Testimonial for Dara DeSoto ,CD(DONA), CLEC, Licensed Midwife
It's not possible to praise Dara and her partner Joy enough for how supportive and instrumental they were to our pregnancy and birth experience! From our first encounter, we felt like we connected on such a deeper level with them than with other doulas we met, and it was an easy choice to hire them. They offered so much support throughout my pregnancy, both in the scheduled prenatal visits and when I emailed randomly for input on one thing or another. They offered so many resources to us and they have an amazing online portal that was very well organized and easy to access. Plus their resource recommendations, like books to read and the Spinning Babies videos, were wonderful! They involved my husband every step of the way, teaching him how to assist me with stretches and exercises to promote physiologic birth as well as how to offer support in general, and he loved being so involved.
I had a slightly more medicalized pregnancy, including requiring IVF, closer monitoring, and a hospital delivery due to a coagulation disorder, and I never once felt judged or pressured by Dara or Joy about the fact that I wouldn't have a home or birth center birth or that I needed to be managed by an OB instead of a midwife. In fact, both women were very comfortable and knowledgeable about birth in a medical environment and I felt completely supported by them every step of the way. They truly created a safe space for us to talk about our situation, our fears, and the potential for various interventions like induction (which thankfully didn't happen!).
Both ladies are super responsive via text and email, although when I began to labor it was Joy who was on call. In the end, I labored for just 11 hours before our baby boy arrived and I think a big part of that was all the preparation we did at the recommendation of Dara and Joy. All in all, they helped make our entire experience so wonderful and I can't recommend them highly enough!
-Morgan
October 12, 2019
Dara DeSoto ,CD(DONA), CLEC, Licensed Midwife
Dara The Midwife
Birth Fee: Not specified
Postpartum Rate: Not specified
