Dear Claudia, as my husband and I reflected on a birth of our daughter Lyra this past Tuesday, we have agreed that we could not have had such a beautiful birth experience without you.
As you know, I always thought that my pain threshold was not very high. I prepared myself for the worst: a never-ending journey filled with unbearable pain, followed by an emergency c-section. What I wanted, however, was a vaginal delivery with short labor and somewhat manageable pain. That is exactly what I got and I thank you for it.
When I think back to that evening, I realize that your presence and knowledge supported me as I coped with pain. By using various techniques and helping me establish the necessary mind-body connection, the pain was manageable and the labor was short. Certainly, the contractions were painful but, again, the key word here is manageable.
As I further reflect on my birth experience, I am grateful for the little things you did to help me: a touch of lavender oil, a wet towel, making me sip on water, even counting to 10 during the pushing stage. Visualizations, relaxing into pain as opposed to constricting, reminding me to take deep breaths as opposed to holding my breath-all those techniques were invaluable during labor. They may sound hokey or silly but I assure you-they made a huge difference. I can’t tell you how happy I was with how fast my labor progressed (5:30PM - to the hospital, 10:26PM the baby was born). I remember the hospital staff saying what a great job you did-I literally walked into the hospital at 8cm dilated!
The planning work that goes into being a doula is critical. Thank you for meeting with me two times before labor and getting to know me. Every mother deserves to have a doula like you. My labor experience is yet another proof that doulas make a huge difference in the length and the quality of labor.
-Daria Pizzuto
December 07, 2017
Meaningful Beginnings LLC
Birth Fee: $1800
Postpartum Rate: $45