I took hypnobirthing classes with Joy first and when we found out she was also a doula we did not hesitate in asking her to be ours. She was so awesome. I had an all natural birth with one midwife, Joy, and my husband present. I honestly could not have asked for a better birth experience. I know this is just a doula reference, but I tell everyone I know who is having a baby to at least consider and look into the hypnobirthing classes. It sounds a little out there, but I would not have had the experience I did without them. Online you will read a lot about having a "pain free and comfortable" birth, and while that is not true, or at least it wasn't for me, it was 100% manageable, not the least bit traumatic like a lot of stories I hear, and it wasn't a typical type of pain. It's all about trusting your body to do what it was made to do, and focusing on breathing while listening to your body and you baby throughout your labor. It was similar to the pain of a good workout or a long distance run, a productive, rewarding, intense, and extremely positive experience.
Anyways, let me tell you more about my experience with Joy as a doula. When we initially hired her she sat down with us in our home and we went over what we were looking for in a doula, we outlined our expectations and hope for my birthing experience and she listened and wrote things down. I was looking for someone who would be calming, present, and not overwhelming. She went on call two weeks before my due date and was always available when I had any questions or concerns, and she even let me keep her birth ball at my house during my last month so I would have something comfortable to sit on and it helps to move the baby down. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't know when I was going into labor, so the 2 weeks before my birth every time I felt anything different or weird I would call or text her worried that it might be something. It was always nothing, but she still offered to come over and just hang out until I felt better or talked to me on the phone for a while until I relaxed again. It was nice to have someone to call for things like that because I didn't want to have to call the midwives if it was nothing, even though it was always an option. When I finally did go into labor, it was at 2am and Joy was there in no time. She hung out at the house and brought me water, talked to me between contractions, and was a very comforting presence. I labored at home for about 2 hours and then my contractions were almost back to back so we headed into MCV. At the hospital Joy helped by recommending different positions when I couldn't get comfortable or was having an especially strong contraction, she did this awesome hip thing that I'm not sure how to describe but she rubbed and rotated them during contractions and it was very soothing, she was also the one who went to the waiting room in order to give my family updates and keep them informed so my husband never had to leave my side. She was present when I needed her to be, but she was never pushy or in the way and when I was leaning on my husband or doing well on my own and didn't want interference, she could tell and didn't get in the way of that either. She did an excellent job of reading the situation and my mood and predicting what I might need. We also asked her to take pictures during the birth, which not only turned out beautifully but she was very discreet and I didn't even know they were actually taken until the baby was in my arms and I asked for one with him and my husband. After the birth, Joy stayed with us for about an hour. She didn't interfere with our bonding time, she took amazing pictures, answered all of my questions, and continued to update my family. I had an amazing birth experience and I am thrilled we asked Joy to be a part of it. I would definitely recommend her to other families and if I am still in the Richmond area whenever my second baby comes along I would not hesitate in hiring her again. read more
