"I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature. You think it can’t possibly be done, you think you can’t possibly take the pain, and then you do — and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way. If you can do that, you can do anything." Ani DiFranco
My husband and I had a healthy, natural birth and delivery with the help of Ashley the day after Christmas. Her warmth, humor, and knowledge before, during and after labor allowed me to keep my dignity and strength during the birthing experience. And her pain management suggestions were so, so welcome. It's hard to express how comfortable she made me feel in the most uncomfortable of situations. I am in awe of the grace and compassion of doulas, especially Ashley, and we will definitely use her again for our second when the time comes.
Rebecca; December 2015 Ashley was our doula for the birth of our son, Colton, in October 2015. It wasn't until after he was born when I truly appreciated how much different the birth and pregnancy experience would have been without Ashley. During the pregnancy, she was always available to answer questions and offer advice for my concerns. The natural remedies she suggested were excellent. She helped us to create our birth plan which really helped because she asked questions we didn't even think about. Our postpartum period was very difficult because I had a postpartum hemorrhage and all of the discomforts that come along with it. My husband and I left the hospital in a daze unable to really process what had just happened. When Ashley came for our postpartum session, she came prepared with notes from my pregnancy sessions and all communications we'd had along with a timeline of events during labor. I had no idea she even took all those notes! With the help of her notes and guided questions we went through the entire experience. At the end of the session I was surprised to find that my feelings towards Colton's birth had turned mostly positive. I cannot express enough how meaningful that is to me and my family. Ashley is an amazing doula and I would recommend her 100% of the time.
Megan; October 2015 We can't sing her praises enough! I was well into my second trimester when it became clear that my husband and I really needed some extra support. The plan was to meet Ashley, go home, and make up our minds after talking things over. We were NOT going to make a decision right away; except that, as our meeting went on, Mike and I kept locking eyes trying to telepath "she's perfect, I need her"
With just an introductory conversation I already felt like i could breath more easily and Mike was relieved to know that he could have some guidance while treading these new waters. She was patient and sweet with my husband's newby questions and my overbearing type A personality. She even managed to seem unphased as we explained the complications that would need finessing due to family drama. Our sessions before the birth were informative and helped put my mind at ease as we discussed next steps. My husband was able to enjoy my pregnancy more, knowing Ashley was there as a guide and back-up. There was an unexpected visit to the hospital early on: Ashley helped Mike and I keep it together during the cab ride to and the stay in hospital with text messages, phone calls, emails and even an offer to come see me...all before she had been officially hired. I was dead-set on a drug free vaginal birth, but after 8 hours of back labor and trying to get JM back into position I opted for pain relief. Then, after 13 hours stuck at 6 centimeters with the threat of a c-section looming I ended up getting drugs to kickstart contractions. I always thought I'd be super disappointed with that kind of outcome. But Ashley, with her wealth of knowledge, was so amazing in helping us process our options and come to our decisions in our own time, that I still feel like I had ownership of my son's birth. She empowered us throughout, calmed, soothed and encouraged when needed. She even deflty handled our relatives. Mike and I are so grateful for Ashley. Jessica; September 2015 "From our very first meeting, to after the birth of our daughter, Ashley exceeded all expectations. She is warm, funny, charming, knowledgeable and most importantly, empathetic. She was happy to answer any and all questions, spent hours at our home easing my wife through the initial stages of labor, and was consistently by our sides in the delivery room providing comfort and care (to us both!).
Ashley was generous with her time and was a true rock throughout the entire process. In our first meeting she helped us to develop a birthing plan and worked to ensure that my wife's care followed those wishes. I honestly cannot imagine our experience would have went without Ashely's unwavering support. I cannot recommend her any more highly. And if my opinion is not enough, several of the nurses at the hospital pulled me aside to compliment Ashley as well. I only hope that if my wife and I have a second child that she's not in too much demand to squeeze us in." Dave; September 2014 Ashley was wonderful! About a month before my due date, Ashley met with my husband and I at our home and discussed our birthing plan with us. She showed us (and helped us practice) some pain relief positions and techniques both at home while in labor and for when we got to the hospital. Ashley continued to check in on us up until unexpectedly due to medical complications, labor had to be induced. Ashley helped us consider our options over the phone and then supported the decision we made 100%. She met us at the hospital when I was in active labor and offered emotional support to myself and my husband and helped to keep us focused on our goals- despite our well thought out plan changing due to the induction. Ashley patiently and thoughtfully helped us navigate through making some decisions about managing the induction medication and the pain. She was as involved as we wanted her to be but also knew when to take a back seat to let my husband and I take over. When I finally decided that the pain was too much to bear (at 8.5 cm dilated) she supported the plan to have pain management. The delivery of my daughter once pushing began was quick but had a number of complications. Ashley held my leg and encouraged both my husband and I to stay calm and focused. She remained with me while my husband stayed with the baby. I had some medical complications at the end of delivery and things got pretty intense and scary and she never let go of my hand. She stayed with us after the delivery to make sure we had everything we needed and she visited us after we were home to check in again. Ashley was easy to connect with for this very intimate experience and she was such a huge support for us. She stayed calm and attentive to our needs before, throughout and after labor and delivery and we still hear from her occasionally to check in and see how we are doing. We would recommend her to anyone considering using doula supprt and we hope to use her again in the future!
Lauren; November 2014 |
Ashley was fantastic throughout my pregnancy and birth experience. Both were uncomplicated but I feared that I would do a 180 during labor and also wanted someone to calm and reassure my husband who doesn't like seeing me in pain. Ashley was a perfect member of the team. Her prenatal visits and check in texts were always warm, positive, and fun, and gave me additional confidence for the birth of my first child. My birth went pretty fast and Ashley was there right when I needed her and she knew exactly what to do when it became clear I had back pain. I didn't find out till she came by a week later to discuss that she had her fist in my lower back for at least an hour which was probably why I didn't feel as much pain in that area at that point. I still remember that whenever I actually opened my eyes, she would tell me in the calm even tone that I requested that I was doing great. I didn't think I would beforehand, but afterwards I really appreciated her notes about the day, which really put everything in perspective. Ashley helped make me feel like I aced it. Thank you!!
Bonnie; October 2015 We had an amazing experience with Ashley. She was calm, supportive and guided us through the birth experience. She listened to our hopes for the birth and helped us prepare. At the hospital, she was an advocate for our birth plan and had helpful suggestions. I would recommend Ashley to anyone who is looking for an experienced doula, she made all the difference in the world!
Lynmarie; November 2015 "Ashley really came through during our very fast labor (5 hours). Sara woke up at 2 am with her water breaking - we called Ashley and she helped calm us down through Sara's frequent contractions (never more than 4 minutes apart). She came to our house and helped us assess that Sara was progressing quickly and that we should go to the hospital. She rode with us to the hospital, where she helped take care of Sara while I drove. At the hospital, she helped Sara through her tough contractions and served as a second pair of hands for me in comforting Sara. During the final stages of pushing, she was right by our side, helping the whole way. Ashley's greatest assistance was her ability to help us understand what was going on during our first birth. After the birth, Ashley stayed for over an hour. She stayed by Sara's side when the baby was being weighed and treated. She took pictures for us. She was always available, but never intrusive. She checked in with us several times post-partum and made a visit to our house a week after the birth.
Throughout our experience with Ashley, she was always available, incredibly friendly and approachable. She let us ask dumb questions and had good answers. She made helpful suggestions that we didn't think of ourselves. We can't recommend her highly enough." Al; September 2015 "Ashley was absolutely wonderful! She was very responsive to my questions and concerns and I cannot express enough how quickly I was able to trust her fully. It didn't matter what I came at her with I received nothing but love, support and acceptance, which I needed to address some of the emotions and feelings that came about during my pregnancy. As my due date came and went she was very helpful to give safe, loving and effective advice to encourage labor and she was great at calming my nerves and reminding us that babies come when they are ready. I wouldn't dream of ever going through a birth OR pregnancy without a doula like Ashley. She will support you in the birth you want whoever you are, and she has a wealth of experience in working with women from all walks of life." Jenn 2nd birth; April 2014 Ashley did an absolutely fantastic job in supporting me and my husband while we prepared for the birth of our first child, during my very long labor, and even in the weeks following the birth. As my due date was approaching, I realized I had only vague notions of how I wanted the birth to go, and I was nervous about what the experience was going to be like at my local hospital (Holy Cross). I decided to hire a doula with only a handful of weeks left, and I was worried I would have to scramble to get everything together. Fortunately, Ashley was available and was very flexible about finding good meeting times and giving me all the resources I needed to feel fully prepared. Ashley helped me formulate a birth plan that I was 100% comfortable with, which helped me feel very confident about sticking to that plan when my labor lasted for days and I was facing pressure at the hospital to speed things up. She recommended many helpful ways to stay calm and conserve energy, and provided lots of emotional support every step of the way. Ashley made it clear that her role was to support me, not to intervene with others on my behalf, and her approach created a very productive relationship with my husband and all the staff at the hospital. I felt strong and supported through the whole experience, and I think I was treated very well by the hospital staff as a result. Everything about the birth went as well as I could have imagined.
With several months of hindsight I have only positive memories about the birth of my daughter, and I credit Ashley with making that happen. I also greatly valued Ashley's insightful follow-up care after the birth. I now tell all of my pregnant friends that hiring a doula was the best decision I ever made. I give my absolute highest recommendation to Ashley. Thank you for everything! Kathy; September 2014 |