I had such a great experience with Christina. She was easy to work with, very professional, and…read moredelivered my encapsulated placenta just a couple of days later. My little goodie bag was so cute and made me feel very special. This was my second pregnancy, but first time taking my placenta; I was surprised at the difference. No baby blues this time, and I really feel so much more balanced. If you're feeling torn, I would definitely do it, one of the best decisions I made this pregnancy was the encapsulate my placenta.

It took us longer than expected to get pregnant, and I guess we were so overwhelmed with navigating…read morethe pregnancy and preparing for the birth that we were late to the game when it came to hiring a doula. Originally, I had just assumed that I would get an epidural, but after doing more research I wanted to attempt to go as long as possible without one. At around 36 weeks I started my search, and Christine was recommended by one of her colleagues. She met us at our home to make sure it was a good fit, and we gave her a deposit on the spot. Christine was great about helping us write our birth plan, answering questions and checking in to see how I was progressing. I ended up needing an induction, but she helped ease my mind that my doctor was taking the least invasive route possible. I ended up going into labor that way, and Christine met us at Scripps to help me with my labor. She walked the halls with us, talked, encouraged me, eased my fears, rubbed my back and helped suggest different positions to ease my pain. After several hours of intense back contractions that were coming on top of each other I decided I was ready for the epidural. She encouraged me to try to hold out, but was supportive when I told her I couldn't make it the rest of the way like that. She continued to be our support through the night, and twelve hours later our baby boy was born. He had a wrapped cord, and the hospital staff had to rush in to get him breathing and stabilized, and he had to go to NICU. Christine was right there with us, praying for the health and safety of our little miracle. Since I sent my husband to be with our boy, I was even more grateful that I had Christine by my side to comfort me during those scary moments. Since the birth, she has been a valuable source of information on lactation, pediatricians and general baby questions for us as new parents. She is amazing, and I can say that your birth experience can only be improved by having her involved, no matter what your plan. Do yourself a favor, and hire Christine.