Testimonial for Melanie Russell
When I found out that I was pregnant with twins as a first time mom, I knew that I wanted the support of a doula to help navigate the many unknowns of a high risk pregnancy and labor. While attending a “Meet the Doulas” event where I was specifically looking for someone experienced with the birth of multiples, Melanie’s name kept coming up. From my very first interaction with her over email, I found Melanie to be warm, kind, knowledgable and supportive. When my husband and I met with Melanie, it was clear that she was the right person to invite into our journey and birth. After a few conversations, we decided to transfer care providers. Because Melanie helped us feel better prepared to ask the right questions at each of our appointments, we felt that we did everything in our power to set ourselves up for the type of birth experience we truly wanted, including working with the midwives which is not a standard practice with twins. Taking Melanie’s 6 week Lamaze class also proved to be a wonderful experience in that it not only further solidified the trust we had in Melanie as our doula, but allowed us to meet other parents-to-be and share our fears and hopes with those on a similar path. Although very little of my 32 hour labor and delivery went according to plan, Melanie was a constant source of encouragement and calm, supporting my husband and I in talking through several intense, time-sensitive decisions. We felt cared for and ended up having two perfect, healthy 6 lb. 8 oz. babies. Melanie even captured both of their births on our camera, something that we will always be thankful for. Her postpartum home visit was critical in helping me process their birth and work through some questions that I had as a new mom. You can’t control your birth, but you can be sure that if you hire Melanie as your doula, you will be supported every single step of the way. I can’t say enough about how thankful my husband and I are for her.
-Amber Mueller
December 02, 2014
Melanie Russell
A Brighter Birth
Birth Fee: $2000
