My husband and I wanted to do everything we could to have our baby naturally.  As first time parents, it became clear to us early on that, though we had decided to deliver at the hospital, we wanted someone with us who knew us and could advocate for our birth preferences and help support us through the labor.  Sarah was like a dream come true.  Being able to take her natural child birth classes and learn from her about the stages of labor, nutrition, breastfeeding and get to know each other before our labor was incredibly helpful.  During our doula meetings she was able to help us articulate a birth plan that we felt really confident in and talk over our fears and hopes in an easy and supportive way.  Our meetings with her always left my husband and I feeling excited and more prepared for our baby's birth.During labor Sarah could not have been more helpful.  I was able to listen and respond to her in a way that allowed my husband to play the critical role of pure support and comfort, rather than guide and advocate.  Having Sarah there helping us navigate the stages of labor, always offering ways to help the labor move along, empathizing with my experience, and keeping a big picture perspective of ways that she could be helpful and what needed to happen allowed my husband and I to completely surrender to the incredibly powerful birth experience without worrying at all that decisions would be made that we were uncomfortable with or that our hopes would be overlooked.  Because Sarah knew how I was hoping to labor she was able to help me follow that plan- I didn't have to remember anything, only listen to her.  Our Lily was born just the way we imagined she could be, and my husband and I both attribute that blessing in a large part to Sarah.  We could not feel any better about our experience with her! 

We are very thankful to have had Sarah attending our birth.  We really valued her knowledge and experience.  Our confidence in her increased my own as a first time mom.  Whenever we had questions, she was there to ask, or she would research and get back to us if necessary.  She went out of her way to help us in many ways.
During labor, we appreciated her balance of coaching mom and letting dad be the main helper.  My labor was smooth and quick.  I attribute this to her encouragement to change positions often, which I would not have done on my own.  Sarah helped me to breathe well during contractions and relax in between contractions.  She motivated me to work harder than I had been when it was necessary.
The Lord gave us an unmedicated birth without tearing and a beautiful, healthy baby.  Thank you, Lord, and thank you, Sarah!

I'm so glad that I didn’t forego a doula just because this was my second child--I really needed Sarah.  She presided over my labor and delivery with composure when I was starting to doubt myself, expertise when I was too scared to remember everything I had read, and focused strength when I needed pain management in my sacrum during the baby's descent.   Instead of chattering away, her carefully chosen words were precisely timed with the rise and height of every contraction.  These gentle directions became mantras for me as I worked through the pain cycle.  By the time I had to push, I was completely following her cues of confidence and excitement.  My husband and I are so grateful that we had Sarah by our side every step of the way.  Even the attending physician told me later how impressed he was with her! --Jayne

Dads need doulas as much as moms. This was our second child, so there was less anxiety than there was the first time. Even still, it was an enormous relief to know that whatever happened, and whenever it happened, we’d have a warm and supportive expert who knew my wife and her preferences well. Sarah came to our house at 1am and helped my wife through the increasingly painful early stages of labor. At Martha Jefferson hospital, she worked seamlessly with the nurse and then the doctor.  I could have handled the early parts of labor--though not nearly as well as Sarah--and the nurse could have handled the later parts--though also not as well, meeting my wife for the first time so late in the game.   In our case, everything went smoothly.  It was so valuable for us to have one person, whom we chose, liked and trusted, to guide us through the whole process. --Jon

Ok, so call me crazy, but I am a nurse anesthetist and desired an un-medicated birth experience.  Knowing everything about how to take pain away chemically for my own patients, I wanted to really experience what childbirth was like since I had heard all these horror stories about it!

Anytime I hear of a challenge to many, I like to overcome it.  This was the attitude we took regarding labor.  As our pregnancy progressed, I started talking more to friends who had a doula for their birth experience.  At first I was a little unsure of what a doula does and how her presence can help.  The more we learned about labor, the more I desired to have additional support from an expert.

Why have a doula?  Well, being of a scientist and medical background, I am a strong believer in statistics.  The statistics prove that having doula support decreases the need for pitocin, pain medication, unnecessary intervention, and need for C-section.  These were all very important to us since we trusted my body, and knew it would deliver our baby safely without intervention.  In this day and age so many of us are jaded by what the media portrays the imminent danger of giving birth!  That view plus being so far removed from close family members leaves many delivering without that sense of community and support.  A doula provides this missing part of today’s birth experience.  One may think a doula fee is too expensive!  To us, a small investment up front gave us tremendous gains later in our delivery experience.  You can’t put a price on the sense of security and support a doula provides.  Plus consider the decreases in cost when you don’t have pitocin, pain medication, sleepy baby, difficulty with breastfeeding, and a tough recovery due to those interventions! 

We found Sarah on the Charlotte Doulas website.  I read her story and enjoyed the great pictures of her adorable family!  I also liked her background in nutrition and that she was studying to become a Certified Professional Midwife.  I was so impressed by her experience in the Philippines watching how other cultures deliver their babies.  

Sarah was such a great support right from the start despite how late we were in our pregnancy before we asked her to be our doula.  She was readily available, kept open lines of communication, and a great source of knowledge.  I could sense she had a keen sense of intuition about the labor process and knew what to do and when.  When I was in pre-labor a week before real labor, she was right on the phone and ready to help!  She was patient with our turmoil when my water broke and I was in latent labor for over 10 hours.  Most of all, she was such an advocate at the hospital for both David and I when labor really intensified and we couldn’t think straight!  

We can’t thank Sarah enough for everything!  She was the best investment to our labor and delivery experience and we will never forget it!

Sarah was the most helpful in the last stages of my birth experience while I was in transition. She encouraged me to change positions and she was very helpful with communicating to my nurse for me. I was very grateful to have had her there and would recommend her to anyone :)

After dealing with a difficult early delivery at 33 weeks my preemie and I were finally home from the hospital. She was eating well and gaining weight, but I needed some additional help with breastfeeding. We were supplementing with formula and my desire was to strictly breastfeed her. Sarah was able to help me with getting her to latch on which was wonderful. She was also such an encouragement to me when the nights were long and my frustration levels were through the roof! Now my daughter is eating better and getting the nutrition that she needs from my milk. She has gained four pounds in eight weeks and I know that part of her success is due to Sarah's assistance and encouragement! What a wonderful experience this has been for us. We highly recommend Sarah and her services and know that she can be a great help to you!