Testimonial for Ellen Hsu (Mandarin/English)
“A doula is like a trail guide. Familiar with the path, she keeps you hiking through the hard parts, knowing the view at the end is incredible.”
Ellen is the best trail guide we could have asked for. Last minute, Ellen was called in as back up for our planned doula. The plan change while in labor was stressful, but Ellen put our fears to rest quickly.
As a bonus, Ellen is fluent in Mandarin—my native language. While not needed, communicating in my mother tongue during a trying time added a layer of unsuspected comfort. Little did I know, Ellen’s fluency across languages was only matched by her fluency in her craft.
Alas, Ellen does not possess magic to altogether eliminate the pains of childbirth. But, her powers came pretty darn close.
Ellen applied many techniques to help me labor. As I did so for hours, Ellen did too. She was attentive throughout, during which my contractions were 45-60 seconds apart—hardly giving any of us time to breathe. Ellen worked to provide me relief the *entire time* with massage, aroma therapy, hip squeezes, guiding me through laboring positions that put the baby in the best delivery position, etc.
Undoubtedly thanks to Ellen’s tireless work & experienced counsel, my labor was mercifully short. By the time I requested the epidural, my provider said “we can see her head!” I was nonetheless given the choice, but in no state to make such a key decision. Ellen wisely gave me the emotional push (pun fully intended) I needed to brave delivery unmedicated. Less than 10 minutes of pushing later, I was holding our daughter on my chest!
PS, perhaps even more than what she did for me is that she gave my husband (1) the confidence to properly support me, and (2) milliseconds of reprieve to take in the experience in his own right. From our perspective, the latter is a luxury that most partners lack when there is no Ellen to guide their trail.
-Shirley
April 22, 2021
Birth Fee: $2000 to $2800
Postpartum Rate: $80 to $100
