Testimonial for Maria Masvidal
I used Swedish's postpartum doula services to interview and hire Maria as an advanced postpartum doula.
I instantly connected with Maria during the interview because she was able to weigh in the latest trends in parenting and weigh it against past practices that I was exposed to, despite becoming a first time parent. Her nuance with what works and what might not be something to worry too much about carried over her visits to our home.
We were independently bracing for complications in pregnancy, and did end up with a set of them close to the end, that resumed postpartum for up to a few weeks. I didn't think I needed Maria during the postpartum hospitalization and the babies' NICU admission, but I think I should have for the first day and on and off to ensure there was some patient advocacy in the midst of busy hospital system. My husband and I considered ourselves pretty good at navigating systems, but when dealing with these lives, there's a lot of vulnerability that breaks down strength.
Maria's visits were at first, a lot for me to get used to (because I don't like asking for help), but I definitely needed her thorough advice. She taught me more about babies' latch, bottle feeding, and the humungous practice and theory around early childhood enrichment. But when I really couldn't pitch in too well, she ensured that she executed on our priorities for baby care.
Once I was more conscious, we worked like partners experimenting with the incessant challenges with multiples and my own challenges with feeding them. My husband would scour support groups and provide more wacky input for me to try, and I would turn to Maria to figure out why one technique works and the other doesn't. Maria took classes and went to conferences to learn about new findings for premature babies, lactation, etc.
Maria demonstrates her exp. as a medical professional, likely an incredible lactation consultant, and a non-stop learner.
-Aisha
July 24, 2023
Maria Masvidal
Swedish Hospital
Postpartum Rate: $55 to $65
