Testimonial for Melissa Johnson VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON SUPPORT from Tom Mothersill

Testimonial for Melissa Johnson VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON SUPPORT

My first child was delivered with no doula in a hospital with an OB, which is what i've always heard would be the "conventional" way of doing childbirth. I had read a book that talked about the benefits of doing it the all natural way (typically less tearing, shorter labor along with a few others). My wife (Mary) agreed with the logic, but she was terrified at the idea of having to deal with that much pain. She met me in the middle with a statement that she wouldn't commit to anything for sure but would go as natural as possible. When we got to the hospital, all of that was shattered because most of the nurses made it clear they thought doing this without an epidural was completely unrealistic (much less without drugs of any sort). It was never a question of "if," it was a question of "when."

Having a doula and a midwife the second time around made things completely different! Every decison Mary made was clearly respected, and if any change was made to the plan it would start with a suggestion and a few options presented to her. My wife chose to be induced, even though she was explicitly warned that it would most likely mean that things would not go according to plan.

In the end, very little went according to plan because the baby ended up being much bigger then anyone anticipated (10lbs 3oz) and when it came time to push we discovered he was literally stuck. But what matters to me is that with the support of Melissa, Mary was able to go through 42 hours of labor after coming to the hospital (most of it in very high spirits) before the baby came.

Having Melissa as a doula meant that someone Mary could trust was constantly comforting her and reminding her about techniques to make things progress easier. Fellow husbands, trust me when i say your wife will tell you to shut up near the end, and that is a time when only the doula can really help to guide her at all!

Also really nice to get free professional photos!

-Tom Mothersill

November 08, 2017