Erin
Samantha was a great help for me. I am a first time mother and not knowing a lot about labor and delivery, she gave me the knowledge I needed to feel comfortable at the hospital. She was very gentle with helping me through the contractions and reminding me of my birth plan and asking the nurses questions pertaining to the delivery of my son and the medication I was able to take and how much was being administered to me.
Neva
Samantha helped me deliver my first baby. this was helpful because no matter how many birth stories you here or how many books you read you don’t fully understand the experience of child birth until you go through it yourself. when you are going through the experience it can be scary because you have doctors and nurses discussing what is going on but you don’t always understand what they are talking about or why they are worried and wanting to do certain procedures that you are not sure are necessary. when Samantha helped me deliver she was there to talk me through the different things that where going on with my body and why the doctors were saying some of the thing they wanted to do. she also was able to tell me different options that i did not think about at the time because i was overwhelmed with worry. even though i have a very supportive husband who was by my side it helped to have a woman who truly understands what you are going through and can assist with calming the situation. as wonderful as your husband might be he will not be calm when the doctors start telling him scary things and he is worry about you and the baby. having a Doula like Samantha helped to keep us in perspective. she helped us understand all the situations and was there to have extra hands when there was a lot going on. my first labor lasted over 24hr and i was threatened with a c-section on a lot of occasions. but i delivered a healthy 8lb baby naturally with out any drugs and found it very helpful to have Samantha by my side to explain things when the doctor wouldn’t tell me what was going on. i did not have the ability for Samantha to help me deliver my 2nd child because of distance issues, but i am having her help me with my 3rd. no matter how many times you deliver a child there is always fear and different problems that you don’t understand but having a doula like Samantha by your side will make the whole experience easy-er to go through.
Jeanette
Samantha is a good doula and I am thankful to have had her by my side during such an important time. She is knowledgeable about issues surrounding pregnancy, labor, and birth. She was available to answer questions and offer suggestions during pregnancy. I had 2 doulas, Samantha being one of them, and they worked well together to help me while I labored, even though they hadn’t met before. I shared with Samantha what I wanted my labor to look like and she was able to help me with that as much as possible considering the circumstances. I wanted to birth my baby without the use of pain meds and Samantha was helpful with tips to help work through contractions and also with labor position ideas. She offered suggestions for ways my husband could help me during labor so that he could be involved and not just sit by and watch. I definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a doula.
Jenny
I hired Samantha for the birth of our first daughter, born April 2, 2015. As a first time mom, I didn’t know what to expect in labor, but I was determined to have a natural birth if at all possible. Our pre-birth appointments with Samantha in our home were very helpful. Samantha is very easy to talk to and she made us feel comfortable with our (many) questions, and was quick to respond to my texts and phone calls. As my due date approached, Samantha was very encouraging and excited for me, which helped me relax about the unknown.
My contractions began around 1:00am the day after my due date, and I texted Samantha a few hours later to ask if this could possibly be the real deal. She responded right away, and after I got a few more hours of sleep (which she suggested), she told me she was ready to head to my house whenever we were ready for her. She arrived around 11:00am and I was still able to walk around and talk between contractions. Right away, she began reminding me of the relaxation techniques we had practiced, and suggested new ways to help me relax and breath. As contractions got stronger, her presence became increasingly helpful. She was able to instruct my husband and mom (also part of my birth team) on how to help, and the three of them made a fantastic team.
We went to the hospital late that afternoon, and my labor extended for many more hours (30 in total). On the morning of April 2, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I am convinced that without Samantha’s assistance, I would not have had the natural birth I wanted. Her guidance and assistance were invaluable to us, and I am so thankful we had her by our side. My husband and I both highly recommend Samantha as a doula. We hope to use her with any future births to come!
Jenn
As a first time mother, I was very apprehensive about having a non-medicated natural birth. Samantha was very helpful in providing me information and motivation. When I went into labor she came to my house to labor with me and stayed with us until after our son was born. I am very thankful that we were able to have Samantha with us for such an important time in our lives.
Hannah
Samantha did an amazing job at my birth. I did have my mom at my birth who helped me through it as well, they did a great job tag teaming together. Samantha was right there reminding me to stay relaxed and giving me relaxing breathing techniques. She never got annoying or too in my face at any point. She is very well educated in how to best help you relax and get into positions that will help you progress during labor. On top of that she took some really awesome photos for us. Overall, Samantha was a great person to have helping during labor and I have no complaints.
Your Cherished Birth 