(February 25, 2017, 4:57 pm)
Allison is a highly skilled and expert doula! I had a very long and difficult labor, and Allison helped me the whole way. She met us in triage, where the nursing staff told me I could either get a non-bathtub room right away, or wait an hour or two to get a bathtub room. I was ready to take the non bathtub room (just to get out of triage!) and Allison helped remind me that I had really wanted a bathtub and that a little patience now would yield major rewards later. This help ended up being crucial, I labored for several hours in the bathtub and was so happy to have it! Allison is highly skilled at massage, which I also used a lot. Even better, she taught my husband some massage techniques, so he could be more involved. I ended up stalled out for several hours, and needed interventions to keep progressing, which made the pain go off the charts and I ended up demanding an epidural. Allison was completely non-judgemental, and supported me in my choice even though it wasn’t in the original plan. In the end, almost 2 full days after I went into labor, we had a big, healthy baby boy! I am not sure I would have had the stamina to get through a very long labor without Allison’s support. L. M. ( name withheld by request)