Testimonial for Carli Mellentine
We are first-time parents in our 40s. We barely understood the role of a doula when we started getting recommendations to have one. My partner and I interviewed a couple women and he told me to choose whom I felt most connected to, and that was Carli.
Seven weeks postpartum, we still can't stop talking about how, without her, our birth experience would have been so much more daunting, confusing, and scary. We still talk about all the time she selflessly gave to us before and after birth. It is truly evident how much she loves what she does, roots for her clients, and wants them to feel comfortable with every decision made.
Carli was ready to show up at our bedside on Halloween when I went into labor. From the jump I looked to her before making any decisions and asked her to clarify and talk through every stage with me. She took care of me, she took care of my partner, and she helped him take care of me. She put my hair in a pony tail, she held my hand, she encouraged me. These acts seem so small, but they are the things I remember. She helped my son latch for the first time, she held him up to my cheek after my c- section and she came to see us at home when I was struggling greatly in the first week.
Birth can be traumatic in so many ways, but having the constant of one person in the room, on your side, for the whole experience makes all the difference. Carli came for one last visit a couple weeks postpartum, and it was like I was talking to my friend. I can't say enough what her time and presence meant to me. She is forever a part of our birth story.
-April Long
December 16, 2022
Carli Mellentine
Willow Tree Doula Services
Birth Fee: $1600 to $2000
