Melissa Moschitto

7/25/2013

Choosing Maiysha Campbell as our doula was the best decision we could have made to support the birth of our daughter.  We knew that we wanted to have a strong support system for labor and birth, especially since I was going to deliver at a "traditional" hospital in NYC. My goal was to give birth naturally without the use of drugs.  In our two pre-natal prep visits with Maiysha, she patiently went through a wealth of material sharing her knowledge and expertise, answering questions, discussing various options, providing a more complete picture of what labor and delivery might be like.  Perhaps more importantly, she was building a relationship of trust and respect with me and my husband which was essential for the actual event!

When I went into the early stages of labor, Maiysha stayed in communication with me via phone and text.  Seven hours into labor in the wee hours of the morning, when labor started to intesify, Maiysha came to our apartment.  If we hadn't had her, we most likely would have gone to the hospital at this point which would have drastically changed the outcome of our birth.

Maiysha was there to coach and comfort, to let my husband rest (crucial), to assuage my fears and empower me, to help me listen to my body and pace myself through the journey.  She encouraged us to stay home as long as possible but fully supported my instincts as well.  Within a half hour of arriving at the hospital I was fully dialated and ready to push; despite this the doctors still pressured me to have an epidural and mentioned the possiblity of a c-section.

With Maiysha's guidance, we stayed on track and I delivered a healthy baby girl after 16 hours of labor without any drugs.  It was an intense experience and I am so very grateful for Maiysha's presence.  She also visited us when we returned home from the hospital to help with breastfeeding and post-partum adjustment.  Thank you, Maiysha!

Nadine Graham-Kaplan

6/5/2013

Maiysha was an amazing doula for the 2010 birth of my daughter. I was in labor for over about 5 days, and she was available 24/7 thoughout the early stages by phone, came over on day 3 and stayed until my daughter was finally born, after a long hospital labor that turned into an emergency C-section. She kept my family calm, including my husband. There was some drama going on that day, and she helped my husband keep it all away from me. We would have been lost without her. I highly recommend Maiysha to all expectant couples out there.