Testimonial for Lauralee Lightwood-Mater, CD(DONA)
From the moment we met Lauralee, we felt comfortable and excited to have her as part of our birth team. She felt like an old friend who happened to be a birth expert and advocate for birthing people.
Having worked with a different doula for our first (c-section) birth, Lauralee's attention to education and relationship building during pregnancy really stood out; both made a big difference in helping us feel prepared. She guided our preparation physically and emotionally so that my husband and I both felt like we had the knowledge, skills, and mental readiness for this birth. Meeting with her was great time for my hubby and I to focus on the new baby and bond about our excitement.
During my first pregnancy, I pretended that a csection could not happen if I prepared and avoided thinking about it. Lauralee’s encouragement to make a backup csection birth plan built my confidence that I would have an empowering birth regardless of the specifics. Between dealing with the experiences I had during our first birth and the stress of COVID, being able to share my feelings with Lauralee was essential to go into our birth with lots of oxytocin flowing!
On the big day, her communication helped reassure us that we were doing everything possible to birth our baby vaginally. The suggestions she made during early and active labor helped me progress quickly and cope well with the experiences I had. I coped so well with labor that I only needed the first few comfort measures we planned; I was able to have an unmedicated birth with her support. Seeing her at the hospital made me feel at home and at ease. Her compassion, skills, knowledge, sense of humor, and listening ability helped us through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We cherish the pictures from her, as we were both so immersed in birthing that we didn’t take any. Lauralee played a huge role is our beautiful birth story, for which we are very deeply thankful!
-Cindy
October 30, 2021
Lauralee Lightwood-Mater, CD(DONA)
Lightwood Maternity
Birth Fee: $2100
