Testimonial for Kristie Anderson BSN CD (DONA)
I'm not good with expressing my thoughts and feelings into words, so I've put off writing this review for almost 3 months. But the more I think about it, the more I want every pregnant woman I know to know that hiring a doula is the BEST decision for you to prepare for labor. And if you're a pregnant woman in Southeast Michigan, hiring Kristie as your doula will leave you with absolutely no regrets at all.
Kristie explained everything to me and my husband and made sure we understood the different interventions that hospitals use to help us come up with a birth plan that I was comfortable with.
Unfortunately, my labor didn't go as I wanted because my water broke but no contractions came for 24 hours. Kristie was the first person I called after my water broke and she helped calm me down; I was panicking because I was a week and a half early. The next day, I went to the hospital and they started me on pitocin.
We decided to have her come when the contractions really started getting hard, so that she was really well rested and could be fully present for me. The moment I saw her coming through the door, I felt immense relief. She immediately jumped into action by using counter pressure and spoke soft words of encouragement to me. She suggested so many different positions for managing contractions and helped keep me as calm as possible.
She gave my husband a rest, so he could be fully present during pushing. She held my hand through it all. Pushing was hard, but she never wavered in her support for me and she gave so much encouragement. She stayed while the doctor worked on my repair and she helped keep me focused on my daughter so I wouldn't start panicking about what the doctor was doing.
There are some things that I wish had gone differently that day, but don't regret having Kristie there with me. If I ever need a doula again, it will be Kristie, there is no doubt in my mind about that!
-Katie Smuda
April 14, 2025
Kristie Anderson BSN CD (DONA)
Joyful Journey Doula Services LLC
Birth Fee: $1100 to $1150
