Love Letters

It is my honor and privilege to share my experience with Renee as my doula. As anyone could imagine, the whole experience of giving birth is a bit stressful but, I found the perfect doula that made the experience memorable. Renee has a warm and easy-going nature and has a very caring heart. During labor she was calm and soft spoken, letting me know what was happening and how to move through the pain. She massaged my back and feet and certainly made me feel more relaxed and comfortable. She was by my side and encouraged me every step of the way. Even after I gave birth, she stayed with me at the hospital for as long as I needed. It didn’t end there. She often stopped by my house to help me and teach me the basics, from nursing to diapering to swaddling the baby. I am grateful to have had her for a doula. Renee possesses outstanding qualities-she is loving, kind, gentle, and extremely supportive. I highly recommend her for she is a wonderful doula and a beautiful person. Without a doubt, I will be using Renee in the future, and I can’t imagine going through a second pregnancy without her.

I first contacted Renee soon after learning I was expecting-in need of some posititvity. She was THE person to call. She fairly radiates with joy, especially when discussing babies and young children. She really was able to provide exactly what I needed at that moment – ENCOURAGEMENT. It was my third child, but I was overwhelmed – it had been quite some time since my babydays, and starting all over seemed scary – so did childbirth for that matter. Maybe because of my previous labor experiences. Well, by month five of my pregnancy, I had lost my job, and life just seemed to snowball with comoplications. But Renee continued to radiate like a burst of warm sunshine in my life, and always with loving – yes, once again – ENCOURAGEMENT. I still had not decided whether to have her attend the birth. I was hesitant for so many reasons, including wondering if it would make my husband feel less part of the process. I remember she came by one afternoon in late September and gave me a hug and said “let me know if you want me there no pressure”. That very evening, in the wee hours of the morning, my water broke. Could I call Renee? I hadn’t even made any definite arrangements with her as of yet. I sent her a text that my water had broken. Even though it was nearly 3 am she called me back. I was scared – my water had never broken with my earlier pregnancies, but Renee was there on the other end of the line to offer ENCOURAGEMENT. She arrived at the hospitaljust after we did. Throughout my very long labor, she provided amazing support and ENCOURAGEMENT. She actually helped my husband to be more involved. Her demeanor was loving and helpful, yet professional and confident.

The day after I came home, she brought us a huge pot of soup! She has continued to be of assistance even until now, with my daughter’s latching difficulties, and as always, LOVING ENCOURAGEMENT. Renee is an amazing person with whom I will forever share a special bond. – Brigid

As a first time mom, I was very nervous about having a child and what the labor/delivery would be like. After meeting with Renee and learning more about the assistance a Doula can provide, my husband and I were excited to partner with her. Since we both work full-time, Renee was very flexible and able to work around our busy schedules. She was always very approachable and responsive when we had questions or needed help. Renee is very trustworthy and her welcoming personality made it easy to communicate with her. She was also very patient and taught us a lot (sometimes repeating things over and over for us). She also provided helpful handouts, links and emails to help us with the learning process. She brought up different scenarios and prepared us for everything – never trying to persuade us but rather educated us on all our options. One thing that I really appreciated was how she spent time speaking with my husband and preparing him for his role in all of this.

During labor, Renee came over to our place and helped tremendously with pain management and provided emotional support. During delivery, she partnered with my husband to support me and helped empower me when I was at the point of exhaustion. After the baby was born, we had some trouble latching in the early stages of breast feeding. Renee provided suggestions that some of the lactation consultants had never even heard of. Renee’s techniques helped correct the problem and the baby got the very important colostrum milk. Additionally, in the first couple weeks, when I was sleep deprived and in pain from nursing, there were a couple times I wanted to quit because I was frustrated. Thankfully, Renee was there to coach me through it.

In summary, working with Renee was an incredibly positive experience. My husband and I are forever grateful for all her guidance and support during the most special time in our lives. She is very passionate about her work and we highly recommend her.

I was skeptical about hiring a doula for my birth, but I’m so glad I did! Not only did Renee provide support, but she really listened, was so personable, and helped to alleviate my fears of the birthing process. She provided home visits pre and postpartum and was available by phone 24/7. Renee was available when I needed her most and I am so appreciative of the care she took to make the birth of my daughter as stress-free as possible. Her massage oils and techniques, assistance with the doctors and nurses, and just her general positive attitude made the entire birthing experience more enjoyable. One important factor that sold me on hiring Renee was that she created a judge-free zone where any decisions made prior to or during birth were understood and respected. I had read that some Doulas would judge specific choices (i.e. natural vs. epidural) made by families so I really felt comfortable having Renee by my side. Postpartum, I am grateful for the support that she provided with breastfeeding and making sure that my daughter and I were doing well, even after several months. Renee is a great resource and I highly recommend hiring her if anyone is in search of a caring and knowledgeable Doula.

The word amazing comes to mind when I recall my experience I had with Renée as my doula of choice. Renée was always a phone call away with any questions or concerns I had throughout my pregnancy. She kept me strong and focused throughout labor with her words of wisdom and laboring techniques as I tried to fulfill my goals of a natural child birth.