Testimonial for Barbie French, CD(DONA), CPD(RI) from Melanie H

Testimonial for Barbie French, CD(DONA), CPD(RI)

My husband and I found Barbie online via our local town's Facebook page. I reached out to her to set up an initial consultation and we knew from that point forward that we wanted to have her join us for our birth journey. We were looking for someone who was local, was familiar with the hospital/medical provider I was using, who had a lot of experience and children of their own, who would be comfortable answering our billions of questions, and whose personality clicked with ours. Barbie was very communicative throughout our time together and provided us with information on anything we asked about prior to the birth (we were first-timers so this was key for us). We never felt pushed to do one thing or another and felt very supported by her in all the decisions we made (while also taking her experience and knowledge into account) while formulating our birth plan. Barbie was very responsive via texting once labor began and joined us in the hospital when things picked up. She provided my husband and I with some extra strength during an emotionally-charged birth (we had some complications) and she knew exactly how to support me physically and mentally/emotionally with encouragement and coaching. She also served as a go-between for us and the medical staff, asking them questions and making sure that things went according to our birth plan as much as possible. We asked her to take photos for us and she got so many beautiful pictures of our experience. Post-partum, she checked in with us frequently via texting to make sure we were all doing ok and had what we needed. She also came over for post-partum visits where she helped us process the birth and answered more questions, offering to help us with whatever we needed. Overall, we really appreciate her for her advice, warmth, professionalism, communication, and flexibility during this life-changing time.

-Melanie H

October 13, 2023