Testimonial for Susan Petrus
Susan was truly a gift to have with us when our daughter was born. I delivered in July 2020, in the middle of the early COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Because of safety protocols, I was not able to have any guests with me except my husband, so I was especially grateful to have Susan there with us (a doula counted as part of the team at our hospital rather than a guest).
Even without COVID, I wouldn't have wanted to do labor without her. My labor was difficult and long, lasting 35 hours from the start of contractions until my little one was born. She met us at the hospital early that morning and stayed with us the entire time. She helped me manage pain, as I wanted to labor naturally with minimal interventions. She guided me through movements and provided counterpressure when my contractions came. She suggested baths/showers when she thought I could use them. She brought honey sticks and other things to snack on when our own stash inevitably ran out, and she helped me through the repeated boughts of vomitting that were unfortunately brought on by my contractions.
While my husband was willing to support me however he could, he was really limited in what he could do to help, even after going through the training we had with Susan (which was great and incredibly informative). He also suffers from anxiety and had moments during my labor where he was struggling with his own symptoms, so having another person to help was huge for us.
And later, after 21 hours when I felt too tired to continue, Susan unquestioningly supported my decision to switch to an epidural. She was behind me on every decision I made. She was a constant support, and though our nurses and hospital were wonderful, I don't want to imagine going through my labor without her. On top of all that, she helped us out at home even after the baby came. I wish all women could have a doula during their birth journey, and I think Susan is one of the absolute best.
-Maggie Hill
February 10, 2022
Susan Petrus
BirthWise in Birmingham
Birth Fee: $1000 to $1600
