Christine White

9/9/2020

Once my husband and I decided that we wanted to consider hiring a doula we knew the right person for our family was Lisa. From the very beginning she put us at ease, educated us and made pregnancy then labor and delivery during a pandemic a little easier. It wasn't until a couple weeks before my due date that we knew for sure that Lisa would be able to attend our son's birth at Avista but even when that was unknown we planned to have her come to our house during early labor so I could avoid the hospital for as long as possible. She provided us with pain management techniques and tools that we could use to help me manage the pain without an epidural. My water broke at 5pm on a Monday night. We decided that I would go home, take a shower and eat something before I called my doctor. Once I called the on-call doctor she confirmed that I was group B negative so she told me to just come to the hospital when I couldn't tolerate the pain. I labored at home until midnight and then we decided to go to the hospital and Lisa met us there. My goal was minimal medical intervention so we started with the spa tub and walking the halls. When the nurse told us that the on-call doctor wanted to start pitocin I told her that I wanted to wait for my doctor to do rounds a couple hours later. My doctor and I agreed to start minimal pitocin to give my body a push as labor had stalled. After 2 ml of pitocin labor really began. Lisa provided hip squeezes to help with contractions. It all become a bit of blur by the time I hit 9cm but I pushed through without an epidural. Our son was born with a vacuum assist and it all got a little scary at the end but he was healthy and I had minimal tearing. Lisa helped me process the emotions I felt after being home for a couple days and also provided us with help by watching Hudson overnight one night when things were a little overwhelming due to his jaundice. Her help as both a doula and postpartum doula was the best investment we made.

Lacee Koerner

9/14/2019

We had a fantastic experience with Lisa. she is one of a kind. Very laid back and so easy to get along with. Lisa went above and beyond to visit us at home, make sure we were prepared for our unmedicated hospital birth and to provide comfort and support where we needed it. She is amazing and I highly recommend her as a doula to any family.

Meghan Packard

2/12/2019

Lisa McDonald was an amazing doula during my last few weeks of pregnancy and especially during labor. Since this was my first child, I had almost no idea on how to approach the impending birth. I knew I wanted it to be a natural birth, but I also knew I was going to be delivering in a hospital. Lisa listened to my wants and concerns as an experienced mother and knowledgeable doula, giving me many resources on how to prepare myself for a natural labor and how to minimize time spent at the hospital.

When I was in early labor with inconsistent contractions, Lisa gave me suggestions on how to kick myself into active labor, such as exercises, drink concoctions, etc. She was a godsend during active labor. Once labor sped up, she came to our apartment immediately to relieve my husband of pain mitigation duty. I had horrible back labor, pain radiating through my lower back with every contraction, making it necessary to apply lots of pressure there to mitigate it. Knowing I didn't want any medical intervention, she brought with her an arsenal of natural pain mitigation techniques. My favorite was a rolling pin that could be filled with hot water and rolled up and down my lower back during contractions while I sprawled over an exercise ball. There were times where I thought I couldn't get through another contraction (I remember saying so), but Lisa encouraged me and psyched me up for each one.

Her sense of time was impeccable! She wanted me to labor as much as I could at home where I was comfortable. I was laboring in the tub when I suddenly went into transition. Only then did she suggest we head to the hospital for the delivery. My water broke on the 5 minute trip to the hospital, and an hour later my husband and I had our little daughter in our arms. I could not have had a more ideal experience for my first birth, all thanks to Lisa's guidance. She is a true professional in her field. I will definitely be having her as my doula for our next baby!