Your Happy Birth

Testimonials:

Thanks for all that you did as our doula throughout the birth process of our first child.  You did so much for us-showing us how mom could alleviate pain, massaging mom, getting us prepared for what labor and delivery would be like, arriving at our house late at night when mom was in labor, being an essential and so very helpful part of the team throughout the delivery, helping mom to breast feed post delivery, massaging baby, and the list goes on!  We enjoyed how pleasant and patient you were to work with and really felt like you were in tune with what we were experiencing every step of the way!  We can't thank you enough, will definitely be calling you with our next baby and would recommend you to anyone looking for a doula! J&T Minneapolis

 

I am so grateful Stephanie was a part of our birth team.  I wondered if we would want or need a doula present because we switched to a home birth about halfway through pregnancy, but I am so happy we did!  Stephanie was an invaluable resource and answered my many questions leading up to birth.  Her craniosacral work is such a gift-it helped with me with discomforts of pregnancy, during the birth, and after for both me and my daughter.  It only took one short session with my daughter and our breastfeeding relationship was changed immensely for the better.  Stephanie also completed the Hypnobabies training while she was working with us, and her calming prompts during the birth helped keep me on track with my own Hypnobabies prep.  I would definitely work with Stephanie again!

J&L St. Paul 

 

From a Dad's point of view:

 

With all the emotional laden conversations of having our first child, the one emotion I tried not to share with my wife was that of fear.  I wanted to do whatever I could to support her in our goal of having a non-medicated birth, and I knew adding a new level of emotion and stress for her was not a smart move, and really seemed selfish.  But let's be honest; I was scared out of my mind.  Perhaps my greatest fear was fear of not being able to support L emotionally during the delivery of our wonderful daughter W.  I didn't really know exactly where my fear was directed, since all I knew was that it was most likely going to be painful for L, but that in the end, we were going to have a baby.  Once the conversation about birth began, L knew right away she wanted a doula.  I, on the other hand, had never heard of a doula.  I quickly learned about some of the different "services" a doula provides, and to be honest, I initially was not thrilled about the idea of having someone else in the birthing room with us.  I was mostly worried I wouldn't be able to be myself, and I would be concerned about how well I was doing as a supportive husband and soon-to-be-dad.  This changed instantly after having our first meeting with our doula, Stephanie.  Stephanie's calm, confident presence made me as calm and confident as one could expect from a father during the birth process of his first child.  Moments leading up to W's birth day, Stephanie was 100% supportive in all our many probably annoying questions we had for her.  She really made us feel like we were as ready as we could possibly be.  We woke Stephanie with our phone call at roughly one in the morning and told her we were heading in!  Right away, when Stephanie showed up at the hospital, she began massaging L, who at the time would not let me or the midwife put our hands on her, due to very intense contractions.  Stephanie's touch worked;  she was wonderful.  I found myself trying to say the right things to L, but in my emotional mess, I left room for much more.  Stephanie filled in all these blanks with the perfect words.  She was quick with directing L to try different positions, or breathe purposefully in between contractions; she was so comforting and reassuring.  Without her words of support, we would not have gotten through the birth process without medical intervention.  She was quick with a sip of water, or a cold washcloth, or just the perfect words to keep L motivated in between contractions to get her ready to power through each next one.  I'll never forget L yelling multiple times, "I can't do it anymore!" and Stephanie quickly following up with a believable, "You are doing it, you are doing it,"  and she was.  These powerful motivating words kept L moving and confident she could continue.  The pushing took its tole on L--which we now know is probably due to the fact that our daughter came out with her fist in the air-and she was ready for a medical intervention.  I was right there with her, too, ready to do whatever was possible to keep L from being in pain.  But Stephanie knew how badly we wanted W to be born without any medical tools or without being drugged.  Stephanie was not pushy at all, but always attempted to get L into a new position, whether it was back in the tub, new positions in the tub, or to the toilet, which had become one of the more comfortable positions for L, at least as comfortable as it can be.  These suggestions helped L to stay focused on the fact that she was doing it, and she could continue doing it without interventions.  At numerous points, Stephanie was there to support me just as much as she was there for L.  I was trying to hold it back as much as possible, but the tears kept dropping from my eyes.  Stephanie was there to rub my back, get me some water, and reassure me that I, also, was doing a good job.  She kept me going, which kept L going.  Soon enough, W was born--a moment we'll remember for the rest of our lives.  W is now 3 mos old, and while being a father has certainl brought its challenges, fatherhood has been absolutely amazing.  Stephanie continues her support of our family with everything from breastfeeding to craniosacral therapy work on both L and W.  I honestly don't know where we would be without having Stephanie help us along the way.  Stephanie truly made our entire experience, from pregnancy to today, the best, most empowering, wonderful experience of our lives.

M, St. Louis Park