Rachel Ready

8/4/2017

Alison was absolutely everything we needed with the birth of our second child. During our pre-birth consultation, she asked good questions and noted answers about our preferences (which she remembered and honored at the birth!). She was accesible before the birth, answering questions and checking in. At 41 weeks, when it felt like the baby would never come, she was positive, empathetic, and encouraging. She helped keep us in good spirits and made helpful suggetions. When our little one finally got on the move, Alison was by our side almost immediately. She helped us navigate the hospital (HCGH) swiftly, and provided calm, authoritative coaching through labor. She applied massage techniques, used pressure points, directed my breathing, and was rock solid through the birth. After birth, she was helped my baby latch on, and watched to ensure staff made sure our preferences were honored - delayed cord clamping, etc. During my follow up appointment with her, she was keen to check on all topics and made sure I'll felt comfortable in my new role of a mom of two.

If you're type A (like me) and want someone who knows their stuff - how to handle a tense situation like a boss, but yet still remain gentle, empathetic, and warm - Alison is the doula for you!

Amanda J

6/30/2016

We were matched with Alison based on our preferences, and it was a fantastic fit! Alison is a very kind, professional, and understanding doula. Although we did not have the exact birth experience we had hoped for due to challenges with our physician, she did everything she could to help prepare us and support me during the process. Alison was great at talking us through our options and helping me to feel in control when things started changing prior to the big day. I would definitely work with Alison again, and was pleased with our experience with Informed Birth Choices.

Kasi Klingbiel

11/23/2015

We met Alison through the Informed Child Birth class that we took. From the moment we met her we knew she would be a great match with our family. She is knowledgeable, easy going and has a good sense of humor too. This was our first chid so we wanted someone who would give us the facts but not push us into any specific situation. We wanted to be the ones making the informed decisions. Our first meeting with Alison was great, it confirmed for us that Alison was the right Doula for us. She made us feel prepared and reassured us that we were doing everything we needed to in order to be prepared for our labor and delivery. On the big day, Alison was available and supportive. While my labor was much shorter than anticipated, Alison jumped right in upon arrival and supported the process. She knew how to not only support me through relaxation techniques and general guidance but she also helped my husband feel like an important part of the process. She encouraged him and gave him ideas of how to support me throughout the labor and delivery. This not only made me extremely happy but it also gave my husband the encouragement and confidence he needed throughout the process. Overall, I would strongly recommend Alison to anyone that is looking for an informed and supportive doula. She was wonderful and we were extremely happy with her and her services!

Erin Kleopa

1/15/2015

My husband and I interviewed several doulas as we journeyed through our second pregnancy. I delivered naturally with my first child. Though I could not control the length of my active labor (25 hours), I had terrible back labor because he was coming out sunny side up. While I shared this with all doulas we interviewed, Alison was the only doula who instilled great confidence for us in her knowledge and technique, not only for comfort measures but also offering tidbits of her knowledge on ways to help turn/keep baby in a good position for labor and delivery.

Not only is Alison knowledgeable and confident, her demeanor and personability develop a great sense of trust for the parents-to-be. This is crucial for the labor and delivery to be as calm, relaxed and smooth-flowing as possible, no matter how you choose to birth. Alison is completely respectful and supportive of the parents' desires for their birth experience. Alison proved to be an amazing advocate for us with medical staff and unbiased in offering options to consider. While in labor, I felt my baby's feet/legs pressing out directly on my belly button, so I knew she was not in the right position! Alison suggested several things to do to help turn her for birth - she turned and I had no back labor! Just one of the many ways Alison had tremendous positive impacts on our birth experience. We are so grateful for her!

We highly recommend requesting Alison as your doula. She is fantastic!

Karen Kearney

9/10/2014

I'm incredibly pleased with Alison as my doula. This was my first birth and we took classes and learned all of the tricks of the trade, but it was essential to have a doula who has been through many of the unexpected ineviblities. Being the perfect fit for us, Alison was easy to get along with, down to Earth, knowledgable, beyond experienced, and accomadating. Before the birth, she kept checking in on us to help us with any unforseen difficulties. During the birth she was key in helping me through my labor pains. When my husband was exhausted or just wasn’t quick enough for my demands, Alison was right there making sure I was as comfortable as possible, which was best for me and my baby. With a slew of different nurses coming in and shift changing doctors, it was imperative to have a consistent knowledgable person close by. Alison gave my husband and I strong confidence in the decisions we had to make. When the birth was over, she was right there helping me ease into breast feeding and it worked out perfectly! There are so many complications with birth, and so much to learn that you eventually can’t figure out. It was the best decision we made to have Alison there and if we plan to have any more children, I will make sure that she’s my doula!

Jessica Boro

4/10/2014

Alison helped me to get into different positions while at my house and helped Sam know how to support me physically. While my husband was an excellent support and knew some positions to make me more comfortable, it really took Alison’s steady hand to ease my discomfort and pain. When Alison arrived, I was in the bathroom, laboring while standing against the wall. Although my husband had tried to get me to try something else, Alison actually had a plan of action. She got me into the living room and onto our birth ball. Almost immediately, my contractions were more bearable. She then massaged my back and reminded me to quiet and slow my breathing during contractions.

She and Sam worked as an excellent team, taking turns supporting me. Alison would communicate with Sam without me knowing and they would be able to get me to calm down or breathe more slowly. There were times when I really needed my husband, and Alison was there to direct him in how to care for me better. There were other times when I needed an outside figure to help refocus or get beyond a particularly painful contraction, and Alison was right there to help.