Testimonial for Laura DePasquale, CD(DONA)
I strongly recommend Laura if you are in the market for a doula.
We worked with Laura over the last few months for our first child birth and had an extremely positive experience. Laura really helped us with 3 things:
1) education prior to birth - if we didn't have Laura, I personally wouldn't have spent the time and effort to learn about the process. Learning about the nuances prepared us for the day of the birth. This was done via both birth and breastfeeding classes with Laura. (We also took classes from another company which really pushed proactive inductions, epidurals, etc. We had nothing against inductions or epidurals but knowing if and when to use those things really helped us make the right decision the day of the birth). In addition, Laura helped us narrow down exercises (e.g., meditation, relaxation) that were key to our very positive birth experience.
2) support the day of the birth - given a complication, we had to use induction to deliver the baby earlier than expected. We called Laura right away and Laura was quick to provide some feedback on what to do as we navigated the first few hours of evaluations. Once it was determined the we had to go the induction route, Laura showed up to the hospital and really helped my wife relax and deliver the baby pretty quickly.
In addition to Laura being present at birth and providing support, the other big source value came from doing the prep work in #1. In the US, the doctors are quick to suggest intervention after intervention. Given the prep work in #1, I was able to step up and ask the doctor to wait and allow us to make the right decision for us.
3) post-partum visit - Laura did a in-person visit to make sure everything was going well. Our baby needed a tongue-tie revision and we were able to get good recommendations for doctors and sort it out quickly.
-Shiv
May 08, 2021
Laura DePasquale, CD(DONA)
Holistic Beginnings,LLC
Birth Fee: $1200 to $2400
Postpartum Rate: $50 to $60
