It's pretty hard to put our appreciation of Ashley into words. I searched all over for a doula that I felt would be able to connect with us during such a vulnerable and special time. From the first meeting it was clear that Ashley was exactly what we'd been hoping for. Our prenatal visits with her were creative, informative and just plain sweet. Her experience and confidence as a doula (and as a mother) were consistently reassuring as we headed towards the birth of our first child. I was sure I wanted to labor as long as possible at home, and only use the hospital (we birthed with the midwives at St. Marys) for the actual delivery. Ashley apparently already had a reputation for doing just that- bringing moms in who were ready to push... and she was definitely the reason we arrived in the same way! I labored for over 24 hours, and I know that if Ashley had not been there with us, I definitely would've opted to go to the hospital way before I was fully dilated. Thanks to Ashley, I was able to go through all the stages of labor in the comfort of our home, with no pressure to induce or to use painkillers, and also got to benefit from her wide array of tools and techniques to deal with the discomfort that labor can bring.
Throughout labor, as Ashley encouraged me along, I often thought what a godsend she was. She is such a natural at what she does, and if you want to be under the care of someone who definitely knows what she's doing- Ashley is your girl! As a side note, I highly recommend considering the placenta encapsulation. I went that route based on the recommendation of a couple girlfriends who swore by it, and I've definitely noticed a beneficial effect on my post partum symptoms. No wonder mammals in nature do the same thing, and at least we have the benefit of being able to put it in capsules! It's said they're even useful to freeze and keep for when menopause comes... anyhow, worth considering. ;) read more