Speaker: Amber, First Time Mom
How has working with Leslie made a difference in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum experience?
Amber: Having Leslie as my doula for my birth experience was incredible. She made sure that I felt super comfortable and informed prior to even going into labor. We did so many things to prep for labor that I felt super prepared. So did my husband and it just, you know, it made such a difference once the time came to have the baby. I felt so safe with her comfortable. It was like having a family member there. And I just remember feeling like, you know, she was supportive of no matter what we wanted. And it just felt so good knowing that there was like so much positivity surrounding my birth experience because that was really important to me. But she made me feel so like ready. And I, you know, it just made me feel so excited when, you know, it could have easily been a very like anxious experience. But overall, you know, she just really made it feel so positive. So that was amazing.
What was your biggest fear/worry about birth? How was the support in handling that fear?
Amber: My biggest fear and worry about birth was like hands down, having to be transferred to the hospital or having to get a Cesarean. And that was something that, you know, we thought a lot about and we talked a lot about, because I really envisioned myself having a water birth at the birth center. And as it turns out, I did have to go to the hospital and I did end up getting a Cesarean. But I felt so at peace with the decisions that we made because of how my labor was progressing and we did every single thing in Leslie's toolkit, we did it all. There wasn't one thing that she held back and I felt so good knowing that we tried absolutely everything that we could. And, you know, Leslie was like, not, she was not backing down. She really was so, so helpful in also making sure that, you know, I felt like this was, you know, this was the plan, you know, like everything that was happening, was happening for a reason. We totally understood my husband and I like, you know, this is, this is just sometimes how things can go and we knew that going into, my birth. And it's just funny because, you know, you may have a plan and it just doesn't work out that way. But I felt so good about it and it could have easily felt like a traumatic birth experience for me. If I had a different outlook, but I felt so good and I still do. I'm three months postpartum. I feel so good about how my birth went because of how we prepared for this and I had Leslie there like every step of the way and I just felt just like, you know what we made the right decision and I am happy with how it turned out. So.
How would you describe Birth by Faith in 3 words? Please share anything else you’d like to about your experience with Leslie’s services.
Amber: If I had to describe birth by faith in three words, I would have to say informative, impactful and uplifting. Leslie just always made us feel like we were super informed. We had all the knowledge that we needed. She was always available if we ever had questions. And as a first time mom, I had a lot and I still, I still do so. It's just nice to have that resource within her um impactful because she was always super, super aware of everything that was going on. She was always up with a plan, always ready to respond, especially when I was like in labor, you know, through every contraction, she was like on it with, you know, comfort measures and just making sure that I felt ok and helping my husband through like how he could help me and support me. So just amazing and then uplifting, obviously, you know, she was incredible. I already spoke to her positivity, but I really just felt blessed to have found her. We wanted someone that like, truly aligned with our values and that was going to kind of like bring God into our birth and I couldn't find anyone that even came close to Leslie. So I like, I can't believe that we found her. I was so happy to find her and I cannot recommend having Leslie as a doula enough. So, you know, I've always recommended since having this experience that you need a doula. But if you're looking for someone that aligns with, you know, with your values, Leslie's it. She is the one. Also her postpartum services are just incredible. I was in the hospital after my Cesarean and when we had our first day back, she offered to come for one of her sessions and help us kind of get settled in and let me tell you as a first time mom, not really knowing what to do. and just kind of coming home and being like, ok, like we're alone now, this is our baby. Having her there for that additional layer of like support and help and this is what we do. Amazing. I like, I cannot stress enough how you don't realize how much that will impact that first night. It was amazing. And then she came back for a second session and it just felt so good and it was great to like, validate. you know what you're doing as a new parent, how you're feeling and just having like someone else that was helping you and praying with you like it just felt so great. That level of support has been unmatched by anyone else that I've been with. So throughout this experience, I can't thank her enough. Leslie, You're the best.
