Testimonial for Justine Ballon
I could not have made it through my twenty-seven hour labor without Justine as my doula.
She met with my husband and me a few times in the last weeks of my pregnancy so we could not only better acquaint ourselves with one another but also discuss our birth plan and rehearse various laboring positions. She took notes on how she could best support me, even noting my essential oils preferences and my pet peeves. When my water broke at 3:00 a.m., Justine was immediately by my side, and when labor began, she was there to think for me, reminding me to change positions, stay hydrated, have a snack, or empty my bladder. During every contraction she was with me, applying counter pressure and other pain-relieving techniques, plus verbally coaching me with her calming yet motivating energy. She stayed with me through twenty hours of labor at home and the birth center, and when plans changed and I had to be transferred to a hospital, she accompanied me there, keeping my spirits up the entire time with her own indomitable positivity and encouragement.
The birth of my daughter was not the end of my contact with Justine. A week after my daughter was born, Justine came to my home to bring me a meal and to check on both of us. A few weeks later she followed up with a phone call, after I’d had time to process everything, so we could debrief my labor and birth experience. She did more than she had to do by making herself available to me during my postpartum and beyond, and I hope that by sharing the wonderful experience I had with her as my doula, I might be able to help Justine in some fraction of the way she has helped me.
I cannot recommend Justine highly enough. She was a guiding helpful hand and reassuring voice during the scariest and most exciting experience of my life, and I wouldn’t choose anyone else as my doula if I had to go back and do it all over again.
-Kenzie
May 12, 2023
Justine Ballon
CD (DONA)
Birth Fee: $600 to $1500
