Testimonial for Anna Raczka
From first contact, Anna was both professional and warm. Within hours of contacting her, she'd emailed back for a meeting in person. I appreciated this extra effort. Obviously a doula is part of such an intimate moment in one's life, and it is much easier to assess if the chemistry is right in person than over email or phone. Upon meeting, Anna came across as incredibly calm and grounded. In the pre-natal meetings, she took time to get to know my husband, myself, and our couple dynamic. This helped her be part of our birth experience in an organic way. She also tailored information she shared with us to our personalities instead of giving us a "one size fits all" type of experience. Further, she supplemented our birth education classes in two key ways: First, she went through breastfeeding materials prior to birth. I credit early confidence and success with BF with having this knowledge. Second, while not part of our plan, she made sure we were informed about c-sections and recovery. So many of the materials we'd read were anti-c-section to the point of not even addressing the details. As it turned out, I ended up in a true emergency situation late in my labor and had a c-section. Because Anna hadn't let us go into the labor with blinders on about all the possible outcomes, this outcome was far less terrifying than it might have been otherwise.Two additional endorsements: First, the L&D nurse commented to me that Anna was one of the best doulas she had worked with, making particular note of her calmness. Second, my doctor did not want to work with a doula after a previous, very bad experience. After Anna's willingness to meet him prior to the labor and an understanding of her and his role he acquiesced. Anna handled this potentially tense or awkward situation with grace and high emotional intelligence. As a result, none of my doctor's initial skepticism bled into my birth experience. On my follow-up, he was also impressed by Anna as a doula.
-Rachel
January 28, 2020
Anna Raczka
sagebirthingservices.com
Birth Fee: $1800
Postpartum Rate: $45
