We had the privilege of having
Jessica Atkins as our doula for the birth of our two youngest children. Jessica's dedication amazed us. She was there for us during my pregnancies,
answering our questions, advising and guiding us along the way. At the hospital, Jessica was very helpful in dealing with the hospital staff,
insisting on our best interest. Her experience and knowledge helped everything
go so smoothly in what could have been a difficult labor. Jessica was a great help to us and we would enthusiastically recommend her to
anyone who wants a relaxed, informed and pleasant experience!!
-Boruch and Dini Friedman
Jessica was my doula with our first child. She was incredibly supportive (and knowledgeable!) about all the
choices I made during pregnancy and labor.
A doula can't take away the pain of labor, but she can make you feel like you're going to come out
the other side of this labor business alive. Jessica was a fantastic doula. I was very sad when she moved and couldn't be with me for my second pregnancy and
birth.
-Anne (RN, Labor and Delivery) and Charlie, homebirth
When I got pregnant with our first child I was not familiar
with what a doula is or does. When we met with Jessica we knew that we were
interested in working with a doula through the pregnancy and delivery.
Jessica met with us many times during the pregnancy. She provided tons of
helpful information and answered our questions and concerns (even my
husband's embarrassing ones!).
Having Jessica there during the delivery was a life
saver for me and my husband. My plans for a intervention/medication free
delivery were sadly put aside due to length and complications of the labor
(almost 48 hours). Throughout all of it Jessica hardly ever left my side. She
offered support and comfort to me and my husband. She helped us understand what
was happening and what the doctors were proposing for us. I honestly don't know
how we could have done it without her.
We used Jessica again for our second pregnancy and delivery.
This time things happened much quicker and we knew what to expect. However,
having Jessica with us again gave me a sense of peace. I knew that no matter
what happened she would be there to help get us through it.If we ever have another baby, Jessica will have
to be with us!
- Tanya and Mike
"With my first baby I had an unnecessary C-section and a very
disempowering birth experience so for baby #2, I was determined to make it more
me and an empowering experience for both me and my husband. I knew I
wanted to use Jessica the first time we talked on the phone- she was calm and
had a ton of experience with VBAC births. I loved our pre-birth meetings-
she was attentive and thoughtful to the details that were specific to our
needs. The week of my due date she was considerate to contact me and
off
er her support. The birth day was utterly amazing- she provided total
support and assisted me to have an unmedicated successful VBAC delivery. The most memorable moment was right before I
began to push when she reminded me of what I wanted with this birth and
centered me to finish the “task” at hand.
And I had a beautiful baby girl in just minutes! There’s no doubt in my mind that Jessica’s
presence allowed us to have the perfect birth experience we’d hoped for. Now I want to have another baby…just to work
with her again.”
- Amelia and Greg
Jessica is amazingly knowledgeable, soft-spoken yet always encouraging—not
to mention her timely and necessary postpartum help—in short she has been an
ideal doula. We really appreciated her input when we were still laboring at
home, not knowing exactly when to go to the hospital and reminding us of comfort
measures to try. She was also invaluable in the pushing stage when we felt we
were running out of options and she continually had positive, constructive
suggestions, from things to eat/drink to different positions to try. To both of
us it really felt like the last hour would not have gone nearly as well had she
not been there coaching Ellen in pushing with very exact words, motions, and
sounds and really encouraging her that she was “doing it right” since we
weren’t sure what “right” was. Thank you, Jessica!
- Ellen and Dave (had a very long second stage and used the supported dangle quite successfully)
Jessica's knowledge and support were invaluable. She was
always a calming influence when needed, and a pillar of quiet strength. The
support she provided during what became a very long birth process (with a
joyful outcome) was beyond the call of duty, and I would not hesitate to recommend her services. -Joanna
I always
look back on the birth of my daughter as a beautiful, positive
experience.
I believe this is in large part due to Jessica's presence at
the birth and due to her advice prior to it. - Magdalena
“Everybody should have a Jessica”
is what my mother said after witnessing the birth of our baby girl with Jessica
coaching us through it. Her calm and
soft demeanor had my mother practically sleeping between my contractions. But it was Jessica’s firm guidance and
knowledgeable advice that allowed me to successfully navigate contraction after
contraction with out the use of pain medication. As that was our goal from the beginning, we
consider the birth of our beautiful baby girl to be an extraordinary success
and a beautiful, life changing experience.
And although I won’t attribute the entire success to Jessica, as I did a
lot of work and my husband gave me an extreme amount of necessary support, I
will emphatically say that I don’t think I could have done it with out
her. more.....
Jessica
Atkins helped us have the birth experience we wanted -- a healthy and positive
one that left us feeling free to concentrate on our beautiful new baby and energized
for our life together.
We
hired Jessica because we wanted a birth without medical intervention. We
thought the best way to do this was to find a calm, confident, and
knowledgeable participant who was there just for us. We wanted someone
who could reassure us with the benefit of her experience and suggest
non-medicated pain relief options and positions for labor and delivery.
Despite an unanticipated need for Pitocin and a fetal monitor, Katie was able
to manage without pain medication during very intense contractions. We
attribute this in large part to having Jessica there -- to help guide us
through a potentially scary (because unknown) experience. During the
difficult final stage of labor, Jessica was a strong and calming presence—and,
with her good advice, helped us (and even the hospital staff) work together as
a team.
Most importantly, Jessica’s approach (or "vibe") -- that she
obviously cares a great deal about mothers and babies and the birthing process
– was very comforting from the moment we met her.
Katie
and Paul