Testimonial for Melissa Johnson VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON SUPPORT from Philip Vincent

Testimonial for Melissa Johnson VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON SUPPORT

As a first time dad I had no idea how much knowledge I was lacking. I have spent a reasonable amount of time around kids and watched my closest friends have, and raise there baby while I was living with them. I’m an experienced RN in cardiology so I have a fairly strong grasp of the human body. All that being said, being a “birth partner” is so much more than I expected. From the early appointments to the breastfeeding, Melissa has been been a supportive and knowledgeable, teacher and coach. Her wealth and breadth of knowledge is only surpassed by he willingness and eagerness to help. When we have a question or need help, she is available day or night (Sorry Melissa, cats out of the bag).

All of the support is awesome, but let’s talk about the actual birth. Melissa is HANDS ON. She did not hesitate to pull me around and place my hands to squeeze my wife’s hips to offload birth pressure (lesson 1). She helped coach breathing and relaxation. She advocated for me to able to catch my baby, so the first touch my baby experienced was her father. She even held a latte up to my mouth so I could drink, while my hands were busy doing labor massage.

We have had our new baby home for 4 days and we have heard from, or been visited by Melissa every day. She has been helping with breastfeeding, which turns out to be much more complicated than anticipated. We still have a newborn photo shoot to setup, which we may delay so we can keep Melissa around for a little longer (sorry, not sorry).

She provided prenatal photos, labor photos, and newborn photos. So far we couldn’t have been happier with the pictures. When my wife told me she wanted to hire a doula, I had a real concern with the value of the service, but after going through the process with Melissa at my side, I can’t imagine doing it without her.

Best money I have ever spent.

-Philip Vincent

May 03, 2019