My husband and I hired Debra for our first child, because I was fearful of giving birth to such a huge baby naturally. Initially, my husband was hesitant about having a doula, because he worried that having another person would take away the intimacy and his role as a birth partner. However, Debra was absolutely indispensable. Now only did she kept us sane, calm, and well rested (yes, it’s possible), but she made our experience more intimate and romantic. For me, natural birth turned out to be an empowering and PLEASURABLE experience. Now, my husband is a true believer and Debra’s avid fan.
As first time parents, I didn’t realize just how much labouring was needed to be done at home before hospital would to accept me. At first, my contraction at home was very irregular, scary, and without progress. When Debra arrived at our home, she quickly pointed out that the baby was not positioned properly in my pelvics and my contraction was ineffective. She helped me laboured in various positions, “jiggled” the baby into a better position, and regulated my contractions. Debra even helped me sleep between contractions to preserve energy, and I even snoozed between pushes!
For my husband, she guided him through techniques to comfort me. She took care of the logistics of feeding, resting, and timing, while he focused on loving and comforting me. Even he got some rest (and he was usually a poor sleeper at the best of times) too. Afterward, when I ask him what he thought of doula, he said: “WORTH EVERY PENNY and more.”
Without Debra, my labour would have been long, painful. I would not be able to stick to my birth plan. We were very fortunate to have her help and guidance, and we definitely recommend her to anyone. In fact, we plan on hiring her again for our second baby!
-Christine Chou
February 28, 2012
Postpartum Rate: $40