Angel's Birth
Tanya and Cindy both met with me a few times before my birth for us to get accustomed to each other in person. I ran into them online and they have been a blessing since! We spoke almost every day and I was encouraged to call if I had any concerns, questions, or just needed to talk. They offered and wanted to go to OB appointments with me and they helped me push for my home birth. When I wanted maternity pictures and was sad that I couldn't get them this pregnancy, there they were! Off we went to take pictures (which came out beautifully)! They had books and documentaries I could borrow if I couldn't afford them or the library didn't have them. Of course, they were there for the days that I was in active labor and they helped me cope with early labor over the phone and internet.
My early labor started and once they heard that my contractions were organized, they offered to come over. In the middle of the night, they were ready to come over whether my labor was going to progress or stall. They were ready to come and sit with me knowing that my labor was probably early labor. I've only heard of a few doulas doing that, honestly, and was shocked! Most of the stories I hear include the doula telling the mom to call her back when she's sure. I was very touched that they were willing to come help me! I didn't take them up on it because I didn't think it was real labor and didn't want to waste their time, of course.
For two days they sat around my house, waiting on me to have my baby. When my pain was becoming harder for me to handle they were right there with oils for massage, counter-pressure, kind words, helping me squat, helping to lift my belly; they were ready with anything I might need. They never once complained about how long my labor was lasting, never made me feel like I was wasting their time. They told me how wonderful I was doing, how well I was holding up, how strong I was. They were incredibly supportive. They thought about things that I had planned but couldn't think of, like what music I wanted to listen to.
When we finally decided to transfer to the hospital Cindy stayed at my house with my son. She comforted him when he woke up in the middle of the night and he now gets very excited when he hears that she'll be coming over. Tanya went to the hospital with my husband and I. She helped with counter-pressure, tried to remind me of things I'd studied during my pregnancy, answered questions about things that I couldn't remember, cried with me when my birth turned ugly, and sat with my husband when I was in the OR. Never once did she look at me like she was judging me for getting the pain medication when I did, she didn't leave my side until she had to for the surgery. When I came out, there she was with my husband and baby waiting on me. She spoke up for me to the nurses when I couldn't speak, helped me talk to my husband about things that needed more explanation than I could offer without my voice. They were both AMAZING during my birth.
The amazing part wasn't just during my birth, of course. They visited us when we got home, fought for me to be able to encapsulate the placenta and then did the encapsulation for me. They've called to check on me. Cindy and Tanya have really been such a wonderful help during this pregnancy and since the birth! My husband was very skeptical about us having a doula in the first place and then was very against having two. Now, he thanks me for pushing this on him. He thanks me for having women to support me in areas that he couldn't or didn't know how, to give me information to share with him on these subjects so he COULD support me and was able to get on board. They helped me be strong enough to fight for the birth that I wanted, they were there for me during the birth, they supported me and were upset with me when my birth didn't go as planned, and have been there through my emotional roller coaster since. I definitely recommend these two to anyone wanting a doula!