Finding out I was pregnant was more than a surprise for my husband and I. After almost 10 years together we had our minds made up that we weren’t having any children. I immediately dove into books, reading anything I could about childbirth and pregnancy. I found the books written by Ina May Gaskin to give me the courage and perspective that I needed to thrive in my pregnancy and labor.
We knew we needed a doula. I had so much anxiety about childbirth and the thought of being a mother was hard to manifest. I was biding my time in hopes that the right doula would fall in my lap but it hadn’t happened and my due date was getting closer. My husband took action and found Care for Mom. I had a warm and welcoming conversation with the head Doula Susan Breisch over the phone and we were paired with our Doula Lindsay Neal.
I’m so thankful to have met Lindsay. She was so understanding and easy to connect with. We had to get to know each other kind of quickly because my due date wasn’t that far off but that wasn’t a problem. We felt very comfortable with Lindsay right away which is a good thing because I ended up going into labor almost 3 weeks before my due date.
This was so unexpected and I was kind of in denial. I felt a small gush of water around 5 am and called Lindsay to let her know. She had me start doing the Miles circuit and some inversions that we had discussed previously. I wasn’t having any contractions and was afraid I would have to be induced. I wanted an unmedicated birth without any interventions so this was a fear of mine. Lindsay comforted me over the phone and encouraged me to continue my exercises.
My husband took me to get the fluid checked around 12:30 pm and I asked them if I could labor at home for a while until I felt contractions. They said no and I’m glad they did because my daughter was born less than 4 hours later. I had been in communication with Lindsay and she was right across the street. I was so confident that I wasn’t in labor yet and then it all hit me so quickly. I was glad to see Lindsay when she arrived. I pushed in the tub for two hours while Lindsay and my husband took turns fanning my face.
Lindsay knew my wants and needs, she was there to advocate for us so my husband and I could focus on nothing more than the beautiful experience of bringing our daughter into the world. She helped me breastfeed my brand new baby and get that immediate skin to skin contact that is so important. She helped me make decisions and manage the uncomfortable and scary part when my placenta wouldn’t come out.
Lindsay was not only there before and during my labor but she came to check on me for several postpartum visits. That meant so much to me. To this day I can always count on her to answer any new mom’s questions or concerns. Sometimes she just texts me to say hello and see how I’m doing. I was even able to reach out to Susan and she listened to me and helped me navigate my way through some sleep issues I was having with my daughter many months after she was born.
I’m so grateful for my pregnancy, my labor experience and of course my beautiful and healthy daughter. The only people I wanted in the room were my husband, my midwife and my doula. Needless to say it was a profound experience that changed my life and we are grateful to have had such a caring doula by our side.
Lori Blackford, March 2023
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