Testimonial for Mary-Lou Crossley, CD/PCD(DONA) from Heidi Hill

Testimonial for Mary-Lou Crossley, CD/PCD(DONA)

We had the most amazing experience with Mary-Lou as our doula. From the moment we met I knew she was the one to help us bring our first child into the world. She has the warmest energy which makes you feel at ease instantly and like you’ve known her your whole life. She has over 10 years experience in this field but also has children of her own and grand babies she’s helped to bring earth side. If that wasn’t enough (it totally would be) she used to be a teacher which makes her super organized, gives handouts on everything important and has an amazing ability to explain things in a way that’s easy to comprehend. Our sessions prior to the birth were so educational, I didn’t feel we needed any birth prep classes for breastfeeding etc.

She took the time to get to know us and helped us to find out what was important to us should our plans need to change. She respected everything we had in mind and even asked how much we would want her to remind us of our initial plans in the moment. I felt honoured and respected the entire process.

Our birth experience didn’t go exactly how we envisioned and we ended up needing Mary-Lou for 39 hours. She must have been exhausted but it didn’t show. There were many moments where we turned to her for guidance asking our midwives to leave the room. And moments where I turned to her over my husband for words of encouragement. She was solid the entire time and knew exactly what I needed to hear. Right before my son made his grand entrance she must have seen the despair in my eyes and I will never forget the words she said in that moment which gave me the strength to dig deep for that final push. Without Mary-Lou I think we would’ve ended up like so many others faced with intense labours, in the operating room for a c-section. We couldn’t have done it without her and I would highly recommend her to anyone and everyone.

-Heidi Hill

December 15, 2023