Testimonial for Martha Widing
I realize that it may be easy to hyperbolize about something as monumental as parenthood, where the stakes are high and new emotions flood every aspect of life that once required little to no thought, but I genuinely believe that our family would be in a different (worse-off) place had it not been for Martha’s presence during those vulnerable first months of life with our son.
As first-time-parents and young professionals living half a country away from family, we looked into hiring a postpartum doula for the extra hands. But having now contracted with Martha, even if our families lived nextdoor, we would still hire her. Without Martha’s education, non-judgmental support, and empathy, our first months as parents—and those that followed, even after her contract had ended—would have looked very different. I cannot overstate Martha’s competent and confident approach to supporting parents through decision-making processes. For exmaple, I had long known that I wanted to breastfeed my son, but arrived home from the hospital with traumatized nipples and realized that my baby had a tongue tie. Recognizing that these breastfeeding goals would not be sustainable if things continued apace, she equipped me with the tools to intervene as I saw fit. (Today, I’m still breastfeeding!) She showed us the trailhead, in a way, and then let us decide whether or not to follow the path. Martha is not the type of person to make you feel obliged to do anything you and your family aren’t comfortable with; she instead provides options that allow you to make the best decisions, in light of your desires, limitations, and hopes, and then engages with that decision with genuine respect.
Martha is at once rock-solid in her competence and profoundly tender in her approach to care. My only hesitation in writing this review is that other folks may then book her faster than us, once baby number two is on the way!
-Emma Z
February 16, 2022
Martha Widing
Birth Baby Blessing
Postpartum Rate: $60
