Testimonial for Karen Guthrie CD(DONA), HCHI, CVD (TVL)
My wife and I were unable to have a home birth (which was my wife’s preferred birth plan) due to medical reasons that required her to be on monitoring during the labor and delivery process. Our birth plan was ultimately going to be a scheduled induction. Since we were not going to be able to deliver using a midwife and doula only, I was a bit skeptical of hiring a Doula. I thought that the nursing staff and doctor would be present for the delivery process and that would be enough (first time Dad here). My wife wanted to have a Doula present anyway.
My wife found our eventual Doula Karen via dona.org. When we had our first in person meet up I was completely surprised by all of the information that Karen was presenting to us as far as what the actual hospital stay and delivery would be like. Our hospital did not have any more in person birthing classes due to the pandemic so we were left to watch online videos and read articles to get an idea of what to expect.
When it came to our induction day Karen was absolutely amazing at providing coaching for me to help my wife during the entire process. She would help us with positioning to help during contractions, breath coaching, soothing and relaxation techniques and also physical help when my wife was in need. When it came time to deliver our little bundle of joy Karen was a great advocate for us when it came to situations we did not know to expect. Example: Our doctor told us the baby had turned during contractions. Karen used positioning techniques to help us turn our baby in the correct orientation to facilitate delivery. We delivered a healthy baby boy the following morning.
Karen is a wonderful Doula whom was able to help me overcome my concerns in regards to the actual need for a Doula in the first place. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable but she was invaluable to us during our birth.
-Rafael
September 12, 2022
Karen Guthrie CD(DONA), HCHI, CVD (TVL)
Birth Your Way Doulas
Birth Fee: $2000 to $2250
