Testimonial for Autumn Duckworth
I credit my successful VBAC at age 39 mostly to the support of Autumn and Jocelyn. Despite all my best intentions, I did not go into labor in a strong state of mind. I felt worried for my baby, who was overdue and showing signs of distress. I also didn’t trust my own body after having had an unsuccessful labor previously and an emergency c-section after 26 hours of labor (with six hours of pushing) which started at home and ended up with a baby in the NIC unit. After that experience the prospect of natural labor deeply terrified me, but I felt strongly that I wanted to try for a VBAC anyway. Autumn and Jocelyn gave me exactly the coaching I needed to help me find strength and to deliver successfully despite a difficult position of the baby. They supported me with complete respect for each my decisions.
I feel so blessed to have had Autumn and Jocelyn help me achieve a successful VBAC. My recovery has been much more rapid than after my cesarian, allowing me to really enjoy these first days and weeks with my newborn and family. It would have been excruciating to come home to my five-year old as an invalid after this birth. But instead I have been able to get him ready for school and read to him and bake cookies with him since our first day home from the hospital.
I also really appreciated Autumns postpartum visit to my home. I had been struggling with sore, raw nipples (a problem I did not have with my first) and she helped me correct the latch and try different breast-feeding positions that quickly improved the pain and let my nipples recover. She also had many useful tips for all aspects of life with a newborn.
Overall Autumn and Jocelyn were both a perfect combination of warm, sincere, supportive, extremely competent, reliable, organized and professional. They showed enormous endurance at my birth and went the extra mile to support us. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
-Lisa Hayward
March 25, 2015
Autumn Duckworth
Seattle Doula Partners
Birth Fee: $2000 to $2500
