Testimonial for Melissa Duenas-Witter
When my wife first told me she wanted a doula to attend the birth of our twins, I was somewhat surprised. Her mom hired a doula mostly because her husband was not a particularly strong support system nor an active partner through her pregnancy. These two things are pretty much the opposite of me as a partner. I knew we both were sure of how supportive and encouraging I could be through the delivery. As soon as we began working with Melissa, I knew my wife's interest in having a doula was a great instinct. My wife can worry a lot about worst case scenarios. Throughout the pregnancy, Melissa was a crucial part of helping my wife manage her anxiety. Melissa has an amazing intuition for the particular needs of her individual clients, and she used that to cater to my wife's specific anxieties. One way she did this was by providing extensive research and information to my research-obsessed wife. This was exactly what my wife needed. Melissa's presence at the birth was reassuring and comforting to both of us. I was happy-crying through a lot of the labor and delivery and Melissa was very present, even crying along with me, while keeping my wife's needs centered. My wife was seriously remarkable through a challenging labor and vaginal delivery of two OP (face-up) babies. While I know that strength and power came from my wife, I truly feel like Melissa's presence helped her tap into that. When my wife was feeling defeat and said "I can't do this" Melissa told her "you're already doing it! You CAN do this". When we needed to make a decision during the birth, we were glad to have her there to guide/support us. After the healthy birth of our twins Melissa continued to support us both in a very emotional time. We are a gay couple and if I am ever pregnant I can only hope I'd be able to have her attend my delivery. After working with Melissa I feel so strongly that everyone should have a doula, and would tell anyone in Connecticut to look up Melissa <3
-Emma Lesser
September 20, 2018
Melissa Duenas-Witter
Diary of a Doula
Birth Fee: $2650 to $5000
