Testimonial for Odile Penet, CD(DONA), LCCE, PES
I cannot recommend Odile enough! My husband and I took to Odile right away because of her warm and calm demeanor. During the interview process, she thoughtfully answered all of our questions and talked through how she might support us. After we hired her, we had a great long meeting with Odile to go through our thoughts on how we envisioned our labor and delivery, how we might approach obstacles, and what we might do to prepare in my final weeks of pregnancy. Odile was especially helpful in working with us to figure out ways my husband could best support me through the process. When the big day came, Odile was continually available by phone to counsel us on how we might deal with my progressing labor. (She was also able to come to our apartment at any time during my labor, but we didn’t feel the need for in-person help until we were on our way to the hospital.) When my water broke early in the morning, she made a great recommendation: take a long walk around the neighborhood to get your contractions going. It worked! She also planned out her travel into DC ahead of time, knowing that afternoon traffic might be bad, and knowing that my labor might kick into full gear around that time. When we met up at the hospital, Odile helped me try different labor positions, made tea for me (a special blend for labor), and helped my husband and mom support me as contractions got worse. She made a great suggestion to get into the shower when my contractions started to get really bad, and gave me the space I needed when I wanted some alone time during active labor. When I felt the need to push, she supported me and helped my husband to support me. She was also very attentive to me once the baby came out, staying by my side while the doctors finished their work. In the end, my husband and I were able to have exactly the kind of labor and delivery we had hoped and planned for, and we strongly believe that it wouldn’t have been possible without Odile.
-Sarah Hutcheon Mancoll
September 13, 2013
Odile Penet, CD(DONA), LCCE, PES
My Birth Companion, LLC
Birth Fee: Not specified
