Ursula was the perfect doula for us.  She provided physical, psychological and emotional relief from long before the baby was born until well after.  She let us focus on having the baby and eased many of the accompanying worries by helping us prepare and by letting us lean on her considerable experience and poise when needed.  She knew how to support us and our wishes for a natural, vaginal childbirth.

For various risk factor reasons we chose to have our baby in a hospital, and Ursula was very supportive of our needs and desires while also helping the hospital staff.  I am certain they were glad for her presence.  She helped them several times and never appeared to get in their way.

During the birth she had a veritable arsenal of tricks and suggestions to maximize comfort for the mother.  She shared these techniques with the father so that he could play an active role, which was greatly appreciated.

After the birth she was sensitive to our breastfeeding difficulties and never overbearing.  She was highly available before and after the birth for consultation.  She maintains a vast array of recommended resources and contacts.  We have found them excellent from lactation consultants to chiropractors - and we are skeptics on chiropractors!

We had previously taken Bradley method birth classes from her, so we already knew that her knowledge and experience were second to none, and that she well understood all of our birth goals (as well as the ins and outs of hospital procedures and practices, which are not always completely aligned).

 

We could not have asked for a better doula experience.