My wife and I hired Kate to be the doula for the birth of our daughter in March of 2013, and I cannot recommend her enough.
We first met with Kate during my wife's second trimester, still unsure if we wanted to hire a doula (and, for my part, unsure of what exactly a doula did!). Our doubts were completely put to rest from the very first meeting. Kate exudes a sense of calm and competence, and answered all of our (probably lame) questions respectfully and intelligently.
From the beginning, Kate was most interested in helping us to have the kind of birth experience that we wanted, rather than imposing her views or preferences on us. From our experience, her approach is as hands-off or hands-on as the parents or partners want, though she was constantly supportive and encouraging, and full of resources.
We took Kate's Healthy Childbirth classes as well, and I would highly recommend these. Over three weeks, Kate gave us a great sense of what to expect from the birth experience, as well as strategies for coping with unexpected contingencies. By the end, I felt I knew what we could ask of each other and the baby, as well as what to expect from the hospital birth experience. She helped us negotiate the fraught politics of childbirth in a non-judgmental, accepting, and highly-knowedgable way. As we approached the birth, I knew that Kate would be supportive no matter what we decided to do, and prepared to guide us through any crisis.
My wife's labor and birth experience were difficult. She labored for over forty hours, and at the end the baby was delivered via emergency C-section. Although because of the surgery Kate wasn't able to be with us during the birth itself, she was a great source of support and calm during the labor and afterward, as my wife recovered from the surgery. It was immensely reassuring to know that we had someone present who could be our advocate, should we need it. Although we never needed Kate to act on our behalf, it was immensely calming to know that she was there, and to trust that our best interests were in good hands.
If we have another baby, we will definitely hire Kate again. read more