Testimonial for Melissa M. Imperato CD(DONA)
I can't recommend her enough! I knew I wanted a natural birth, and someone who made me feel like I could easily accomplish that. At our first meeting we clicked and I could tell that she was someone who would not only provide comfort and support, but keep things real and provide some comic relief when necessary. Leading up to labor we kept in touch and she was always checking in on me and putting me at ease when any worries popped into my head. My water broke a week early and I immediately went into labor. I got to the hospital and was only 2cm. The L&D nurse immediately treated me like a first time mom who would take a long time to progress- (my birth actually took 6 hours). My contractions got very strong and when she arrived, I definitely was starting to doubt myself. She helped rub my back in the tub, and had such a fantastic understanding of what was going on. She supported me and even showed my husband how to help me through contractions. She was calm, and definitely made me laugh when I wanted to cry. At one point I finally got a breaking point. I had the urge to push and was being told by the nurse not to. I turned to her and said "if I can't push, I need an epidural" with that she spoke to the nurse and asked her to wake the midwife to check me. After some reluctance, the nurse finally did wake the midwife- and it turns out I had the urge to push for a reason- I was nearly fully dilated. If it weren't for Melissa I easily would have given in to an unnecessary epidural and not achieve the natural birth I wanted. My experience was so amazing that when I became pregnant with our 2nd baby I told her the news first. My husband knew how essential she was so we hired her again. It was a much harder and faster birth, but having her in the room was a reminder that helped me push on. Once again she was so so helpful and I felt like I had my husband and the most supportive friend you could ask for in the room that day.
-Kristin Kramss
January 20, 2022
Birth Fee: $1400
