Testimonial for Joy Batchelder CD-L
I am not new to giving birth. I have had 3 natural deliveries then an early miscarriage and a traumatic pregnancy/2nd trimester emergency c section ending in an infant loss. Going into my 6th pregnancy my care looked extremely different than my first 3 and I knew I needed more support. The trauma of loss and complicated decisions about how to deliver due to the second trimester c section required personalized care and help processing my delivery options.
Enter Joy. After an initial consultation I knew she was the best fit. She helped me sift through my options when I kept swinging back and forth between a RCS vs VBAC. When the decision was made for the RCS she was there to help me think through how to make the delivery as natural as possible in a surgical setting. She wrote up a birth plan so I could advocate for myself before and the day of delivery and helped keep my husband and I calm while we waited to go back to surgery. She encouraged me that I could do this and that this would be redeeming. She encouraged my husband that he could make it through my surgery by my side. While in surgery my husband prayed for me and then Joy asked if she could pray for me as well. In her prayer she asked specifically that our little one would come out healthy and crying and need no NICU time. As she prayed those words my little one was born crying. It was a moment I will never forget!
Joy followed us into recovery to continue giving us support as I nursed for the first time. Then after I arrived home she texted me to check in on me multiple times and came to check in on me in person and to talk through and help me process the experience to make sure I was doing well. I would highly recommend Joy to anyone looking for a doula. He kindness and care were phenomenal in a hospital system that often feels so impersonal. She helped me to feel seen and heard in a setting that wasn't my preference, but that was needed due to the risks.
-Emily Bier
April 19, 2025
Joy Batchelder CD-L
The Joyful Doula LLC
Birth Fee: $1300 to $1800
