“As a second time mom, I felt confident that after taking a birthing class with my first pregnancy that my husband and I were prepared to go through this pregnancy and labor process together, until I hit third trimester. A round of food poisoning that landed me in the hospital was a wakeup call that I needed additional support if I was going to achieve the birth I desired. As my Antepartum Doula, Jhenielle built a custom plan of care that was suited for my needs, and it was a such relief to know that I was going to get the support that I needed for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Once we began working together, I was able to carve out time to take care of myself and my baby and prepare for labor. It was such a blessing to have accountability and have someone there to keep me on track and to help me prepare the way I needed to for the birth I desired. Between work, taking care of home and taking care of my first child, I wasn’t a priority. Jhenielle really helped me to prioritize myself and my baby and make time to take care of myself. I really found it helpful having an exercise plan, which Jhenielle tailored based on I was progressing and adjusted where needed. Having the constant affirmations that I was ready for birth and doing my best was so helpful as I got closer to meeting my baby. It's so easy to get down on yourself and be hard on yourself but having Jhenielle’s constant reassurance really helped build my confidence and prepare me for labor.
We didn’t initially plan to for Jhenielle to be our birth doula, but once we realized we'd have to give birth in the hospital, and not at the birth center as planned, my husband and I knew that we'd need additional support and it had to be Jhenielle. Due to COVID, I was only allowed one support person the room besides a doula, and it was a blessing that Jhenielle was able to swoop right in as our doula. I needed to be induced and found the process to be very confusing and overwhelming. Because we had planned for a water birth at a birth center, I'd never researched induction and had no idea what the options meant or what the health implications were for me and my baby.
Jhenielle instantly provided us digestible, evidence-based information on induction and the associated implications and possible outcomes, which ultimately helped to inform our decision about which induction method to use. In the face of unwarranted discouragement from medical providers, Jhenielle was reassuring, affirming me and reminding me that I had everything I needed within me and could still achieve my goal of an unmedicated birth if that was still my desire. I didn’t really have that encouragement coming from anywhere else—my husband had seen me suffering throughout my pregnancy and wanted to make things as easy as possible for me considering the induction, even if it meant having an epidural which was not my preference. Jhenielle was gentle, supportive, and affirming and her encouragement to strengthen me and gave me the confidence that it would be difficult, but I could still achieve my goal of an unmedicated birth.
Once Jhenielle arrived at the hospital and labor started getting under way, I was at a point where I needed that additional support. My husband had been laboring with me for so long and was tired, and my body was getting tired. Having the additional physical support to hold me up, suggest different positions to alleviate pain and encourage and cheer me on was invaluable. Her reminders of key milestones that I reached in labor and how much I had progressed were encouraging and just what I needed to keep going.
Jhenielle was an absolute asset during the third stage of labor when I gave birth to my baby—by then I was physically exhausted and didn’t have the energy to maneuver into a more optimal birthing position, but Jhenielle was right there by my side, repositioning me, holding my hand, and whispering encouragement in my ear. Her presence during the birth of our second child really helped to take away some of the stress that we experienced with the unexpected turn in our birth story.
Once my baby was born Jhenielle was there to capture the first moments with the pictures and videos. Those photos mean so much to me because the emotion is so raw, and I can look at the pictures and remember how I was feeling and what I was thinking. Without Jhenielle, we wouldn’t have had any photos of those first moments together as a family. We lost so many other things we had wanted because of the way our baby was born but we still had those photos so I'm so grateful to Jhenielle for her support.”
- Amanda B.
