Alyssa was my doula for the birth of my 3rd child. I know that because of her, I had a beautiful, natural, physiological birth. I did not have a doula for the births of my first 2 children but after having her be such a vital part of my birth team, I wish I had invested in a doula for them. The birth of my 1st child was long and difficult, and I can confidently say that if Alyssa had been there, it would have been completely different. She is kind, incredibly generous, loves the Lord, and has a calming presence that makes her a perfect doula for someone like me. I have a lot of anxiety and do better when I have someone who is both gentle and firm.
Alyssa became a part of my pregnancy journey around 18 weeks along. I was able to talk about my previous births, my indecision about where to give birth, and the difficulties I had experienced with secondary infertility. I had an initial consultation and 2 prenatal appointments with her in person where she was so attentive and wonderful about helping my husband and me to think through what I wanted my birthing time to look like. She was also available by phone and text, and I appreciated so much how often she checked in with me (and reminded me that I couldn't over communicate with her).
A very big reason I decided to pursue a birthing center birth where I knew I wouldn't be able to have an epidural (I'm definitely not great with pain and had epidurals with my first 2) was because of her encouragement and also her suggestion to pursue using Hypnobabies. I was skeptical that Hypnobabies would work for me, but I'm so thankful I worked through and completed the course. Not only was the hypnosis vital to my 3rd's amazing birth, but the Hypnobabies materials reinforced what I already knew, as well as taught me new things that gave me confidence I was definitely lacking in previous births.
Alyssa is such a wealth of information. I felt very safe going to her with my questions, concerns, and even my frustrations. She was fabulous at reminding me of God's sovereignty, His perfect timing, and that she was praying for me. During my actual birthing time, Alyssa was a strong, calming presence that involved herself when she needed to and also let me work through the different stages of labor. I was so thankful for her constant reminder to relax my face (the idea being that a relaxed face is a relaxed uterus), and how she kept me on target from one stage to the next. She helped me try different positions (one even included a nap) and got me setup to be able to enter the birthing tub just when I needed it most. I had a water birth, something I had always wanted to have! She kept me on course with my Hypnobabies tracks to keep my focus where it needed to be.
I'm so thankful for everything Alyssa did for me during pregnancy, my birthing time, and also after birth and in the weeks following birth. She is a fantastic doula and an amazing person. I highly recommend her and am so happy to do so.
- Stacia B.
