(Husband's Account) My previous idea of birth was that I would be smoking my pipe in the waiting room, calmly awaiting the announcement of the birth of my child. My feet would be up and I'd have a good book in my hand; the doctors would take care of everything. What did I know about birth, anyway? Martha (and my wife) informed me that I would be playing a bigger role in the proceedings. She told me up front that she was there to empower me to become a birth partner, and she helped me learn that I had a role to play that was bigger than hers. I learned a great deal about the needs of a pregnant woman, but I also learned a more important lesson; I learned how to communicate with my wife and fulfill her needs.
But in all seriousness, I wanted to have a role in the birth, but I didn't know where to start. We ended up going the natural birth route. Martha's course and her involvement gave us the tools we needed to succeed. Knowledge is power, after all. She put me on a regimen of Penny Simkin and recommended other valuable resources - including sample birth plans - and she was willing to come to our house to walk us through the techniques present in her online course.
She came to the birth center during COVID and was present with us to get my wife water, provide counterpressure, give me tips to improve my assistance to my wife, and get us anything else we needed. We had a 4:00a.m. arrival at the birth center and an 18-hour labor. She was never bossy or in the way, but only supportive. I had such a great time that I was ready to do it again immediately. We will definitely hire Martha again the next time we have a child.
-Jack Bartlett
April 07, 2021
Brave Steps Doula Services
Birth Fee: $1400 to $1700
Postpartum Rate: Not specified