A Simple Journey

I am so thankful to have had Tracie as my Doula. She was very prompt in replying to my original email and setting up a time to meet in person was easy. After our first meeting, I knew she was the right choice for us to help welcome our little girl into the world. I felt like she really listened to what my husband and I wanted for our experience and helped us make decisions that made sense to us. During our pre-​birth meetings, I was happy because she has a lot of information to share in person as well as written, since it’s a lot to take in all at once.
While my actual birth experience ended up being quite short, my husband and I were both happy she was there to guide us through the process. It was very comforting to hear her voice during labor, and her advice on breathing helped a lot.
Our daughter is 7 weeks old now and during those first few confusing weeks, I felt like I was still getting a lot of support from Tracie, both in person and through texts. The best thing I can say about her is I always felt like she was really listening to me. She’s a special part of our daughter’s story and I’m grateful to have met her.

I searched out Tracie because she was a doula in the area that taught HypnoBirthing and that was the method my husband and I had chosen for our 2^nd daughter’s birth. She was so sweet and easy going right from the start! She always had tons of information and resources for any questions I had and some I didn’t know I had. ;)
During the labor and birth, she was a calming presence that gave my husband and I the strength to accomplish exactly what we had been hoping and planning for, a natural birth in the comfort of our own home! It was truly magical and I feel Tracie played a big part in helping us plan, prepare, and achieve the perfect birth for our family.

My wife, Katie, and I thought passively that a doula might be something nice to have. We decided that with no family, or birth-​experienced friends it might be a good idea. We were absolutely right.
We decided to get both Tracie and Michelle Ogden-​Stout — and they were fantastic at every step. Before the birth they gave us a crash course on birth, talked to us about fears, anxieties. Helped us with researching our options.
When we were informed that Katie needed to be induced they sprung to action and helped us through a very difficult labor which ultimately ended up being heavily drug-​induced. Since Katie’s pitocin levels were cranked on her, she needed an epidural and due to some complications the baby was delivered via C-​section.
I’m sure I would have lost it without them, and I know Katie would have had a difficult time coping with the labor difficulties.
It’s been a week, and we’re ever so slowly adjusting to life with a newborn. Tracie and Michelle keep tabs on us and are at the ready to find people to help us with any issues we might have.
If you’re thinking about delivering a child, definitely seek out the help of a doula if you can, and I think Tracie and Michelle would be a very good support team for you and your partner.