Michelle Husain

3/19/2012

When we met Paula she stood out to us as very warm and a good communicator.  She has a lot of experience and offered us a lot of great tips regarding supplements, stretches, etc.  Paula was available to talk anytime in the weeks before the birth (including via text, which was a big time saver for us). When my water broke and nothing happened contraction-wise, she brought supplements over to our house to help things get going and protect against infection. When I finally went in to have a non-stress test 24 hours later, she was very helpful in navigating things when they wanted me to check in to the hospital.  During labor, Paula was absolutely excellent in knowing when to intervene during my contractions and when to do nothing. She suggested different positions to help the baby come down.  Paula and my husband got along very well. Eventually, I did have to have a c-section and Paula was very sensitive to our needs; she tactfully suggested that she step out for a minute after the c-section decision so that my husband and I could have some alone time, which we really needed at that moment. She also stayed with me during recovery, texting with my husband, who was with our baby, and giving me updates about exactly what was happening with our new baby. She showed me the pictures that he sent of our guy getting his first bath, etc. This was HUGE for me, since I didn't get to see my first baby at all after my c-section. She also communicated well with the nurses so that I got to have my baby with me as soon as physically possible.  Overall, I think she is fabulous; a very skilled and sensitive doula whom I would recommend to anyone, especially a VBAC mom. She understood the extra emotional "baggage" that this group in particular sometimes carries. Her wardrobe of track suits also earns five stars! :)