Testimonial for Clara Love, CD(DONA), LEC
When I was pregnant with my first baby, we were immediately drawn to Clara’s gentle and nurturing demeanor. I was overwhelmed with the options available to me thinking about my birth preferences and I knew I could put my trust in Clara to guide me in finding a path that felt right for me and my baby. I was pregnant in the height of the pandemic in 2020 and she was instrumental in helping me find the care providers that would support my birth preferences to have the most positive birth experience possible. She didn't attend my birth because of the covid restrictions at the time but we felt so prepared with the toolkit she provided us that I still felt like she was there. I had a 20+ hour labor and unmedicated birth and came away feeling like it was an empowering that I could do again!
When I learned I was pregnant again, I called her right away to secure her for my birth. I was excited to get to work with her again and actually have doula support during labor, and was I lucky to have her there! At 6:30pm on Halloween night, I was a day after my due date and she and I were texting, joking that there might still be a chance to have a halloween baby even though I wasn’t feeling any signs of labor. 30 minutes later I felt my first surge. A few hours after that we decided to have her come meet us at our house instead of just meeting us at the hospital, and shortly after that Clara was catching our baby in the dark as our daughter was born on the deck while we were trying to make it out to the car. Luckily everyone was healthy, and Clara was managing the scene - on the phone with the paramedics, making sure everyone was safe and comfortable while my husband and I stood there in shock. We speculated afterwards that my labor kick-started when Clara got to our house because I felt so held and at ease.
Thank you Clara for being there for us in the most tender moments of our lives and helping to make them so special.
-Carolyn Yocum
September 12, 2023
Birth Fee: $2750 to $3000
