Ryah was a great doula. My first experience in the hospital was terrible and I wanted to make sure I had someone knowledgeable about my options this time around.
Ryah visited with us twice before my delivery date and was available for phone calls in between. My labor was really quick so I didn’t do a lot of at home labor as my contractions went from 0-100 and we barely made it to the hospital. Ryah road in the car with us and helped with my breathing as we rushed to the hospital. I utilized her tens unit as I had back labor, but my back labor was really intense.
Ryah even got out of the car and knocked on a fire chief's window to see if he could help us as I was in pretty active labor. He changed the light signal so we could get on the freeway faster and that probably saved me a contraction or 2! Once I got to the hospital I transitioned in the lobby and had to push right away! Ryah talked me through the breathing and pushing and even quickly took the doctor aside to go over my birth preferences.
I remember she tried to get me in a gravity position but my back hurt too bad to move, but the baby came in about 10 minutes. One of my concerns was having a third-degree tear again, and Ryah made sure to have my perineum massaged to help with stretching during delivery, which was pretty intense; but I only ended up having a first-degree tear. I count this as a win.
Ryah got some good video and photos of the birth of our baby girl.
Ryah stayed about an hour after delivery and followed up with a home visit days afterwards and was so kind to bring us much needed pho! She showed me the side lying nursing position which came in very helpful for night nursings! I’m sure my husband appreciated me not elevating our bed every 2.5 hours.
She shared a gas relief massage technique for the baby and answered any questions I had.
All in all a very good experience!
-Deanna
June 28, 2023
Ryah Jo' pregnancy birth and beyond doula services
Birth Fee: $1800 to $2400
Postpartum Rate: $40 to $45