Testimonial for Nicole JeanBaptiste
As my son's first birthday approaches, I, like many mamas, have become nostalgic about this incredible year that has gone by. I look down at my sleeping child and reflect on how I've literally watched him grow in my arms, from the moment he was placed there at birth. I went to search for that photo of that breathtaking moment, captured by Nicole, and a flood of emotions ran through me.
I knew the moment I read her web page that I wanted her to be my doula for my home birth. We chatted over the phone a few weeks before labor and met with my whole birth team. She brought an ethereal energy into the space, her voice confidently calm and her words bearing womanly wisdom.We connected before birth and that trust sustained me through 37hrs of labor.
The day I went into labor she was the first to arrive. I remember playing Alicia Keys while she guided me through movements to manage early labor. Her smile always served as reassurance that this entire process was intuitive. We moved from a series motions, positions, whatever she saw fitting to help me manage the contractions. Her coping toolbox seemed endless: oils, massages, wraps, words...
In the final hours of labor, although I was inconceivably exhausted, Nicole was present in all sense of the word; she kept me grounded and focused through affirmations I had written for that very moment. "You are safe. Your baby is safe."
And it was in the safety of that environment--after a day and half of back labor-- that I closed my eyes and knew that the well wasn't empty. See, throughout this entire labor, I thought the well kept running dry. But there was always one more drop that Nicole reminded me of. In the end, though it was I who carried the flag, Nicole carried the torch. Even with my eyes closed her voice was the light, guiding me to that one final push.
Thank you Nicole for being an incredible doula and champion for a dignified birthing experience.
-Amanda Martinez
July 13, 2018
Nicole JeanBaptiste
Sésé, Birthing Freedom
Birth Fee: $3500 to $4000
