I got matched my doula with Flourish when I was 30+ weeks. I live away from family and really valued the idea of the support network flourish provides, but I also didn't know what exactly to expect. From literally day 1, though, I felt so supported. And after I got my doula matches and picked the one that seemed the best fit, I had my first appointment with her, which was just heart warming. I felt like there was structure and expertise behind my anxieties. We got stuff done right away that had been on my mind - my birth plan, my feeding plan, how we'd handle unexpecteds. And then I kept engaged before birth and she helped with regular but sometimes hard things around my house and life leading up to birth. She was there when I got to the hospital and supported both of us with her experience. At the end of the day, your OBGYN is running room to room putting out fires, and your nurses change shifts + don't know you. Having someone consistent who is deeply experienced - TRAINED - was just amazing. While at the hospital she worked through techniques to manage my discomfort (pain), she made sure the hospital staff knew my wishes from soup to nuts, and during birth she was there with us.
That would have been plenty to give this review, but I was covered for care after birth too, so she was able to continue providing help with several home visits after I brought my baby home, from feeding to sleep techniques. I also actually found her professional judgement extremely helpful when she asked me some clinical but personal questions about my mental health about 2 months in. I realized I was actually following a very common postpartum depression path and experiencing it, and she identified it, and helped me find the resources - including her but also external - that helped me manage it and not become consumed by it. And so I am just so thankful overall, everything was so much better when I think about how it would have been. read more