Testimonial for Mariah Falin, CD(PALS), PPD, PES
Mariah and Ildi are fantastic doulas. Their focus is about helping to empower you to get the experience you want from birth. While they both have a huge wealth of knowledge and experience to share, they led with getting to know me and digging into my wishes and fears around birth. Then they brought out the tools that would help me and my partner navigate through this very intense period of our lives.
Our service with them included two in-home pre-birth sessions (one with each), the birth, and two in-home postpartum check-ins. During the pre-birth sessions, they learned more about us and tought us different laboring techniques, pain coping mechanisms, and prenatal exercises to help with baby positioning and prep for labor. Each of them had their topics to cover, and we got something from each. The sessions gave me the confidence I needed going into labor.
When my labor started, they were there on call, coaching me through over the phone until it was time to do it in person. I started laboring two days before my water broke and they were texting me tips and affirming messages that kept me calm, relaxed, and made me feel supported. Mariah was my doula when active labor really kicked in. She was there with us through the end helping us with laboring positions, reminding us both to rest and drink water, coaching me through pushing & breastfeeding, and helping us get more help when we needed it. I am not sure I would have delivered naturally without having had her support.
Now, that I'm 6 weeks postpartum, the thing I treasure the most is when Mariah captured the first moments of meeting our baby on my husband's phone. As you might imagine, we were too preoccupied at the time to even think about doing that and my memory of the experience is fuzzy at best. It's so wonderful to have those moments captured.
-Heather Grdinic
November 09, 2016
Mariah Falin, CD(PALS), PPD, PES
Birth Matters NW
Birth Fee: $3600
Postpartum Rate: $60 to $65
