Testimonial for Candace McCollett, CBE, CLD, CLE
I can still remember the first time my husband and I met with Candace prior to the birth of our first child. One of the questions she asked was, "why do you want to hire a doula?" The question caught me off guard - I couldn't think of a good answer other than, "because I'm scared and want to be fully prepared for this process." And to be honest, that was the truth.
We ended up hiring Candace and I'm so glad we did! She worked with us through all our questions both before and after delivery. Her calming presence and extensive knowledge made me confident we made the right decision to have her on our team. It was also so helpful to have to answer my phone calls and text messages at nearly every hour of the day or night.
When someone looks to hire a doula, it seems like their primary goal is to have a natural birth with no medical interventions. For me, a natural birth was something I was interested in but it wasn't a top priority, yet we chose to hire a doula anyway. Candace was always supportive of our decisions and gave us information on the choices my husband and I made as opposed to persuading us into make specific decisions - and I ended up with a natural birth anyway!
Another worry of mine when hiring a doula was whether or not I would have a long enough labor to have a doula really help. Labor can be so unpredictable! For me, my labor turned out to be relatively short and we only saw Candace for a short time, yet, having her there was extremely helpful. She helped us remember what was on our birth plan, get started with breastfeeding, and help us enjoy our time together as a new family. Her follow-up visits after we came home were also invaluable. We covered everything from the weight of our baby to how to use a baby carrier to problems I didn't even realize I had with breastfeeding.
If you are on the fence about hiring a doula or don't know which one to hire, stop now and call Candace. You will not regret it!
-Stacy Glaus
July 08, 2014
Candace McCollett, CBE, CLD, CLE
Westside Birth Connection
Birth Fee: $1000 to $1900
