Rachel

4/30/2024

Hiring Kathleen as our doula was one of the best decisions I made during my pregnancy. My goal for my birth was to have as few interventions as possible in a hospital. While my husband and I did a lot of research into different positions & techniques that could help us to achieve that goal, I knew that having an experienced birth doula on my side would make me feel much more confident in pursuing this goal. 

I can say with confidence that Kathleen exceeded my expectations & was absolutely crucial to my achieving the birth of my dreams! Not only did she provide extremely helpful guidance as I labored at home and at the hospital, but she also guided us through the rocky beginnings of our breastfeeding journey with great professionalism. Her expertise in knowing the anatomy of birth was clear as she coached me through positions & exercises that helped my son into the best position for birthing. In addition, having such a knowledgeable IBCLC in the birth room was incredibly helpful as we navigated my son's less-than-ideal latch. The fact that she knew our birth story so well (since she was present!) was essential to helping us get our son the care he needed to correct his oral restrictions. 

Overall, I would absolutely, 110% recommend Kathleen to anyone wanting a kind, knowledgeable coach/cheerleader on their birthing team!!

Emma Williams

4/8/2023

I had a wonderful experience with Kathleen! I am glad that I went ahead and looked for a doula fairly early in my pregnancy, this gave me alot of time to get to know Kathleen. Kathleen also put up with my many questions during pregnancy, she gave me advice and helped with even simple things like what questions should I be asking my doctor. We went over educational things to read and watch, so when the big day rolled around I felt as prepared as I could be. Fun fact, I didnt actually meet Kathleen in person until I was actually in labor at the hosptial (I live way out in the middle of nowhere and our schedules didnt line up for us to meet) but since i had talked with her so much it felt like we had met many times before. A lot of things I thought I would do during labor were to uncomfortable or didnt work like I thought they would, but Kathleen was not phased by that at all. She calmly suggested different postions and was activly working with me to get the baby in a better postion. When it came time for the doctors to start talking about different interventions Kathleen made sure I was aware of what they were talking about doing and that I was ok with what was happening. This is what I asked for so she did exactly what I needed her todo. she is driven to make sure the mom gets what they want and that they are happy and comfortable, I highly reccomend her!

Karina Monroe

3/5/2023

Kathleen was a great assistance to me having the birth experience of my dreams. My first birth did not go as planned and I was determined to be able to have my second birth with no epidural. 

I had very weak lower abs due to severe diastasis recti which meant baby's head was down but not actually engaging the pelvis. With Kathleen's guidance we were able to get baby's head engaged by putting my body in positions that helped improve engagement and encourage descending for inducing labor after I had no contraction signs from 40 to 41 weeks. 

It was extremely beneficial to have Kathleen's support in the Labor & Delivery room, coaching between stages of labor and helping me see that the finish line was only moments away. Kathleen also helped advocate for me to the nurse staff when I struggled to respond due to contractions and respected my wishes and birth plan. With Kathleen's help we made sure together that the L&D staff did not interrupt what was helping my physiological labor process to include negating some suggestions from the doctors that were against my wishes. 

I will never forget when the doctor said "You're only 8 inches, you aren't ready to deliver yet!" While I was actively pushing, and Kathleen said, "the baby is dilating her on her way out!" Such a simple statement but so powerful. A doctor doesn't tell you when you're ready to give birth from cervical checks, the baby and your body does! Moments later, I had a baby! You can't stop a natural process when you're feeling the Fetal Ejection Reflex! 

With Kathleen's support, I really felt like I could give birth without pain medication and really own my feminine power! And best of all I had a supportive team with my husband actively engaged since he knew how to help and Kathleen coaching along the way! Kathleen receives my highest recommendation as a doula!