Professional Labor/Birth Support
-
PRENATAL & POSTNATAL VISITS
-
EMOTIONAL & PHYSICAL SUPPORT
-
UNLIMITED TELEPHONE CONSULTS
-
CONTINUOUS LABOR & BIRTH SUPPORT
-
FULLY INSURED
As a birth doula, I tend to all of your emotional & physical needs during your labor & birth of your baby. I am there to work with both you and your partner to ensure your birth experience is everything you expect and hope for. I offer unlimited telephone support, a prenatal visit (1-2 hrs. at which time we discuss your birth plan, needs & any questions you may have), continuous support during active labor, birth & postpartum period, breastfeeding support and a postnatal visit (approx. 1 week after birth). During labor, we will work with positioning using a birth ball and other helpful position changes that relieve much of the tension caused by labor, massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, hydrotherapy (the use of hot & cold compresses), visualizations & many other comfort measures.
As an overnight postpartum doula, I provide unsurpassed care & support to the parents and baby throughout the first weary nights home when mother is often times healing and recovering herself. This in itself is a very trying time for new parents, which in turn can cause unwanted stress and tension within the household. I will tend to every need of the baby throughout the night. I will deliver him to the nursing mother or bottle feed him myself. Once done feeding, I will clean, change & work on getting the baby back to sleep. I am dedicated to achieving good sleeping habits for your baby.
Just being able to function throughout the day without sleep deprivation makes this service a "must have" for new parents.
Warmly,
Vicky Moody
Professional Postpartum Support
-
INFANT CARE & GUIDANCE
-
BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT
-
SIBLING CARE & ACTIVITIES
-
HELP UNDERSTAND & RECOGNIZE POSTPARTUM DISORDERS
-
LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING & MEAL PREPARATION
-
ERRANDS
As a postpartum doula, I offer my knowledge and guidance in infant care, breastfeeding & postpartum disorders. I work with the
family to make the transition of having a new baby as smooth as possible. I feel it is important that a mother has extra support and encouragement during this sometimes emotional time.
Warm regards,
Crysta Hessel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BENEFITS OF CONTINUOUS DOULA SUPPORT IN LABOR
**Data From Meta-Analysis of Twelve Trials**
(includes data from wide variety of medical, cultural and economic settings)
-
Reduction in analgesia or anesthesia by 35%
-
Reduction in oxytocin augmentation by 71%
-
Reduction in use of vacuum extractor or forceps by 57%
-
Reduction in cesarean sections by 51%
-
reduction in length of labor (by average of 98 minutes)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LETTERS FROM CLIENTS
Dear Vicky,
"Thank you" seems inadequate to show how very much your kindness and your special care have meant. But though the words are simple, hope you know the gratitude and the special warmth they represent. I could have never have done it without you!!! You are truly a special person! We will never forget what you have done for us! Thank you so much!
Love,
Laurin, Chris
& Zachary Renner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Vicky,
Thank you for all your help with the birth of Nicholas. Words cannot describe what a special day that was for us. It was a miracle!
It IS a miacle!! You remind me of the light at the end of each tunnel, and for that I thank you again. You are a very special person.
With warmest regards,
The Morabito Family
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dearest Vicky,
I am sorry I did not find the time earlier to thank you properly and tell you how much of a difference you have made in the birth of my baby.
It is true, my mother raised to the occasion and reassured me with her affection, but she could have never communicated with the medical team due to her language limitation and to her scarce experience. Your presence was key to the success of my plan of having an unmedicated birth, and I have appreciated the way you did not feel threatened by my mother's assuming an important role, but respecting it and concentrated on what you could do to complement it.
I could tell your frustration immediately after my doctor decided that he anted me to stay in bed, with continuous monitoring, not even able to move a little. I know this is not your ideal handling of a birth and I realized that this made your role more difficult as there were no distracting techniques or movements we could use to ease the discomfort. Nevertheless you immediately adapted to the new situation and did the best you could to create for yourself a useful role, even though you had to juggle between my mother's presence and my doctor's strict orders.
As I had asked you to, you have fulfilled your role with grace and diplomacy. It was clear to me that in many moments you were in disagreement with my doctor, but, as I had asked you, you avoided being controversial and rather concentrated in helping me and giving me strength to go ahead without getting discouraged when things did not go as I planned or hoped.
Each time you acted with patience, grace and wisdom, and you made me feel your affectionate presence throughout labor, helping me to be less embarrassed that my temperament would have led me to be by offering practical advice and minimizing the unattractive aspects of birth. This helped to avoid a tense atmosphere and made me feel more comfortable.
I knew I had in you, throughout the process a friend who would advocate for me if I asked and, even though I am always shy in certain occasions, you did your utmost to force me to be open with you and you gently made suggestions which turned out being very important, in moments when I would not have had the strength to suggest anything or disattending any doctor's order. The fact that you brought up issues and technical details which I found embarrassing to discuss, helped me to ease my embarrassment and your offer to the nurses to take care of my personal care, established a friendly collaborative atmosphere with them, which was the right thing to do.
It was very difficult to reject the offer to have an epidural due, of course, to the pain, but, to my great surprise, due even more due to the way nurses and doctors kept offering, or rather pushing it, to me, which made me quite scared not to take it. The way they kept telling me there was no need to be in such pain and that would be a long day, made me very scared and in certain moments made me doubt of being foolish to reject it. A crucial moment was when I was in transition, you had realized that I was getting really close, and they told me that I had at least 3 or four hors of excruciating pain to endure and I would be better off avoiding the pain by getting the epidural.
In that crucial moment you looked directly into my eyes, reminded me of what we had discussed earlier, and your reassuring words helped me to collect the courage. When I was in intense pain you had learned to understand that for educational and cultural reasons my way to react to pain was not the standard US way, and the fact that you suggested that I ask the doctor to check me before making any decision, helped the medical team to realized how far along I was. I was then that, at 9 centimeters of dilation, when I saw everybody hurry to get ready for delivery, I knew you were right, I knew there were not 3 or four hours of that kind of pain, and I could make it. Your help was crucial for me to gather the strength to resist and go ahead notwithstanding the pain.
I was so happy to not have had an epidural and I am firmly convinced that if my baby got such a high Apgar score, it was at least in part due to my having avoided the epidural.
I know that these words are not enough to thank you and to describe wehat you did for me, but in this moment, with the baby crying to be fed, my free time is scarce and I cannot find a better way to thank you and tell you how much I appreciated you.
The baby is fine and we are both looking forward to seeing you. Feeding is sometimes a struggle, but I guess I will learn.
xxxxx
A.
