Testimonial for Suzanne DeSelms
I never would have thought I'd hire a doula. I didn't think I needed one, since I've always opted for hospital births and couldn't get the epidural soon enough.
This plan worked great with my first. But, during the birth of my second son, I had two epidurals fail thanks to his posterior position. After opting for IV narcotics, there was a scare when his heart rate dipped, leading to a hurried vacuum extraction. While everything turned out fine, it wasn't an experience I wanted to repeat if I could help it. I knew I needed more support in place when it came time to deliver my third.
I found that support in Suzanne. My daughter's birth was by far the best experience of the three. That's not to say that everything went according to plan. I had a partial placental abruption during labor that resulted in a lot of blood lost and a scary couple of minutes. But through it all Suzanne was there keeping me calm (as well as my husband, who does not deal well with blood and guts or needles). Just knowing that she was there and on my team made all the difference. I was seven centimeters dilated when I got that epidural, and had no idea that I'd progressed that much! I credit Suzanne for helping me to feel so strong and empowered. We are forever grateful to her.
This is the note I wrote to Suzanne after my delivery:
"Dear Suzanne,
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement during Elise's birth. I had such confidence this time that things would be okay, even if the epidural didn't work again (but oh, I'm happy it did!) I'm so glad the stars aligned so that you could be there as this little girl came into our lives. I only wish I hadn't waited until my third birth to hire a doula. Even though there are no plans for more babies, I will forever stay Team Doula!"
-Erin Newcomb Davidson
July 26, 2017
Suzanne DeSelms
Waiting With You
Birth Fee: $2400 to $3400
