Nunes-Machado-Borges-Savio familly: My husband and I are immigrants and we don’t usually have family around. We moved to a new town last year and we’re still building our support net. Thinking about all that, having in mind our toddler who still needs us a lot, we decided to hire a doula. Ann-Marielle came to our house at certain weeks prior to my due date, fully explaining how the birth could go and it helped me really visualize what I would be going through. She asked what our ideal birth looked like - that gave us something to look up to. I was prepared and knew what to expect – I knew what my body would be doing and what would be normal in the weeks leading up to it. When I had issues with a breech baby, she came to my place and showed us exercises that could help turn the baby (and they DID!!!) with a rebozo (very cool tool she lent us). She also came to our place to show my husband what kind of massage and pressure points would help me when in active labour. We felt confident and prepared. She explained in details what the steps would be when the time came and she always offered reassurance and help with our toddler, in case we needed it. The day we left to the hospital, she was here at 6am waiting on my front door, the whole time we traveled she gave me breathing space but also kept the mood light and made me feel better. At the hospital, I felt she advocated for me and for what we had talked about as our goal birth. I need to stress that I would NOT have been able to advocate for myself at that time, neither would my husband with all the overwhelming feelings and sensations we were experiencing. Ann-Marielle knew I didn’t want an epidural and she helped me get through labour, reassuring me of my strength and giving me warm hugs when I needed. I can’t express how much of a difference she made that day!!! Both my husband and I felt taken care of, and we are very grateful for the amazing birth experience we had. It’s so good to know that someone has got your back, so I would say if you’re not sure, DEFINITELY hire a doula, better yet if it’s someone who respects you and makes you feel comfortable doing one of the most uncomfortable things ever. Truth is I found my natural labour to be incredibly challenging, and I don’t think I was emotionally prepared for the birth. I truly believe that I would not have gotten through my labour naturally if it weren’t for her help. After baby Lenna was born, Ann-Marielle came to visit and brought baked muffins! It was lovely to have her gentle and friendly face in our home. She also answered any questions we had and helped with breastfeeding since the latch wasn’t exactly working out for us. She reminded me to take naps and sat down with my husband and talked to him about watching me for signs of post partum depression and what kind of support I needed. Thank you for your help, Ann-Marielle. You have a special place in our hearts

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