Testimonial for Hilary Storey, CD(DONA) from Ashley Eisenlohr

Testimonial for Hilary Storey, CD(DONA)

I am so incredibly thankful for Hilary. My husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child right before the pandemic hit. We took online birthing and childcare classes, but I was feeling really nervous about labor, especially without having had the chance to to have had those classes in person. My husband and I decided that having a doula at the birth would make us both a lot less anxious.

We initially Skyped with Hilary to see if we would be a good fit and right away we both felt completely at ease with her. Hilary made herself available to answer any questions that we had in the weeks leading up to labor and we met with her in person a couple of times to make sure that she knew my birth plan, my husband and I had a chance to practice some comfort techniques, and we could ask any last questions that came up. When I went into labor, she met us at the hospital right when we got there. She coordinated with the hospital staff and made sure that my wishes were respected regarding my birth plan. Every time I felt discouraged during labor, Hilary was there to make me feel confident in my own strength and my body’s ability to know what it needed to do. She also helped to guide my husband in how to best comfort me at different points. Hilary stayed with us after delivery until I had a chance to feed to baby and my husband and I both had a chance to eat as well. She also checked in with us multiple times in the next couple of days and came to our home a few days later to see how we were doing and answer any questions.

I am so so glad that we worked with Hilary. I’m not sure that I would have stuck with my birth plan without her and that moment when I first saw my son after having gotten through what felt impossible is a feeling that I will never forget. She empathized with my pain, but kept up a positive energy that I really needed to make it through my labor.

-Ashley Eisenlohr

November 07, 2020