Better Birth

Anna is an amazing doula! Her knowledge about all things birth and baby related is really impressive. And she is so warm, kind, and reassuring, just having her in the room brings everyone a sense of peace. I absolutely recommend her as a doula.
I first met Anna as my hypnobirth instructor. My husband and I hired her for in-​home private classes because he had recently had Achilles’ tendon surgery and it was more convenient to to it in home. I was so terrified of labor that I was almost in tears when I opened the door to Anna. She answered all my questions and her peaceful and wise words calmed me. I wasn’t sure I wanted a doula before the class, but after meeting Anna, we decided to ask her to be our doula. She just felt like a wise and comforting friend. The thought of having her there for our birth was very reassuring.
During the rest of my pregnancy, she was always available to answer questions and offer supportive words. My son came 11 days late and I really did not want to induce labor. Anna encouraged me to go with my instincts and suggested I discuss it with my doctor. Anna never pushed an agenda or opinion, but encouraged and supported me to be a confident parent who listens to my own parenting instincts. I postponed the induction twice and ended up going into labor naturally. Anna had great advice on natural induction ideas and in the end, it was one her suggestions that finally helped to jump start labor.
During labor, Anna was awesome! She came prepared and even brought me chap stick and a ponytail holder, two things I needed but forgot to bring. She even made me a rice sock that we could heat up and use for pain relief. She rubbed my feet with peppermint oil and pushed on my back during contractions and talked me through the surges. Her calm, wise, and comforting presence was soothing to both my husband and me.
At one point, after 10 hours of labor, I was not dilating and the doctor wanted to manually dilate me with a catheter, she suggested instead that we try to shift the baby’s position first through a series of squats and other exercises. The baby moved his position and I dilated to 7 centimeters in an hour. In the end, I ended up having an emergency c-​section due to the baby having the cord wrapped around his neck, but had I induced or done the manual dilation, he may have been forced out too soon and died. Anna’s wise advice likely saved our baby’s life.
During my c-​section she helped my husband cope with his anxiety. Afterwards, she stayed with us and helped us with first feeding, breast pumping, and getting settled. She stayed in touch after the birth answering questions about breastfeeding, newborns, and recovery. Then she came to visit us for the postpartum follow-​up bringing food, gifts, and tea to help with milk production.
I can’t imagine a better experience with a doula. Anna has not only an amazing amount of knowledge but is truly a loving, strong, and empowering person. She made me feel more confident as a new mom. The hospital staff kept remarking that they had never seen such an engaged, active, and all around good doula. I recommend her without reservation. She is a gem!