Love Letters

Having Renee on our team for the birth of our first son was one of the best decisions we made.

Immediately, we hit it off and my husband and I knew she was “our people.

I consider myself to be pretty type A, organized, plan everything to a “T” but I knew deep down that you can only plan so much when it comes to a birth. What I did know, was that I wanted to feel as prepared as possible to ease my anxiety. And that is exactly what Renee did for my husband and I.

She has such a warm and calming way about her that you can’t help but get more excited and less anxious with every visit. She really allowed my husband to enjoy our son’s birth and not feel nervous or stressed that he had to be in control of a situation he’s never been in! And she allowed me to relax and take a breath knowing we had such an amazing teammate.

Although I ended up having some complications and my birth did not go as planned, I know without a doubt in my mind I would have been a nervous wreck without her support helping me through it each step of the way. She really gave me the confidence to speak up for myself to the nurses and doctors when I had questions or opinions. I never once felt overwhelmed and that is more than I could ever asked for.

After my son’s birth, I struggled with breastfeeding as many do. It was an extremely emotional experience for me and I almost gave up a few times. But Renee was there, even more than I could have hoped for, with love and support and reassurance that I can do this and I did!

As brand new parents we didn’t know what to expect once our baby arrived. Having a new baby would be a huge life change for us since we decided to have a baby “later” in life after we had been set in our ways and really “carefree” in our lifestyle.  I’m 39 and although through the years I had a lot of experience with children, I knew it would be a whole different world to have one of my own.  I researched post-partum doulas and after coming across Renée’s name in several different sites, we decided to contact her.

We met with Renée at our house and I knew instantaneously she was exactly what we were looking for.  She has a very calming demeanor about her and is very soft spoken.  Renée is extremely knowledgeable in what she does and was able to answer every single one of my questions.

Renée really made my day’s post-partum so much more relaxing and comfortable. She literally would help in every aspect you can imagine and really takes interest in the mommy’s well-being and is so amazing about it without overstepping in any way.  From using essential oils on me to cooking breakfast to taking the baby out for a stroll…Renée does it all.

In addition, I’m a breastfeeding mom and was having a bunch of issues with the baby latching and I was ready to give up.  Renée was hands on with this (literally ;)) and made the entire process so much better and relaxing.  She also suggested I look into whether my child had tongue tie and lip tie, something I’ve never heard of and recommended a doctor who performs the procedure without cutting.  This helped my situation ten-fold.

From an emotional perspective, Renée really listened to my experiences and feelings and really helped put everything in perspective for me.   I literally cried when we reached our last session.

Long after her services to me were over, Renée reached out to me at a critical time when I really needed some help.  Through conversations with her and her great network of resources she helped me thru a hard time on a Saturday night when I’m sure she had family obligations.

I cannot recommend her enough and regret not using her services as a doula when in labor as well. Renée will forever remain close in my heart and I will forever be thankful.

Renée was our doula for our son’s birth on June 6.  My whole pregnancy I was prepping for a natural birth by eating healthy, staying active with yoga and exercise, educating myself through a Bradley Method birth education class and by reading suggested books, and last by hiring Renée to help keep me and my husband calm, cool, and collected on our big day.  Renée exceeded my expectations of just needing her during labor; she came for a prenatal visit and made us feel really good about how we had been preparing for labor, provided us with ample relevant resources for questions we had, and most importantly believed in us and supported us unconditionally.

It was clear from day one that Renée has a passion for educating and supporting her clients with her refreshingly positive character.  It was a whirlwind of a weekend discussing “risks” of birthing a “big” baby and a health issue of mine before deciding to plan a Monday Cesarean and Renée couldn’t have been more helpful talking to my husband, as I was super emotional, about our options.  I thank Renée tremendously for being understanding and supportive.  We never felt judged, we always felt informed.  Most importantly, I believed in me and I knew she believed in me and that was all I needed to feel that I wasn’t alone.  My husband appreciated that Renée wasn’t available only to me, but wanted to know his needs to best support him, too.

On our big day Renée met us at the hospital, prepped us, waited (a long time) patiently for our son to be born and for grandparents to see him, before she came up to the recovery room to be with me.  Family is amazing to have around, but the ability to process and talk to Renée all during an amazing essential oil foot rub was exactly what I needed.  This pampering also occurred at an in-home visit a week after our birth where I will forever be in debt to her for showing us how to swaddle our baby peacefully and get him to sleep in his crib, and for giving us helpful information about newborns now that we were past the birth.

I am very grateful we had Renée by our sides during this process and highly recommend her as a birth doula!

Where to begin?

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I needed to get someone on my team to get through the next 9+ months of my life.  I’m not a “sit back and let the doctors tell me what to do” type person.  I like to be educated BEFORE I get to the doctor so that I know all possible options available to me.  Especially since I knew, from the start, that my goal was to have an unmedicated labor!

I met Renée through a friend but when I spoke to her about her approach to families I knew she was the right doula for me! She’s all about education – the WHATS and HOWS of labor as well as what to expect along the way and during the “BIG DAY”!  Despite her living an hour or so away, Renée still made herself available and even drove to us for our in person appointments!  She never hesitated to answer questions and concerns.  More so, when answering questions she didn’t say “this is my answer and you must take it as THE ONLY answer” she asked questions back and help guide me/us to the answers that felt best for us.  She really helped guide me to the labor that I wanted.

Then came the big day- Renée was on the road in our direction at 2am (or whatever time it was – it’s hard to be exact considering my state of being at the time!).  She arrived and was ready for action – and action is what she got! But she was there – supporting me, supporting my partner in supporting me and never once taking over like it was her show.

Her approach to support during labor makes it feel like you have someone by your side but not getting in the way of the moments that are meant for you and for you and your partner.  My labor was a very long 33 hour process and Renée stood by our side the ENTIRE TIME!! My mom, who was skeptical of us using a doula (because why do you want someone besides your mother with you?!?) was beyond grateful for Renée and finally understood why we chose her.

I cannot thank Renée enough for everything she has done for us!  She continues to check in with us and I truly hope she will continue to be a part of our lives as our son grows – and when I have the courage to bring another life into this world!!

As anyone could imagine giving birth is one of the scariest moments for someone who has never experienced it before. It’s the fear of the unknown, the “what if’s”, and just becoming a parent in general. With Renée as my doula by my side the fear diminished.

I’m one of those people who suffers from panic anxiety disorders. Needless to say I was petrified to give birth. I felt like I needed someone there with me who was much more experienced and could keep me calm (in addition to my husband). Well Renée did just that! As soon as my contractions started getting more intense she was at my door. She helped ease my pain and calm my nerves by massaging my back and feet. She had essential oils burning and calming music playing. Renée helped place my body in different positions to try and ease the contractions for me as much as possible. I labored as long as I could at home to speed up the process in the hospital. As soon as we got to the hospital she never left my side. She helped coached me through the most amazing moment of my life. She even grabbed my camera (with my permission of course) and captured the most beautiful moment of our baby Jack being born. My favorite picture is when we found out “IT’S A BOY!”

After all was said and done Renée came by our house to check up on us often along with phone calls. She helped with nursing and literally anything we needed. Renée has the most genuine heart and is full of compassion. She loves her job so much and is so educated in all aspects. I can’t imagine ever having another baby without Renée. We look forward to working with her in the future!