Testimonial for Gretchen Retka from Krystal Nguyen

Testimonial for Gretchen Retka

I love Gretchen and am so happy that I found her to provide support during one the most memorable experiences of my life. I interviewed 8 doulas, and she easily stood out to me.

She is gorgeous inside and out and her presence is very pleasant. She has a gentle, calm voice, and I love that she has a holistic and very supportive approach. I didn't feel like she would push strong opinions on me or make me feel judged---and she didn't. I feel she practices what she preaches; self-care, health, community, etc. She teaches yoga, has a passion for birth and families, loves babies, and is a talented musician (she sang some beauftiful songs to our baby).

During prenatal visits, Gretchen talked through many things with my husband and me and shared a lot of useful info. She lent me some books. She also practiced some Spinning Babies poses with me, talked about relaxation and pain management techniques, and worked through some things to consider for my birth plan. I was initially terrified of giving birth; I couldn't talk about it without tearing up in fear but working with her really helped me come to a place where I felt very empowered and excited to give birth.

My labor and delivery was nothing like we had planned for, but with Gretchen’s support, it was still an incredibly joyous and beautiful experience for me that I will treasure forever. People are always shocked when I say my labor was really fun. I can definitely thank Gretchen for that. ??

I appreciate the advocating she did for me at the hospital as well. She made me aware of some things like when they were about to give me medication I would otherwise not have known about. There were so many things that she did that I'm grateful for. Her after care and check-ins with me were also really great.

I could say endless good things but there is a limit for the review on this site, so I’ll just end by saying that I can’t recommend her enough!

-Krystal Nguyen

July 13, 2018