Testimonial for Keelia Alder
We had an excellent experience with Keelia as our birth doula and I can definitely say that our birth experience would not have been what it was without her support. We had planned and hoped for a birth with minimal interventions and--after 46 hours of labor and 8 hours of full dialation and pushing--we delivered a hearty baby boy. Keelia's presence in the room and her counsel and good-nature kept us feeling empowered and focused. We were fortunate to have relatively accomodating hospital staff, but without Keelia, I am certain our birth experience would have quickly become a more typical experience and our birth plan departed from (especially given how lengthy my labor was and just how long we were in the hospital).
Through the entire 2-day labor, Keelia was there for us -- she didn't sleep and she was present in all ways the entire time. Her mental and emotional presence + her physical stamina (lots of massage and counterpressure) throughout was impressive!
It was very important for me, throughout labor and delivery, to remain active. I wanted to be on my feet, be able to move around, try different positions. I was adamant that I did not want to be on my back. At one point, during pushing the doctor did move me to my back in the bed, and with the help of my husband and Keelia, we were back up into pushing in squats after 2 pushes.
My husband and I were informed and knew what we wanted, we are also fairly effective advocates for ourselves, but I am certain that we needed not just each other but Keelia to be part of this process in order to achieve what we did in the postiive way we did. I cannot imagine the experience without her.
Lastly, Keelia's awareness and dedication to the politics of birth, and how societal pressures and power inequities impact women's reproductive health permeates her work. She is deeply thoughtful about and passionate about her work from the micro to the macro and this is an unusual find!
-April Osheroff-Lambert
June 29, 2017
Keelia Alder
Full-Spectrum Doula
Postpartum Rate: Not specified
