Testimonial for Shannon Costa
Shannon is amazing! She met me at a coffee shop to prep for my first appointment with my midwife. Her knowledge in L&D and Islamic principles surrounding birth are unmatched. I started experiencing intense itchiness at week 34, which was indicative of cholestasis, a condition where bile acid levels are highly elevated. Moms with cholestasis have a higher risk of delivering a stillborn and need to be induced by 37 weeks. On Aug 6, I started having contractions. Around 7 am, my husband drove me to Bolingbrook Hospital. Shannon met us at the hospital, where we were seated outside of L&D because there were no available rooms. When we were finally taken, an on staff doctor said my contractions weren't registering and I was being discharged. As I had an ultrasound scheduled with MFM next door, we went to meet with the doctor while Shannon waited for us. The MFM doctor was very concerned about the cholestasis and recommended we go back to L&D to be admitted for an induction. Shannon accompanied us back and stayed until a room became available. She set up the room with flowers and candles, and hooked up my tens machine to alleviate early contraction pain. Our midwife was supposed to come by 7 pm, but didn't arrive until after midnight. Shannon helped me labor in the shower and hospital bed, applying counter pressure and essential oils as needed. She advocated for me to have ptocin reduced from 4 units to 1. Upon my insistence, a bolus bag was started for epidural, but I never got it. Shortly after 10 am, I started pushing and our surprise baby girl was born at 10:19 am after only 3 pushes! Shannon and a nurse delivered the baby, as the midwife was next door delivering another baby. We have since used Shannon's help postpartum for vaginal steaming and belly binding. Shannon's help and presence throughout my pregnancy and baby's birth have been a wonderful blessing. We are so happy we chose to hire her as our birth and postpartum doula??
-Saadia Qureshi
September 03, 2024
Shannon Costa
Coastal Crescent Doula Services
Birth Fee: $1200 to $2100
Postpartum Rate: $30 to $50
