Testimonial for Efe Osaren, CLC, CD (ASDS)
“My first two births were hospital births and traumatic. My third baby was born at a freestanding birthing center in Brooklyn, but our IVF doctors were not willing to fill out the necessary paperwork to make an exemption for the birth center when it comes to health insurance. Therefore, we chose Park Slope Midwives for our prenatal care and planned to deliver at a hospital. I knew that I wanted a doula no matter what and sought out someone whose politics aligned with ours. Efe was one of three doulas we interviewed and given her tremendous experience, her values, and her easygoing energy, we decided to hire this expert.
During our talks, she asked what sort of anxiety I had around birth and I said that giving birth at the hospital was the only issue I had, because I did not want to be defensive during my labor and have to tell everyone to back off. Efe suggested a home birth and it was a bit of a stretch for me, but she asked me what concerns I had when it comes to a homebirth and answered all of my questions. Once she left that day, I started looking into homebirth midwives and arranged one relatively quickly. From that point on, I had absolutely no anxiety about my upcoming labor. I had assembled a team that I loved and felt comfortable with. Efe is both kind and no-nonsense, she is a calm and confident presence.
When I had concerns during the labor, it was Efe I wanted around. Even though I stayed sort of internal during my labor, I felt her presence, just sort of there if I needed her and paying close attention to what was going on. When my midwife measured me, and I was discouraged to be at only 7 cm, Efe told me not to worry about the numbers and to keep breathing and when it got really painful, she grounded me and instructed me perfectly. I had a home birth waterbirth and I am so thankful to Efe. ” -Simone Kolysh, birthing person
-Simone Kolysh
March 24, 2020
Efe Osaren, CLC, CD (ASDS)
DoulaChronicles
Birth Fee: $4000 to $5000
Postpartum Rate: $85 to $95
