Testimonial for Jennifer Symes
Because of the coronavirus, the hospital and birth center where I was receiving pre-natal care were restricting visitors during and after delivery to just one healthy partner. This meant no doulas were allowed to attend births in person. My husband and I were both disappointed - this was our first pregnancy and we had only heard phenomenal recommendatioms from our friends who had worked with doulas. But when I was 37 weeks pregnant, policies changed and one additional support person was allowed to attend births. By the time I was 38 weeks pregnant, we had found Jennifer and were so relieved to have her on our team!
Jennifer came highly recommended and totally surpassed our expectations. She is easy-going, knowledgeable, and makes herself so available before, during, and after the labor and delivery. My husband and I met with her over Zoom a couple times prior to going into labor. She helped us think through a few things we hadn't considered yet and was just such an encouragement as she checked in on us. Once I was induced, Jennifer arrived at the hospital at 6:00 in the morning and was a constant source of comfort throughout the remainder of my labor. She offered words of encouragement and helpful perspective; she gently reminded my husband and I to advocate for ourselves when offered options that strayed from our birth plan; she helped get me into positions that were more effective during contractions. Her presence was a comfort not just to me but to my husband as well, who was able to focus on supporting me in his own way and not on memorizing different positions for me to try out or how to apply the correct amount of counter-pressure during contractions.
If we are fortunate enough to have future pregnancies, we certainly hope to work with Jennifer again!
-Hannah G
August 14, 2020
Jennifer Symes
Harbor Doula Care
Birth Fee: $0 to $2400
Postpartum Rate: $40 to $45
