Testimonial for Melanie Russell
We relocated to Richmond late in my pregnancy. We knew that we wanted a doula and we kept seeing and hearing her name from our midwives and other strangers. She fit us into her schedule and met us twice at our house before the birth of our daughter. We also attended a 4 hour long class with her about a week before our due date.
Melanie was and is absolutely amazing. She helped prepare us not just for labor but for the coming of our baby into our family. She made sure that we were educated on our options and that we understood the process of labor BEFORE we were in the middle of it and potentially forced to make challenging decisions that could be motivated by pain, not information. I enjoyed my labor because of my mind set; which I owe to Melanie. Instead of viewing my prodermal labor as the"start" of labor, I slept through it, I followed her advice and did not get too excited or nervous. The morning of my daughter's birth she told me to sleep until I could not sleep any more, to rest up, and have a good meal to prepare for hard work. When I woke up at noon and wasn't able to comfortably sleep through my contractions she had us walk for 45 mintues, then switch from active to inactive labor positions that we had practiced in her class. I labored at home for about 5 hours until I was in transition when Melanie literally put underwear on me and helped my husband get me into the car. If it weren't for her driving with us, we would have delivered our baby girl in the back seat. She helped me breath through that instinctual urge to push until we were in the hospital room. She knew the hospital well and got a bucket of ice, washclothes, and music going with in minutes of us arriving to the hospital. Her work enabled my husband to be by my side. My baby girl was delivered 25 minutes later and Melanie helped me breast feed, and kept me relaxed as I recovered. She checked in with us after we were home and was always available.
-Caitlin Minnick
March 26, 2016
Melanie Russell
A Brighter Birth
Birth Fee: $1800
