{T + K}

This is what T had to say about her birth experience:

The Beginning

When I became pregnant with my first child the well-meaning advice flowed in: from friends, family, colleagues, and random people on the street. I also developed a bad case of consulting Dr. Google. It was overwhelming the amount of information I felt like I needed to take in and be an expert on right away and my husband Kiel was often the one dealing with all my “Imagine if…” and “What if…” scenarios.

Then we found a way to take away 99% of those worries and concerns. We decided to get a doula. Before we even made it back to the car after meeting Jenna we knew she was the person we wanted to help support us through this pregnancy and birth. It was such a relief to have someone who had been through many different births backing you up during a time of uncertainty. The biggest relief for me was that I wasn’t going to have to remember everything all at once, I knew that when it came down to it Jenna knew what we wanted and would advocate for us, even if we were not in a headspace to do so. She was also there to answer all my questions, including providing research to go along with her answers, so I could avoid the dreaded Internet.

The Pregnancy

During the pregnancy we met with Jenna to discuss birth wishes, a term that made a lot of sense to us because you can’t really have a set in stone plan when it comes to birth, as well as comfort measures to use while in labour, and breastfeeding. Each time I felt we were clearly explained all of the different options, what the recommendations are, and then had to opportunity to make informed decisions on what we wanted. I think if I had to get all that information on my own the entire nine months of pregnancy would have just been me doing research. It was wonderful to feel informed and empowered when making decisions and no matter what we chose there was never any judgement from Jenna, she fully supported us. It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy being pregnant.

The Birth

On February 28^th when my water broke at 9:30 pm I was able to get in touch with Jenna right away and talk to her about it, Kiel was working his last night shift and I didn’t want to call him in from work for a false alarm. The next morning when it was time to head to the hospital she reminded me to call the maternity ward and give them the heads up we were coming down so they would be prepared. Having her know what the nurses appreciate from patients helped made it a smooth transition from home to the hospital.

Kiel and I decided to be at the hospital alone for the first bit but when I was not progressing the way the doctor wanted and they wanted to put me on oxytocin we knew it was time to call Jenna and have her there with us to go through our options. After discussing the different routes that we could take I knew that I could say no to the oxytocin and try to progress things on my own. Having Jenna there with us through that first phase of labour was like hanging out with a friend who made sure you always had a snack, a drink, and were comfortable. She even arranged for me to get acupuncture at the hospital to see if that would move things along more naturally.

Eventually I did need to go on the oxytocin and things really started to ramp up. Jenna was able to make sure I was in an environment that kept me calm and relaxed all while going through intense contractions. Her voice would guide me through those hard times when I was thinking to myself this is impossible and helped me stay on the path of an unmediated birth. When Kiel was tending to me and nurses would ask questions I knew Jenna could let them know what we wanted so that we could just focus on the labour. I always felt that she was right there when we needed her but also that she never encroached on the experience for my husband and I; it was the perfect balance.

Final Thoughts

Our son was born shortly thereafter and I felt so empowered and strong. It was the birth that I had been hoping for. I was so happy with the way it had all gone. I know without a doubt I would have been more anxious, nervous, and worried if we did not have Jenna with us. The support from her continued during our stay in the hospital and after we got home through text messages and visits; it was so nice to know someone was thinking about you and checking in on you when you are going through a major life change. Having a doula was the best choice we could have made, and when it is my turn to pass on advice to friends who become pregnant, my number one piece will be to get a doula.

-T & K