Testimonial for Dawn Harris
Would not recommend.
Pros: comes to your house for classes, knowledgeable on optimal position for baby, friendly in person
Cons: expressed discomfort advocating for preferences in birth room & questioning doctor, teaches breath holding for pushing, did not have stats on # of vbac she has attended, forgot a meeting, can be difficult to schedule with, 0 postpartum communication/follow up and aggressive in her defense
I ended up having a repeat c section recommended (before labor started) & decided Dawn was not necessary in the OR because I had delivered at the hospital before & the nurses took pictures & helped with breastfeeding. I did not hear from her from that point & let a week pass after the birth before reaching out to her. She had no idea how the birth went, how I was, nothing. She said she had left it in my court - her last text was for me to tell her “how big the baby was”. I told her I was disappointed to not have heard from her for a week & asked about a partial refund since postpartum support & a visit was part of my (very expensive) payment. She then sent a very aggressively worded email; I was floored by her response & had not responded yet when she sent a second aggressive email less than a day later. She did try to call after I responded that I was shocked that someone I literally paid to support me would talk like that. In hindsight I ignored a few red flags while I was pregnant because I just wanted a doula & fewer decisions to make. Now when I think about my positive birth experience it is tainted with her unprofessionalism.
I don’t doubt the other reviews & that she was great for them, but if you still have hesitations (ask her how she coaches pushing) after a few interactions, keep looking. I learned more birth education from Instagram and YouTube videos & wish I would have saved my $1500 especially since I lost my job while I was pregnant.
-Sarah
July 19, 2022
Dawn Harris
Hilbre Doula LLC, CD(DONA), CCCE
Birth Fee: $650 to $2500
