Testimonial for Alexandra Blanchard, CD, CBC
As a newly minted first time mom, I cannot sing Allie's praises ENOUGH!
I lined up a birth doula very early in my pregnancy, and decided around 6 months that engaging with a postpartum doula was very likely a good idea. Allie was so warm and competent from our initial doula interview on video chat, that I immediately felt comfortable hiring her. She was around for any and all questions I had leading up to birth.
To be perfectly honest, as a naive and never before mom, I had thought to myself, "what could I possibly need a postpartum doula for beyond those standard initial first 4 visits?". After a few days home from the hospital, I quickly realized that hiring Allie was the BEST decision I ever made-- both in terms of my physical and mental health.
Specifically, I faced some pretty big challenges successfully breastfeeding-- horrible engorgement once my milk came in, followed by bleeding and scabbed nipples because the baby couldn't latch well. If I hadn't had Allie to walk me through a strategy for getting my boobs back into a reasonable state, I probably would have ended up giving up on breastfeeding, and needing acute medical attention for the engorgement. Instead, by 3.5 weeks in, I had settled into a sustainable feeding rhythm with my baby (and am still going strong at 6 weeks as I write this!). To get there, Allie identified a couple other problems that were impacting my baby's ability to feed-- a food intolerance AND lip and tongue ties. Much as I like my pediatrician, these were factors that the doctor 100% missed.
In addition to the vast knowledge Allie brings to her work, she's just an incredibly warm and delightful person to be around and I would see her every day if I could :) Hiring her is the #1 recommendation I'll make to any of my friends who have babies from here on out.
-Betsy
October 02, 2020
Alexandra Blanchard, CD, CBC
Moon Child Doula
Birth Fee: $1800 to $2000
Postpartum Rate: $40 to $65
