Having a baby in a pandemic isn’t easy but I’m so thankful I had Veronica on my support team to get me through.
I started speaking to her about doula care before I was even pregnant. We had met a few years earlier as she was my yoga instructor and she was always my favorite. She was calm yet firm. She could tell when I needed to be pushed or listen to my body a little more intently and slow down. Knowing her as a yoga instructor, I knew she would be just as perfect in labor and delivery.
Throughout my pregnancy, Veronica was an incredibly safe place for me. She was able to walk me through feelings and emotions that would arise and encourage me not to push anything down. She let me cry to her many times and because of working through the emotions, I felt confident and secure as my due date approached.
We established a birth preference sheet and discussed it many times, so that we were clear on what my preferences were. And thankfully, we discussed a few alternatives to the plan... since we know birth doesn’t always go like we want.
Veronica also went above and beyond dealing with Covid measures that ensured she was able to be at the hospital with me - which we fought hard for yet I’m so thankful for that. We had a virtual plan in place if she wouldn’t have been permitted into the hospital.
When I went in for my induction, we stayed in contact through text as I could. When Veronica saw the path that it was headed, she came up to the hospital much earlier than we planned so she could help. Within just a few hours, she was helping with hip squeezes, counter pressure, getting tools (peanut and birth ball, squat bar, etc...) from the nursing staff. She got cool rags and held a bag for me and even brought some snacks for me that she knew would go okay- best honey sticks ever!! :)
She helped me fight for what I wanted and gave me ideas when the hospital staff would come into the room and try to go for a csection. I was grateful for her.
Her postpartum care has gone above and beyond as well from the text check ups to coming over to my house and bringing essentials- she even cut my babies nails and helped show me how. (It’s so much scarier than it seems ;))
I can guarantee if Veronica wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have had the pregnancy, labor and delivery or post partum joyful experience that I had.
Oh and just for fun, my husbands review: “We will never have another baby without her, she was incredible!”
