Testimonial for Rachael Katz, Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, CLE
When it came to hiring a doula, I'll admit I approached it clinically. I had done my research and was hoping for an unmedicated vaginal birth to ease recovery. Then we met Rachael and she stood out immediately. I went in thinking of her as a smart, evidence-based investment. I came out understanding I had vastly underestimated what she was going to give us. Knowing what I know now, I would pay double just to have Rachael by my side again.
After a very long labor where I never dilated past 4.5 cm, my baby was ultimately born by C-section. That was not the birth I had planned, and this is where I want to be clear for any expecting parent wondering whether a doula is "worth it" if their birth doesn't go the way they hoped. Having Rachael there helped me survive, cope and appreciate the kind of birth I had hoped to avoid. She showed up for the birth I had, and when the moment came to decide whether to keep laboring or move to a C-section, Rachael shared what she had seen with a previous client in a similar situation. She did not tell me what to do. She gently helped me see the path that was safest for me and Nathan. I still remember her words, that I would still be getting to meet Nathan, just via a different way. That sentence stayed with me through the surgery and is something I will carry forever.
Rachael was my relentless advocate. She refilled my water endlessly, got me my favorite jello, asked for different pillows, used counter pressure for my pain, and agreed without hesitation to my "Tropic Thunder gummy bears" code word for the epidural. When things got hard, she was the one talking to the doctors and nurses, asking the right questions, translating what was happening into language I could absorb. When my baby was born, I was her longest labor to date, but she did not leave my side until Nathan arrived.
Rachael is endlessly patient, an incredible human being, and I am thankful she is a doula. She is the best.
-Rubi Reeser (Haugen)
May 19, 2026
Rachael Katz, Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, CLE
New Adventures Doula
Birth Fee: $2400
Postpartum Rate: $65 to $70
