I hired Katrina when I was just around 12 or 14 weeks pregnant...we knew we wanted a doula, and after making some calls, I found that doulas book out pretty far in advance! We knew our price range (less than $1k) and what we were looking for in terms of support, and found 5 or 6 individuals or companies that fit the bill. We interviewed 2 - Katrina being the first, and we liked her immediately! She made me feel at ease and that she got the kind of birth I was looking to achieve. We hired her right away, and I really liked having access to her via text in those months leading up to labor with random pregnancy questions. She walked through our birth plan with us in person around 36 weeks - it was really helpful because she had questions for us that weren't on our OB's list, including some of the immediate newborn care.
And then, finally, time to have a baby! My water had broken overnight (though I wasn't sure) and Katrina encouraged me to call my doctor when I texted her the next morning. I got busy at work (such denial!) and finally saw my doctor that afternoon and found that I was in pretty active labor! We met Katrina at the hospital, and she was amazing at keeping hubby & I focused throughout the entire process. With a 39 hour labor and 5.5 hours of pushing, we were exhausted. Katrina kept us calm and informed, keeping track of the comings and goings of the nurses and doctors through the evening. She helped me to come up with my questions before the resident came in every few hours. And when labor got really hard, she was great helping hubby to coach me to get that wee baby into our arms, and made sure we were comfortable breastfeeding before she left the hospital.
Katrina stopped in a week later for our post partum visit, bringing along a wonderfully written birth story. There's no way I would have maintained the focus that I did in labor & delivery without Katrina's support and expertise! read more