I went into labor on June 28th and Fern was instantly there for me. She helped me stay calm and remain at home until the right time. Once we were at the hospital she encouraged me to try different excersizes and to walk around the hospital and move my hips certain ways that would help my baby find the right position. I spent 8 hours in the hospital, and I know for a fact that it would have been at least twice that had she not been there to help me. She massaged my back and helped me understand what all the monitors meant and explained all of my options with every tiny detail so that I had total control of what happened with my body and my baby. If it weren't for her I don't think I'd have been able to do it all naturally, though she was ready to help me with an epi if I wanted one, she was there for me with whatever I chose to do. She has seven children and all of them were birthed naturally, and the last one was 10 pounds! Knowing that she was there and knew what I was feeling made it that much easier to stay calm and keep my breathing steady. She even stayed hours after the delivery to make sure my little one was okay and to help me try different methods of breastfeeding. She was very encouraging and helpful, and she really has her heart in this. She was so much more than a doula for me, and she loves loves loves babies! read more