Testimonial for NYC Birth Village Doulas from Leah Ansell

Testimonial for NYC Birth Village Doulas

I found Karla and Narchi through a facebook moms group. I interviewed 5 doulas and they stood out among the others. They came in person for an interview and I was struck by their warmth and openness. They are non-judgmental and respect your wishes for birth. I am a physician and it was important to work with someone "evidence-based" and they fit this well, especially in comparison with other doulas. I felt reassured having them throughout pregnancy and asked them many questions. My husband and I loved the sessions prior to delivery. Karla and Narchi proactively reached out, checking in to see how things were going and sending articles in the weeks leading up to birth. When I went into labor I felt so much support. Narchi was beyond wonderful. She spent hours with us, when we needed support in early labor she was at our apartment, making sure I drank enough and provided so much comfort and advice. At the hospital she was the most amazing support. So knowledgable about the birth process and helped explain things that were going on. She was soothing and helped me find comfortable positions and gave me a leg massage which felt so wonderful. During pushing I developed a fever and the baby was showing signs of distress and the MD gave me an option to attempt vacuum delivery with risk of emergency C-section or proceed with C-section. I was able to talk it through with Narchi + decided to attempt vacuum, which fortunately worked out and delivered my healthy baby boy. Narchi stayed with us after to ensure that we were able to initiate breastfeeding. She left at 3AM once we were taken to our room. After birth they checked in on us and were available for any questions that came up. I loved the post-partum visit as I had many questions about breastfeeding and baby. They remain supports to me when random questions pop up + my husband and I are so grateful to have them. We would give them our highest recommendation and I will hire them again in my next pregnancy.

-Leah Ansell

August 05, 2016