Sarah I.

3/16/2011

Having Melissa Harley as my doula was the best decision I made about my pregnancy and birth. I knew I wanted a natural, drug free birth, but as a first time mother I was daunted. It was through getting to know Melissa, and learning from her, that I gained the confidence and faith that enabled me to handle a natural labor. Melissa has an incredible wealth of knowledge, and experience (I think I was her 90th Mom). This, together with her warmth and genuine love of helping people, makes her a wonderful doula.

My labor was rapid, and I was ready to push before we even got to leave our home. Melissa was “on call” for us, and as soon as we phoned her to say that my labor was progressing, she was in her car on the way to the hospital in 5 minutes flat. My worst contractions, and an almost uncontrollable urge to push, came during the car ride. But Melissa was on the phone, coaching me through every one. She enabled me to control the urge to push, so that my daughter wasn’t born in the car. She knew exactly what to say, and if it were not for her help, I would have been terrified and panicking…and so too would my husband!

Luckily, we made it to the hospital, due in no small part to Melissa. I was able to have the labor and birth that I hoped for, and it was largely because I had her wonderful support. I felt empowered by giving birth, and I couldn’t imagine a more supportive doula.
 

Courtney Stombock

3/14/2011

I worked with Melissa for the birth of both of my children. We hired her as first time parents after attending her childbirth class because we knew we needed the emotional and physical support during the birth of our first son. He came very quickly and I barely made it to the hospital. Melissa was by my side for the delivery but she was most helpful as our son was rushed... to the NICU. She was the friend we needed in that moments that the doctors were focused on our son.

We decided to hire Melissa the second time around because I wanted to labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital. At our home, she helped me manage the contractions and having her there allowed my husband to prepare for the trip to the hospital without feeling like he was not supporting me.

After arriving at the hospital, Melissa helped me vocalize my wishes to the triage nurses since I was already in active labor and needed to be in my zone. In the delivery room, she guided my husband in helping me manage the pain during the delivery.

Melissa was an intergral part of my success in naturally delivering both of my sons and in the process she has become a friend. 
 

melissa williams

1/1/2011

My husband and I were very anxious at the thought of having our son in the hospital because we wanted a natural childbirth and had heard all the stories about medical staff fighting you if they didn’t agree with your choice. After meeting Melissa, who was our childbirth class instructor, and hearing what a wealth of knowledge she had we decided to hire her as our Doula. Melissa answered all of our questions far in advance and helped us develop a birth plan. She shared her knowledge about the birthing process and her inside information about the hospital and how we could best go about getting the birth experience we both wanted. Melissa came to our house several times before the birth to answer questions and ensure we had everything we needed. The night I went into labor Melissa came to our house to provide support and give us different positions to try while laboring. In the L&D room she provided us with constant support and encouragement. Melissa advocated on our behalf on several occasions to ensure our birth plan was followed. She also made sure that we got a nurse who was very “natural childbirth friendly”. My birth experience was exactly what I wanted. I gave birth to my 8lb 12oz baby boy naturally and spent the first hour holding this precious new life in my arms. I could not have asked for a better birth experience and I owe that to Melissa. She dealt with all of the politics at the hospital which allowed us to focus on the birth process. Melissa was a reassuring voice throughout my labor encouraging me and empowering me. We were so fortunate to have her as our Doula and would recommend her anyone who is looking for a Doula.

melissa williams

12/31/2010

My husband and I were very anxious at the thought of having our son in the hospital because we wanted a natural childbirth and had heard all the stories about medical staff fighting you if they didn’t agree with your choice. After meeting Melissa, who was our childbirth class instructor, and hearing what a wealth of knowledge she had we decided to hire her as our Doula. Melissa answered all of our questions far in advance and helped us develop a birth plan. She shared her knowledge about the birthing process and her inside information about the hospital and how we could best go about getting the birth experience we both wanted. Melissa came to our house several times before the birth to answer questions and ensure we had everything we needed. The night I went into labor Melissa came to our house to provide support and give us different positions to try while laboring. In the L&D room she provided us with constant support and encouragement. Melissa advocated on our behalf on several occasions to ensure our birth plan was followed. She also made sure that we got a nurse who was very “natural childbirth friendly”. My birth experience was exactly what I wanted. I gave birth to my 8lb 12oz baby boy naturally and spent the first hour holding this precious new life in my arms. I could not have asked for a better birth experience and I owe that to Melissa. She dealt with all of the politics at the hospital which allowed us to focus on the birth process. Melissa was a reassuring voice throughout my labor encouraging me and empowering me. We were so fortunate to have her as our Doula and would recommend her anyone who is looking for a Doula.

Lisa Belcher

12/7/2010

Melissa Harley was our doula for the birth of both of our children. The second was for the recent homebirth of our son. She was invaluable in both experiences but for different reasons. The first time was an induced birth in the hospital and she assisted us by assisting us in advocating for ourselves and asking the right questions of doctors and staff. She also continuously suggested laboring positions that helped me cope with contractions. For our homebirth, we were not sure if we would need a doula since we were working with midwives and those same interventions we had at the hospital would not be applicable at home. However, we elected to use a doula to provide pain management and emotional support. Furthermore, we felt like we knew Melissa (and that she knew us and our preferences and personalities) and felt comforted by her presence. It was absolutely the right decision – Melissa was there as soon as we needed her to be and gave me the confidence I needed at the right times during labor. When I was questioning myself or tensing up from contractions, she knew exactly what to say to help. She was also there during the contractions that my husband was pulled away for a couple of minutes. She helped both of us stay calm and focused on the birth experience. We are so appreciative of her services and recommend her very highly as a doula.

Debbie Fotsch

10/31/2010

Our first son was born on 13-Feb-2010 at 1am. This was an exciting, but also an anxiety filled time for my husband and me. I guess it was the fear of the unknown….how I would handle labor…what it would be like to be a first time parent. A rush of feelings swirled around in our heads. I heard through a co-worker about having a Doula and at the time I did not know what a Doula was. She explained about how they are a helper and an advocate during your pregnancy, labor and parenting experience. My husband and I prayed about the possibility of hiring a Doula. I started to make some phone calls and this led me to Melissa. She was amazing. She walked us through the process of labor and delivery while discussing options that we did not know was available. She gave my husband and me confidence that we could do this and she was with us through the whole process. It was so comforting to know that she was there as a support to answer questions and give us a heads up on what would most likely happen next in the hospital. She was knowledgeable, flexible and a wonderful support. I would highly recommend Melissa to be your Doula for your birthing experience. Thanks Melissa….

Margaret Wilson

10/29/2010

I attended the Intro to Childbirth workshop on October 7 and the Doula Training workshop on October 8-9.  Melissa hosted the training out of her home.  It was an intimate setting for an intimate educational experience.  Melissa was personable, friendly, and welcoming.  I enjoyed her company, and she was articulate and intelligent.  Overall, Melissa is an excellant trainer, and she incorporated several different teaching methods over the course of three days in order to keep us intrigued and attentive.  She had many personal anecdotes to share, and she was able to back up her knowledge with current research and best practices.  I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in becoming a doula to train with Melissa.  She makes herself available before, during, and after training in order to pass along valuable knowledge and allow new doulas networking opportunities via Facebook.

Tracey Morse

10/11/2010

I highly recommend Melissa as both a doula and a birth class instructor. During our class with Melissa she did a fantastic job of discussing potentially uncomfortable issues with a focus on evidence based care. While she makes it clear that evidence supports certain decisions regarding childbirth, she works to also create an accepting atmosphere that recognizes the very personal nature of these decisions. As a doula Melissa helped us think about and establish a birth plan and then make it happen. During the labor she was very supportive but had a great sense of when to back away and let it be an experience between my wife and me. My wife spent over twenty hours of her labor in our home thanks, in part, to the confidence and positioning advice that Melissa provided. My wife had a great drug free labor that we will always remember.

Rachel Depart, CNM

10/4/2010

I have known Melissa for 10 years.  She has been a doula for over 20 births that I have attended.  Melissa is caring, attentive and respectfull to the process and to the birthing mom and family.  Her experience and professionalism have made the difference between my client's ablitly to have the birth they dreamed of.  Melissa is commited to the birth process and the amazing transformation from a man and a woman to a mother and a father.  I highly recommed her!