Katie was my doula when I gave birth to my son in October 2012. When I think of Katie, the first word that comes into my mind is “patience.” It was my first pregnancy, and I spent two sleepless nights at the hospital to deliver the baby. The progress was so slow that I got tired and started to hope someone would somehow just get the baby out. Katie was with me throughout the process without getting any rest, but she remained extremely calm, caring and attentive. She kept reassuring me that I was doing the right thing, and that each contraction was getting me one step closer to meeting my baby.

In the end, I had a memorable water birth that I had always dreamed of. I picked up my son and breastfed him while still in the water. I do not think this would have been possible had it not been for Katie’s support. For every contraction, she held my body and breathed with me, which helped tremendously to maintain the rhythm. The rhythmical deep breathing made a remarkable difference in coping with the pain. In between the contractions, she did everything she could to make me feel comfortable, from wiping my sweat, giving me massage to helping me eat and drink.

My partner was not present, and the midwives were too busy to pay close attention to me until the actual delivery stage. So I cannot imagine how things would have been without Katie. But even if my partner was there with me, I am certain that Katie’s support still would have made a big difference. Having given birth herself and gone through various trainings, she knew exactly what I was going through, which seemed to have given her added confidence and sympathy.

Katie also helped me as a postnatal doula. As I was then a graduate student, she looked after my baby while I attended lectures. Although my son was only a few weeks old, I felt comfortable leaving him with Katie because she knew him from birth, and she made me feel like she cared about him just like I did. I only asked her to look after him, but she often also cleaned up my room like magic. This was extremely helpful because it was difficult to maintain order in the room while taking care of a newborn for the first time. I appreciated the childcare experience she shared with me as well.

Katie is a wonderful doula, and she made a big difference in the beginning of my life as a mother. If anyone would like to hear more about my experience, my contact information can be obtained through Katie.