Testimonial for Lisa McDonald CD(DONA)
Once my husband and I decided that we wanted to consider hiring a doula we knew the right person for our family was Lisa. From the very beginning she put us at ease, educated us and made pregnancy then labor and delivery during a pandemic a little easier. It wasn't until a couple weeks before my due date that we knew for sure that Lisa would be able to attend our son's birth at Avista but even when that was unknown we planned to have her come to our house during early labor so I could avoid the hospital for as long as possible. She provided us with pain management techniques and tools that we could use to help me manage the pain without an epidural. My water broke at 5pm on a Monday night. We decided that I would go home, take a shower and eat something before I called my doctor. Once I called the on-call doctor she confirmed that I was group B negative so she told me to just come to the hospital when I couldn't tolerate the pain. I labored at home until midnight and then we decided to go to the hospital and Lisa met us there. My goal was minimal medical intervention so we started with the spa tub and walking the halls. When the nurse told us that the on-call doctor wanted to start pitocin I told her that I wanted to wait for my doctor to do rounds a couple hours later. My doctor and I agreed to start minimal pitocin to give my body a push as labor had stalled. After 2 ml of pitocin labor really began. Lisa provided hip squeezes to help with contractions. It all become a bit of blur by the time I hit 9cm but I pushed through without an epidural. Our son was born with a vacuum assist and it all got a little scary at the end but he was healthy and I had minimal tearing. Lisa helped me process the emotions I felt after being home for a couple days and also provided us with help by watching Hudson overnight one night when things were a little overwhelming due to his jaundice. Her help as both a doula and postpartum doula was the best investment we made.
-Christine White
September 09, 2020
Lisa McDonald CD(DONA)
Wise Woman Birth Services
Birth Fee: $1800
Postpartum Rate: $40
