WE LOVE T'ARAH!!! My husband and I decided at 36 weeks pregnant that it would be the best choice…read morefor us to add a doula to our birth team for reasons of wanting advocacy, mental and physical support for both of us. We contacted several Doulas that we had found by researching online and received a response from T'Arah at Mother Bear Doula Services within hours. T'Arah promptly answered our initial questions and we ended up scheduling to meet in person to talk more in depth about our expectations, wishes, past experiences, etc..
Soon after arriving at the coffee shop, just myself with my toddler in tow, we ordered some drinks and snacks and settled at a table to get to know each other. Of course it wasn't long before my son became antsy and distracted; but Tarah immediately came to the rescue, pulling coloring supplies out of her bag and playing Paw Patrol on her phone for him to watch. I had barely met her and she was already such a great help to me! ;)
I felt an instant comfortability with T'Arah; I was totally comfortable with going into detail of my previous birth, which had been a traumatic experience, and could sense that she was sincerely invested in mine and my husband's concerns, wishes and preferences.. She listened, asked questions, provided advice and input and acknowledged my feelings. We shared personal stories and got to know each other more in depth than just birth related topics. More than interviewing her to be our Doula, I felt like I had just made a friend who helped me to feel excited and empowered to give birth!
A few short weeks later, and after meeting with T'Arah a few more times as well as going to the hospital tour together, it was time to have our baby! I had hoped and dreamed that this birth would progress naturally, without induction, but when the time came, there were reasons for my husband and myself to ultimately decide that induction would be the safest course of action for getting our baby out as soon as we could. I was initially heartbroken and scared, but Tarah was there every step of the way, going out of her way to teach us natural labor inducing techniques which did actually help tremendously, as well as staying available to text or call for anything we needed. When the time came to be induced and start our Childbirth journey, T'Arah was present and alert, providing all the support we both needed from walking, getting snacks/drinks, talking, joking, massaging, physically holding me up, counseling, calming, etc.. in spite of being induced, T'Arah encouraged us in taking every step we could to have a birth that we truly wanted, and I succeeded in taking it one step at a time to have the natural birth I had wished for without further intervention.
T'Arah played a key role in helping me have a birth experience that I am proud of and I will always be grateful to her for that. We will definitely have T'Arah as our Doula for any future babies!