Testimonial for Vicki Bloom
I was attempting a VBAC after an emergency C section and history of high risk pregnancy. I was searching for someone with significant experience, and Vicki was a perfect match. She was knowledgable and supportive in our early visits. I experienced almost three weeks of exhausting prodromal labor, and it was comforting to be able to text Vicki details and ask questions.
When it was time, things moved quickly, and Vicki met me at the hospital. They directed us to a crowded triage room. My contractions were doubling, less than two minutes apart and never coming fully down before the next one peaked. Vicki guided us through a range of positions to help the baby drop into a better position, and the contractions spaced out to a managable 3 minutes apart (doubling happened again later in labor and again Vicki was able to address it. I am so impressed by her capacity to read my body in labor). When the hospital insisted that I could only have one support person and that they didn't have rooms available so I was trapped in triage indefinitely, Vicki negotiated remaining present alongside my husband, who was applying significant counterpressure to my contractions as my only form of pain relief. I would never have managed a successful VBAC without the continued support of both Vicki and my husband, so her skill interfacing with the hospital was critical.
In active labor, the hospital moved in with a series of medically unnecessary interventions, despite my objections. The OB refused to allow me to labor in my chosen position, forcing me onto my back. The experience was dehumanizing and physically damaging (they threatened a c section if I didn't push between contractions and I tore) and it was extremely helpful to be able to debrief after with Vicki. Despite the hospital, we managed a successful unmedicated VBAC, as I wished.
-Annalise Wolf Sweeney
June 17, 2026
Vicki Bloom
Whole Self Doula
Birth Fee: $1800 to $2750
Postpartum Rate: $45 to $75
