As first time parents, having Shantell as a doula was very helpful for my husband and me. From the time my water broke and we notified Shantell, she was very responsive, calling and texting to check in and see how far apart my contractions were and if she needed to come to the house to help support us. When we decided to head to the birth center, Shantell met us there. She supported us and took turns with my husband giving the pressure I needed to deal with back labor for 14 hours straight. And when our midwife suggested that we head to the hospital to try to move things along, Shantell drove us there. She stayed with us through the night when I got the pitocin and epidural, making sure that we felt comfortable with all of the decisions being made. I did not plan to give birth in a hospital so it was very helpful to have her there so that she could be our sounding board and help us feel comfortable with our decisions. She spent the night with us at the hospital even though she had her own son at home, and in the morning when the doctors insisted on a C-section, Shantell was also there to talk it through. She was proactive in reaching out to our midwife to get her involved in talking over the decision as well. In the end, a C-section was necessary, but we wouldn’t have felt as confident making the decision as we did without Shantell. When we were discharged from the hospital two days later, she was the first person to visit us at home to see how we were doing. She also does placenta encapsulation and had my capsules ready to go along with a card and little gift for baby. We could not thank her more for what she has done for our family. On top of all of this, she was the back-up doula for my original doula, so it was by chance that I ended up working with Shantell, but I couldn’t see it going any other way. Things happen for a reason, and Shantell was there for us when we needed her. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a doula.
-Diandra
August 08, 2021
New Lyfe Doula
Birth Fee: $3000 to $4000
Postpartum Rate: $50 to $60