Kind Thoughts
Some of my clients were willing to share what it is like to work with me as a doula. Here are their unique perspectives on their birth journeys.
"I am so grateful to have shared my birthing experience with someone who is so kind, generous, and knowledgeable. I wanted to find a doula who valued the very empowering experience of pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, I wanted someone with a calm and nurturing sense combined with child birth experience. Our prenatal sessions were incredibly helpful and loaded with information about pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum life. During the birth, she became my voice, she knew the right questions to ask (when I was at loss for words or simply couldn't think of what to ask next). I can't thank her enough for the support! I will definitely use Andrea for my next pregnancy. " Megan, Pineville, NC |
"After leaning towards a natural birth, we decided to hire a doula to have an expert in the room for reassurance and to let us know what was normal.
Andrea was instrumental in my having the birth experience I wanted. I was able to have my daughter naturally even after a long labor. She gave helpful advice throughout, provided support, and had the brilliant idea of fluids to help me make it through the final stretch. I am incredibly grateful to Andrea for her help not only to have the birth experience I hoped for, but also for her insights during the postpartum visit. She helped me gain confidence as a new mom. Confidence in nursing my daughter despite little support, confidence to be a Momma bear (and encouragement for my husband to be a Pappa bear), and suggestions on where to find future support. I still think of her advice and encouragement over 6 months later and am thankful to have had her support throughout the birth process." Jaclyn, Charlotte, NC |
"I wanted to hire a doula because my husband is a pilot and I was afraid he wouldn’t be home or make it home when I went into labor. I also know that men are not the best support system for a woman in labor and I wanted someone who could help me with decisions during what I perceived may be a stressful time. I chose Andrea because she is very knowledgeable about pregnancy, labor, and delivery. I was able to talk her like a friend and didn’t feel the least bit judged about any of my opinions or choices. My labor and delivery did not go as I expected and were very stressful. Andrea had a calming and supportive presence and stayed with me the whole time. During postpartum she was a great help with the breastfeeding questions I had." Tracy, Charlotte, NC
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"I hired a doula to have an experienced and informed professional to serve as a guide and inform my husband and I on what to expect and ways to navigate through the various stages of labor. I chose Andrea because she is as professional as they come. She is incredibly organized and has a tremendous amount of knowledge of various forms of delivery and intervention methods. For me, it was much more comforting to work with a person than read about potential delivery options in a book. I felt well prepared based on what Andrea and I discussed prior to my delivery. So when it came time to make decisions during my daughter’s birth, I felt confident and well-informed in my decisions, largely thanks to Andrea :)"
Aimee, Charlotte, NC |
“We had a doula at our first birth in Kentucky and knew that we wanted one at the birth of our second child. I desired to have a natural birth and knew that a doula would help me to accomplish this. We chose Andrea as our doula because of her knowledge about pain management techniques since I desired a natural birth. My husband and I also felt very comfortable with her and her calming presence was something we knew would be beneficial in the delivery room. When I was in labor I was not progressing very fast and Andrea helped me by taking me through different techniques to help progress my labor (including walking the halls of the hospital for hours!). She helped me to understand different pain management techniques during labor, including ones I had not thought of.” Emily, York, SC
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"I decided to hire a doula because I wanted a different birth experience than with my son. I was scared and didn't feel like I had much say with the birth of my son (hooked up to monitors and in the bed right away!). I also wanted to try an unmedicated birth. I chose Andrea as my doula because of her warm personality, professionalism, and openness to things like an epidural if I wanted one. I also liked her knowledge on different methods to try during contractions (stability ball, walking, oils, etc.) During the prenatal visit, I appreciated that Andrea got to know me and my husband Nick and what my wishes were. At the birth, I appreciated when she encouraged me and told me I was already doing it and the massage that she offered. At the postpartum visit, she helped me decompress the birthing experience and talk about how things were going. I am very thankful for all she did during my daughter’s birth!" Heather, Indian Trail, NC |
Photo Copyright Cameron Faye Photography 2018.
"Andrea was very professional and kind right from the moment we met with her. We were impressed with the many different skills and certifications she had in addition to being a doula as well. She also was the only doula we met with who appropriately followed up with us and made us feel taken care of right from the beginning! Andrea was very helpful throughout our pregnancy and met with us multiple times to talk us through different techniques to practice ahead of time. We also felt so comfortable the night we had our baby girl having her there to guide us and we were able to achieve the natural birth we wanted. Overall we had a wonderful experience and we were very happy we chose Andrea to be our doula!"
Jenna, Charlotte, NC |
"I chose Andrea as my doula because she was very knowledgeable. When my husband and I interviewed her, we could tell that this was something she is very passionate about and we wouldn’t have to question whether she would have our best interest at heart. She had such a calming spirit which is the type of doula I desired. Andrea provided us with the information we needed so that we could increase our chances of having a successful VBAC, which we did! During our birth, Andrea was there from start to finish. She provided support through encouragement and calming exercises as I labored. She always made herself available for questions and offered information that helped us in our decision making. We truly enjoyed her as our doula and would highly recommend her. " Taryn, Charlotte, NC
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There are many things that I appreciated about Andrea’s services. I really enjoyed attending the Concord Birth Circle that she recommended to me. It was great to hear other birth stories of women around me and gave me confidence that I could do it too. Also, I found the book I borrowed from her book collection to be helpful in preparing for my labor and delivery. Finally- and this is a huge one- there was a point during my labor as the baby was descending the birth canal. I remember saying that I was scared and Andrea’s words were so powerful and perfect in the moment: “You are safe.” This was all I needed to hear to relax and trust myself, my body, and my providers. A very short time later my baby was born. Andrea, thank you for everything!" Jessica, Charlotte, NC
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