Testimonial for Katie Immel
At 41, I got pregnant for the first time and knew I wanted to have a low-key, low-intervention birth. My husband and I liked Katie from the moment we met and knew she was the right partner for us. Despite the additional testing I was subjected to due to my age, my pregnancy went very smoothly and normally. I wish I could say the same about the delivery. Labor started normally and progressed uneventfully...at first. I was at 7 cm when I arrived at the hospital mid-afternoon and was looking forward to meeting my baby by nightfall. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the next morning dawned with the baby still inside. I seemed to get stuck just when things should have been accelerating.
As important as it is to have a doula at your side when things go smoothly, it is even MORE important to have one when things don't go according to plan. Katie was a godsend and things would have been exponentially worse without her. She never threw in the towel, helping me to try different positions, keeping my spirits up, working with my midwife to try and help me along, and commiserating as my birth turned into everything I didn't want: waters broken, epidural, pushing from the hated lithotomy position, and finally the dreaded c-section. While my midwife intimated I shouldn't be all weepy over a c-section the day after the Boston Marathon bombings, a remark that still stings, Katie totally got it: she understood how devastated I was and sympathized with me, and that meant so much. She took beautiful, tasteful photos that I treasure, and once my son was born, she helped him begin breastfeeding immediately and stayed with me until we were settled in the recovery room. She was with me for over 30 hours straight and was never anything but calm and positive. I can't say enough good things about her. She is smart, warm, caring, and knowledgeable, and I am so glad she was there for the birth of my son. Thank you, Katie.
-Amanda Ennis
March 10, 2014
Birth Fee: $800
