I am so grateful that my husband and I had Katy by our side for the birth of our first child last year. She not only served as a calm, positive presence at my birth, but she also made great suggestions about preparing for birth, helped to progress labor by moving me into different positions, and provided emotional support in the days and weeks after what ended up being a very traumatic birth.
Katy is a self-described "birth nerd" and knows a ton about pregnancy and birth and keeps up with the latest research - something I appreciated as a scientist. During our prenatal meeting she answered a million questions and made some suggestions for exercises I should do to get ready for pushing. I'm convinced that these really paid off and helped me get the hang of pushing right away.
On the day of, I had a relatively fast labor and had already received an epidural by the time Katy arrived at the hospital, but she had some amazing suggestions for body positioning during the rest of my labor. Even the hospital staff seemed impressed with how proactive and helpful she was. Then when my son was born she took some truly AMAZING photos with our phones, capturing moments I'll treasure forever.
For a variety of reasons (none of which were in Katy's control) my delivery and the days following were rather traumatic, and at our postpartum meeting Katy suggested we talk through everything that had gone down. It was incredibly meaningful to have someone else who had been present to bear witness to what had happened. After wearing so many different hats for us - teacher, cheerleader, snack-provider, photographer - she was able to slip into the role of therapist and help my husband and me reflect on the most intense experience of our lives.
Hiring Katy was the best thing I did to prepare for birth. Her knowledge, kindness, serenity, and positive outlook were exactly what we needed, and I'm so grateful that she was part of our birth story.
-Leigh
January 02, 2023
Doula Katy
Birth Fee: $2000
Postpartum Rate: $50