Testimonial for Dara DeSoto ,CD(DONA), CLEC, Student Midwife from Christine Simonian

Testimonial for Dara DeSoto ,CD(DONA), CLEC, Student Midwife

I am so thankful for Dara and everything she did for my husband and I. From the beginning she answered every question we had and then some. When I finally went into labor, it didn't go anywhere close to what we had planned. My daughter was not decending and was stuck which made the contractions painful beyond normal expectation. I was given Pitocin to hopefully aid in regulating my contractions which seemed to make everything worse. Dara was there at the hospital supporting me through what was the most traumatic experience I've ever endured. My husband was worried about me and our daughter and afraid of what would happen during this time. Dara was there to offer the support and calmness in the chaos we both needed to not only progress in labor in the most positive way, but to also assure us that whatever we were doing, whatever decisions we made, were not only what we truly wanted, but also were in the best interest of our daughter. I ended up needing a c-section to prevent my daughter's heart rate from dropping too low, and although she wasn't in the OR with us, she was there in our room waiting for us to return. After that, she was with us until we were transferred to our postpartum room. She helped us understand what had happened and how everything had been done, happened in order to protect our daughter. She encouraged me and helped me realize that although we didn't have the birth we had dreamed, I had done everything in my power to keep my daughter safe. She did not let me feel guilty for "not giving my daughter the birth she deserved". She encouraged me and took care of me and my husband throughout this whole event and we are all eternally grateful for her. In the week that followed my delivery, Dara came to our home and continued to support us as we ventured into this new world of parenthood. I look forward to working with her in the future and having her be apart of future pregnancies. Thank you Dara!

-Christine Simonian

June 10, 2021