Testimonial for Katie Richardson, CD(DONA)

After a horrible experience with our first child, we knew we wanted to do things differently this time. We interviewed two doulas--the second was Katie. While the first doula was fine, Katie made us feel so at ease immediately. She is down to earth without being so earthy that I couldn't relate to her. Katie, my husband and I made a plan. From the beginning, Katie was very supportive and open of my choices. Our baby was breech so we had an external version. Katie was right there the whole time, helping me relax. The version successfully turned the baby. About a week later, I went into labor. Over night, I tried to sleep and prepare for the upcoming event. When it became more intense, Katie came over. She was absolutely wonderful. She set small goals for me and recommended different positions. Most importantly though, she was a calming influence. We chatted between contractions and watched bad movies. My husband felt so much better with Katie there (afterward, he said he would have paid double). Finally, my contractions intensified (did not become closer together--heads up, pregnant women). We went to the hospital. Katie helped me to be assertive in my choices. As we got closer to the delivery, she and my husband kept supporting me. Then she noticed a change in my demeanor and tried to get the hospital staff. As she was trying to convince them to come in the room, my baby was born. Aside from the hospital staff, my birth experience was fantastic. Even with 31 hours of labor (29 at home), the pain was manageable. I recovered easily. I attribute much of this positive experience to having Katie as our Doula. She was open, without being wishy-washy; flexible, yet firm enough for me to meet her goals; supportive throughout the experience; and great at including my husband. I recommend Katie to any pregnant woman.

-Katie Foss

November 23, 2011