Testimonial for Leah Kohlstrom, CBD, CCBE. CLC
Hiring Leah to be my doula was the best choice I made for my delivery. Originally, I thought I just wanted a doula to help support any decisions I needed to make during delivery, but Leah ended up being a lot more than that. Throughout my time working with Leah she was never pushy or judgemental. Being able to meet beforehand and talk about what delivery could look like for me was more productive and less scary than any Google searching would have been. Leah also shared informative birthing books with me and my husband, which we were able to go through together while I was pregnant. I tend to be an anxious person, so it was great to have Leah to help calm my fears with facts and support while acknowledging that I was in the middle of a big, new experience.
It was helpful to have someone on our 'team' who had been in the birthing suite before. I knew I wanted to labor in the bathtub with nitrous oxide, and had been told by hospital staff that would be an option multiple times before I went into labor. However, there happened to be a traveling nurse who wasn't familiar with the room's setup, and she incorrectly told me it wouldn't be possible. Leah was there to gently correct her, and tell the nurse that it was indeed possible as she had attended multiple births in that same room. When I'm stressed, I can tend to defer to whoever is in charge, so it was vital to have her there to help stand up for me. She was also level headed when my husband and I were not thinking straight, and remembered things for us, like a birth music playlist I had made but completely forgotten about in the moment. After delivery, my husband said that having Leah with us was like having the most supportive mother in the room with us. I would highly recommend Leah to anyone looking for a supportive and attentive doula during their birthing process.
-Emily Esty
February 22, 2024
Leah Kohlstrom, CBD, CCBE. CLC
Birthing Mothers
Birth Fee: $900
Postpartum Rate: $35 to $40
