Our birth doula, Tammy, was awesome. I had a bad experience with my first birth, and so I was very nervous of my second one. I did a ton of research going into the birth, and I made Joseph read a huge stack of books, but having Tammy there was what made the difference. It's one thing to know what to do, but it's quite another to remember it when needed, which is why I wanted to have an experienced labor guide there. Tammy met with us and discussed my first birth, my fears and hopes for the next one, and she helped us write a realistic birth plan that the hospital/doctor would take seriously. She gave us a labor class before the birth and met us at our apartment while I was in labor. I had tremendous back labor the entire time, but Tammy knew so many ways to cope with it. Most of all I appreciated her constant reassurance of what is natural and normal. She didn't take Joseph's place either - I needed both of them. Since a doula isn't a medical professional, she wasn't permitted to give me medical advice, however she did alert Joseph and I when the nurses were deviating from the birth plan. It is just helpful to have another set of eyes when so much is going on. After the birth, Tammy stayed with me until the chaos calmed down and Rianna had nursed. She visited us at home later and we talked about the birth. Tammy wrote up a record of the events to present at this visit. That was so nice to have because everything was very jumbled in my memory! -Jenny
Tammy was our doula for my first child's birth. We were new to Cedar Rapids and unsure if my mother would be able to make it in time for the birth and I really wanted someone with my husband and I that would be able to advocate for me during labor and explain what the outcome of each decision would be. Labor was very intense but having Tammy there to guide me through pain coping techniques, breathing and using the TENS unit made a huge difference. It was wonderful to have someone there specifically for my needs, and she had the experience and compassion to make my birth wonderful. She was always available for questions before the birth and after the birth and I'm very glad we decided to have Tammy as our doula. -Lareina
Tammy was the doula for our third birth. The first two were born in Davenport at a freestanding birth center (basically like homebirths), and our third baby was born at a hospital since we didn’t have a birth center option in Cedar Rapids. It was especially helpful to have Tammy there for us on "our side", as we were very nervous about the possibility of intervention in the hospital environment. Although there were no conflicts, it was wonderful having Tammy there to support our decisions, even if they were not popular decisions. We will be using Tammy as our doula for our fourth birth as well! -Amy
Tammy enabled me to free up family to take care of our other two children during the process of labor and then later have our oldest daughter present at the birth. This was my second birth but the first time we used a doula. I would not trade the experience or change anything. She added a peace of mind to the experience because I was so concerned about my older children being cared for since we have no family in the area. I would highly recommend Tammy as a doula, her experience and caring showed through in her work! -Becky
I met Tammy when I took her Lamaze Class for my second daughter. After the first class I knew I wanted Tammy as my doula. She was amazing in her knowledge and support of my decision to have a VBAC. I know without Tammy I surely would have had another c-section. When I decided to become a surrogate I knew that I had to have Tammy by my side! I couldn't have asked for a better person to help me through my pregnancy. She was also a great help with the intended parents. She took the time to get to know them. She made them feel so comfortable with everything. She spent a lot of time talking with them and helping them through some emotional times. Tammy is very knowledgeable and what she doesn't know she will find out for you. Tammy is a MUST have at any birth. She is a great person and has become a great friend. Thank you Tammy, you are AMAZING!!! -Rebecca
Tammy was our doula for the birth of our fourth child. My previous 2 births were scheduled cesareans and the recoveries were miserable. So this time around we were going to push for the VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) with the doctor. We did our research and it showed that the use of a doula could decrease the need for a cesarean birth. When we met with Tammy we were nervous and not sure what to expect but she put us at ease with the first visit. We soon discovered that the baby was breech. Tammy was able to make referrals to an acupuncturist to assist with turning the baby to a head-down position. I am happy to say that after 2 treatments of acupuncture the baby stayed head down. Unfortunately, the baby again flipped to breech at 39 weeks and we did not get the opportunity to attempt to VBAC. I knew going in that all the cards would have to fall into place for the VBAC attempt to work. I ended up with a 3rd c-section but everyone was healthy and that is what mattered the most. Tammy was a great help to us during the pregnancy in her suggestions for positioning assistance to keep the baby from being breech. We attended her Lamaze classes and learned more then than we had in the previous hospital-based classes we had taken. She helped to calm my anxieties regarding the upcoming delivery. I was very nervous and scared the day of the c-section because of my previous poor recoveries but Tammy helped keep everything in perspective and helped us make the most of the opportunities we had. The postpartum home visit and yummy meal Tammy provided were a very nice touch. I wish I could give Tammy's doula services to all my sisters and girlfriends for their pregnancies and births. -Sarah
My birth did not go as planned. Of course when you have the perfect birth planned out, you know that things can go awry. I wanted a natural birth with no medical intervention, but what I got was pretty much all of the medical assistance you could possibly get except for a c-section: Pitocin, epidural, episiotomy, the works. Through all of this I was so grateful to have Tammy by my side, well, by our sides. Even though, my husband and my mom were there, it was still great to have someone there that wasn't as emotionally involved. Also, it helped to give my mom and husband breaks without leaving me alone. She helped keep all of us grounded and focused through all of the chaos. We will definitely be hiring her for our second baby when it is time. -Christi