Testimonial for Heather Karlson (DONA)
My 38-week appointment led to an unexpected inducation for gestational hypertension. The induction went smoothly overall, and by about 7:30 the following morning, we were told we'd likely be delivering our baby in the next couple of hours. Those 3 hours would prove more eventful than we anticipated.
Heather was a backup doula sent our way when our doula was unavailable. We were nervous about working with a doula we hadn't met, but now I can't imagine having had anyone else there. She helped talk me through increasingly intense contractions that came as my epidural started wearing off, and walked us through what pushing would look like.
Then a lot happened all at once. There was bleeding around my epidural catheter which they tried to fix, giving me more medication to see if it worked. At the same time, the doctor came in, and had me do a few practice pushes. The next thing we knew, a flood of nurses were in our room. Baby's heart rate had dropped, and we were told I would need a C-Section before being told we would try the vacuum. This led to an intense 10 minutes or so of me pushing non-stop, an entire room of people yelling at/encouraging me to push, a task made harder by the epidural medication that had been administered last minute.
Heather and my husband were by my side, Heather supporting and encouraging us as things felt more uncertain by the second. When our baby, “L”, was born he was briefly put to my chest before being rushed to the other side of the room, attended to by NICU nurses. We didn't hear him cry right away, and the wait until we did felt endless. I don't know that my husband and I have fully processed the delivery experience, but Heather played an essential role in helping to keep us calm and reassure us that things were okay. We were so grateful for her presence as we greeted “L”, and the essential oils she used help me through contractions comforted me long after she had left.
-Janine
October 26, 2021
Heather Karlson (DONA)
DoulaKarlson.com
Birth Fee: $1800
