I highly recommend Victoria as a doula. I was successful in having a natural (no epidural) birth at Prentice, but I could not have done it without Victoria. She is very knowledgeable about pregnancy, labor and delivery, and has a calm but firm demeanor that is essential for this type of work.
In addition to high praise from me, she earned similar praise from my husband and obstetrician. My delivering obstetrician (Dr. Elizabeth Nye) said that Victoria was a great doula and that she enjoyed working with her. This is a particularly meaningful compliment because Dr. Nye is a bit 'old school' and does not specialize in natural births. (I was supposed to have the nurse midwife from my OB practice that specializes in natural births, but she ended up being on vacation when I delivered.)
I did not have an easy labor and delivery but having Victoria on call and by our side was incredibly helpful. I was in labor/delivery for about 40 hours total. My water broke first (not ideal) and it took about 24 hours until I was in heavy labor. I went to the hospital about 30 hours after my water broke and was 6 or 6.5cm dilated. It took me another 6-7 hours to get to 10cm, and then I pushed for about 2 hours. I ended up needing a little pitocin to keep my contractions going during pushing (my first two hours of pushing pre-pitocin were essentially useless).
Even if you are not trying to have a natural birth but just want someone around who will keep you (and your husband!) calm when you go into labor, I highly recommend Victoria as a doula.
-Kelly Meissner
January 04, 2016
312Doulas *Classes*Doula*Breastfeeding*
Birth Fee: $1600 to $2300
Postpartum Rate: $30 to $45