than Christa is the doula for you :)

Ellie Huntington

7/26/2021

Christa was extremely helpful throughout my pregnancy, labor, and even into postpartum. She directed me towards several helpful resources where I could educate myself on pregnancy-related topics. This helped me feel more comfortable when making any sort of decision about how I wanted my birth/labor experience. This also gave me more confidence when questions arose in the doctor's office during my check-ups. She also helped prepare me with realistic expectations, while also encouraging me to pursue attainable laboring desires. Because this was my first pregnancy, I had no idea what to expect or what was normal. Christa helped by painting a picture of what my labor experience could and would likely look like. 

She would often check up on me and it made me feel extremely cared for. She is an easy person to trust and be around, and I knew she prioritized my interests and concerns. She helped me stay focused during labor, and remained professional and personable the entire time.

A few words from the father:  Anything you could do (looking at fellow fathers) Christa could do better, trust me.

Jaime

12/8/2020

My husband and I keep saying over and over again, "we could never have done this without Christa." After a c-section with my first baby I knew that I wanted to try for a vaginal birth. Leading up to my labor and delivery, Christa encouraged me to ask my provider questions to ensure that they were supportive of me having a vbac (vaginal birth after cesearean) and after determining that they weren't, she encouraged me to switch providers to someone that was. Since I hadn't even labored with my first born, I was nervous that my body wouldn't be able to handle the pain of delivery but Christa was nothing but supportive, knowledgable and encouraging in all of my doubts (both prior to delivery and during delivery). During my long and exhausting delivery, Christa was my advocate and knowledgable of different laboring positions I could try. As I said before, all of these things are those in which neither my husband or myself would know or think to do without the expertise and knowledge of Christa. We cannot thank her enough for her support, knowledge and encouragement pre, during and post delivery! 

Emily Singer

9/23/2019

Christa Joy was an excellent birth doula and birth educator. She came to our home and spent hours helping us to prepare for the birth of our son. When the day came for his arrival she was 100% available to us via text and phone call (answering immediately) and came over immediately when the time was right. She was very respectful of giving my husband and I space to labor together and stepped in with helpful tips and ideas to guide us through labor and delivery. She was kind, patient and gentle. I am most appreicative of her knowledge base surrounding labor and delivery. She helped us decide when it was the right time to go the hospital and when we arrived I was 8 cm dialted! For that I am very grateful. What I like most about Christa Joy is she has a very relaxed energy about her but I felt complete confidence that if we needed her as a more decisive or loudspoken advocate, she would be that for us. 

Megan S

4/22/2019

Since this was my first pregnancy, my husband and I had taken a 5-week birth class with other parents-to-be.  One of the topics discussed was a doula.  I had never heard of that before, so we did some research.  I wasn’t sure I wanted a stranger in the delivery room with me during such a personal experience.  In hindsight, that was a silly thought.  All the nurses and midwife are basically strangers too, so I’m so glad we decided to hire a doula and that we chose Christa.
 
Like most women who probably seek the help from a doula, I wanted a natural pregnancy.  I truly believe Christa was a major part of me achieving that goal.  She was the expert on helping me work through contractions at home and knowing when it was the right time to head to the hospital to avoid wanting pain medications.  Her pain techniques were very helpful with each increasing contraction.  Her calm nature to try different things fit very well with my similar way of handling pain and stress.  Even in those last few moments before deciding to head to the hospital, she made me feel so calm and in control.  I arrived at the hospital fully dilated and less than an hour later my daughter was born.  My husband and I know we definitely would have given in sooner and headed to the hospital prematurely.

Christa has a list of sayings where you can choose the one that best fits your mindset.  I chose the one “each contraction is getting you closer to meeting your new baby” and when asked how I achieved my goal of a natural pregnancy, I just keep going back to that motivational phrase. Each time a contraction came on, I focused on that mindset.  I knew it would end and the pain would go away.  Continuing to think that was very helpful and our daughter arrived without any interventions.  My husband and I are very frugal-minded people, but Christa was worth every penny!

Jessica Fischer

1/23/2019

From out very first meeting to my postpartum follow up, I was so pleased wth my choice to hire Christa Joy as my doula. Not only is she knowledgeable and professional, she is kind, warm, and truly comitted to helping you have the best birth experience possible. Over the course of my pregnancy I did everything I could to prepare for a natural, drug free birth, but things didn't quite go to plan. Along with my husband, she helped coach me through contrations, used various soothing techniques, and helped me communicate with my midwife throughout the night. She was up all night with us and went to the hospital with us the next day, which is when things truly got crazy. I labored all day with her and my husband by my side. She was patient, comforting, and supportive. It turned out my baby was facing the wrong way causing intense pain/backlabor. Between the pain and exhaustion, it was difficult for me to think clearly enough to make decisions. She helped me ask the right questions along the way and made sure I had as much information as possible to base decisions on. She also stayed on top of the smaller, yet very important things--reminding me to stay hydrated, bringing me whatever I needed, calling down to the cafeteria to order food, and doing everything in her power to help keep me comfortable. Ultimately, I needed to have an emergency C-section. While she wasn't allowed in the OR, Christa stayed nearby and met us in the recovery room. She was with us for 24 hours, giving us her all, a true advocate. By the end of it all she felt like a friend. Her excellence is fueled by a passion for what she does. She radiates warmth and happiness (her friendly smile is such a comfort) but she is also so sharp and will encourage you to ask questions and not settle for simply accepting whatver a medical professional says. Trust me, you want her on your team!

Julia Janho

8/7/2018

Christa was such a blessing and help throughout the pregnancy and birth of our baby girl. Christa was always there to answer any questions we had and if there was something she didn't know she would always research and get back to us with an answer. Had we not had Christa as our doula our birth experience would have been drastically different.

I was in early labor for 2 1/2 days over (Christmas Eve and Christmas day), but Christa was there to guide us through and helped us avoid a premature hostpital visit. Once we finally got to the hospital Christa was so helpful with getting us setted in which gave my husband the ability to stay focused on helping me through contractions. My husband said that having Christa there really made a huge difference for him throughout the entire process.

Overall I spent 24 hours in active labor at the hospital, and without Christa I am confident I would have ended up needing a cesarean. There were multiple times where we would have followed the doctors advice without knowing our option or that we werre allowed to say no and ask for more time to think about what was best for us. Because we knew our options and were able to articulate our goals to the doctors, they worked with us and gave us more time then the hospital would normally allow. With Christa's help and advise I was blessed to be able to vaginally give birth to my baby girl, and it is one of the best memories of my life.

We are so thankful for the help Christa gave and would highly recommend her to anyone going through a pregnancy. She will listen to your goals and ideas and work with you to achieve them.

Brittni Gross

7/20/2018

My husband and I just had our first child 7 months ago. You could say we knew very little about labor and delivery. We reached out to Christa Joy who provided us with so much information and helpful resorces. She walked with us through most of our pregnancy and our very long labor. The support she provided was above and beyond what we could have hoped for and was so instrumental in getting us through the labor specifically. When I was tired and discouraged she was right there gently pushing me through. She made me feel comfortable and relaxed, making it easy to invite her along on this very personal journey.