She was always available, met me for coffee just because, and contacted me regularly in the last few weeks to check in. I had experienced prodromal labor for about 3 weeks. At my midwife appointment at 39 weeks, they said my water hadn't broken, but that I was already 5cm dilated and 80% effaced! I was already half way there! I was told to go home and pack. The midwives thought I would go into labor that night. I let Rachael know and we both napped just in case. When I was still pregnant Friday, I did some yoga poses and accupressure that Rachael suggested just incase the baby was in a bad position and needed to flip. By the afternoon, the contractions were 5 min apart and regular. Rachael suggested we call the midwife who advised us to wait an hour to see if they became more painful. Twenty minutes later, they were finally getting stronger! Rachael met us at the hospital right as we were beeing wheeled into the room.
I labored in the tub for about 3 hours. Rachael was there to remind me to drink, used aromatherapy when I was feeling nauseous, and rubbed by back when it cramped up. She provided the confident, quiet support that I needed and never overstepped her boundaries.
When I thought I couldn't go any longer, she reminded me that I could. She was never in the way, and helped support my husband in supporting me. Ultimately I was able to have the beautiful natural birth I had desired.
Many things played into this, but I firmly believe that hiring Rachael as our doula was one of the smartest things we could do. You can never get too much support during this time of your life, before and after. I highly recommend Rachael to anyone interested in having a beautiful birthing experience!
