Reviews

Summary: Amanda is AMAZING and we can't recommend her highly enough. She helped us to feel more confident and relaxed during something that we had never been through before and were scared but excited to do. We chose her over other doula services because of her extensive experience/knowledge (she runs childbirth education classes and Amanda is a RN in the local hospital systems), overall support model, and excellent communication. After meeting her, we knew that she would act in our best interest throughout the process and we were definitely right.

Here's some additional information/detail:
Before our birthing day, we had a lot of questions as to what everything was going to be like; from what to expect versus the different decisions that we might need to make. Amanda was there to help guide us, answer questions, and even ask some tough questions of us so that we were as prepared as possible. The knowledge that we gained in working with her allowed us to be as prepared as you can be throughout an uncertain process. You can get some of this with your doctor/midwife, but working with Amanda allowed for much more personalized support and attention.

Early on during our birthing time, support was provided support virtually (text, calls). This was perfect because it allowed us to bond together but also get additional support when needed. Early labor was a lot longer than we expected and Amanda was able to assure us that things were progressing well, encourage us to rest and relax, and helped us to make the decision as to when to head to the hospital. This would have been a lot tougher to gauge on our own.

It was VERY helpful having someone who knew what they were doing and were 100% dedicated to us (while the nurses were amazing, they were in and out with other patients). Amanda kept the communication clear, calm, and efficient to streamline the entire process. She helped Mom manage comfort through mental focus techniques and calm breathing and kept Dad focused on helping Mom in different ways that he would not have known to try. There was one point where Mom looked at Amanda and said "I am really, really tired and I'm not sure how much longer I can do this" Amanda asked for us to work through it for another 30 minutes and was able to keep Mom comfortable and sticking to the plan for another 6 or 7 hours.

Sometimes labor and delivery does not always go as you expect. We planned for an unmedicated birth without intervention and were able to stick to that plan for well over 24 hours because of Amanda's coaching and support. Unfortunately there was more going on with Mom and baby that caused us to deviate from the plan afterwards. Amanda worked with the hospital staff to talk us through our options and helped us to make the best decision for both mom and baby. We still ended up with a vaginal delivery (as opposed to C-section) and everyone is doing extremely well postpartum. This experience could have easily have been somewhat traumatic or ended up in a different result, but with the support and knowledge that Amanda provided we had a great outcome and truly feel at ease with how everything went.

Amanda and Suzie have followed up several times post-partum to see how things have been going. We've gotten quite the humorous group text going which has been great comedic relief while taking care of a newborn.