Testimonial for Ari Eisen
Ari is the best decision (by far) that we made in the creation of our family. Ari provided education and resources throughout our pregnancy. My dream of giving birth vaginally without an epidural felt so achievable through our work with Ari.
My birth didn't proceed the way I had dreamed--my son was diagnosed with a fetal issue and I had him via unplanned c-section at 34 weeks pregnant. Ari was there during pre-op, and talked me through what to expect and how I could use my coping skills for the physical discomfort of vaginal birth during the mental discomfort of a c-section. They stayed through the surgery and met me right at post-op to process and speak through the birth. Through my work with Ari, I was able to advocate for hospital education and most importantly, I was able to take a contraction stress test to give vaginal birth a go, despite my son's condition. My doctor confirmed, through that test, that the best option was a C-section for him and his health. I would have never known to ask for the test without Ari's education. Although the birth and NICU stay were not without pain and grief, I truly have come to believe that the difference between a truamtic birth that could haunt and a difficult birth that you can grieve and move on from is, in large part, knowledge--are these interventions really the best choice? How can I be sure? If my husband and I hadn't had the answers to those questions through Ari's education and advocacy, we wouldn't have been able to grieve my birth in time to fully step into the role of health advocate for my son during his NICU stay.
Ari's post-partum visit was also enormously helpful in that--they helped me continue to process my birth and continued to help me center myself and reframe the difficult parts of it to center what is important--my beautiful baby. I cannot recommend Ari's work enough.
-Elisabeth Galassini Oosthuizen
January 25, 2025
Ari Eisen
Hearth Doula Support
Birth Fee: $900 to $1800
