Pregnant? Get a doula!

Part way through our pregnancy Bill and I decided to get a doula. Boy, was that the right decision.

Super early in the pregnancy we interviewed a few local Tacoma doulas, but weren't sure if we really wanted one or not, so we put the whole thing on hold. Then a few months later we revisited the reasons to get or not get a doula.

We decided to go for it because:
-we found out that at The Birthing Inn that the birth assistant is not there for the whole birth and there is only one birth assistant on duty even if there are two births going on.
-we figured that if we something ended up going wrong (which it did) we would want a doula to go with us to the hospital
-there might have been other reasons too, but those were the main two that convinced us that it was the right choice.

We hired Jessica, who we had interviewed in the beginning. We liked Jessica from the start because she was very down to earth and chill.

During the pregnancy we met up a few times, talked or went for walks. Then near the end we were in daily contact. It was so great having her to ask all these questions. I would share with her what was happening with my body and she would let me know what it meant and what to do. She was very knowledgeable and I alleviated my nerves on a daily basis.

The day I went into labor we were in contact pretty much constantly. She met us at the Birthing Inn and came prepared with a whole bag of tricks and drinks and the whole shebang. Too bad my labor went so quickly we didn't get to use them! Although, the drinks came in very handy. I downed those Gatorades after I finished pushing that baby out.

Jessica was super great during labor. She was such a calming and peaceful presence. Not only did I appreciate all her help and soothing words and actions, but so did Bill. He definitely felt more at ease with her there. When we had to transfer to the hospital she was right there with us every step of the way. She stayed with us throughout labor and hung out with us in postpartum until we were ready to be on our own. She also came and checked in with us after we brought baby Judah home to go over everything and see if there was anything we needed.

When it comes time for baby number two, there will be no hesitation. Jessica will be our doula from day one (or, you know, week 4)!