Testimonial for Melissa Duenas-Witter
People have asked me why I needed a doula. I had apprenticed as a doula & served in a supporting role for so many family/ friends in their births. I carried with me the personal experiences of 4 miscarriages and the blessing of 5 beautiful births. I knew birth. What they didn’t know was that since the birth of our 5th child I had come to know loss, so much loss. The loss that was especially heartbreaking was that of my sweet Nephew/Godson at the age of 13. I chose to help my family in their grief while avoiding mine. When I became pregnant those hormones that were working together so beautifully to create the miracle of life, were a force of destruction on the dam I had built. Just like that all the ugly came flooding out. My grief suddenly overwhelmed me greater than my joy. I felt weak and broken. I knew my husband and I were going to need extra care and support. I needed a doula and it had to be Melissa. She always knew when to save space for me, when to sit in my grief with me, when to kick me in my behind, when to push me to question my truth, when I needed to breathe. By the time our son's birth came around, I felt strong. I felt connected to my body, my baby, my husband, and my God. Melissa had done everything that I needed to get me to a place where I could feel empowered again. This isn’t a birth story so I won't share all the details of the birth of our amazing baby boy but there are a few things I want to share. Melissa fiercely supported all of my choices even if she wouldn’t have made them for herself. When my son had issues breathing at birth, my husband went to be by his side. Melissa was WITH me. When our little Santino let out his first cry, I saw the tears in her eyes and the smile in her face, I knew beyond a doubt that Melissa had invested so much more into getting me to that moment than I could have ever asked her for, dreamed of, or placed a value on. Melissa truly was a blessing to our family of 8.
-Jennese B
March 26, 2018
Melissa Duenas-Witter
Diary of a Doula
Birth Fee: $2250 to $2850
