When I found out I was expecting and started meeting with my OB, I hadn’t originally planned to work with a doula. But after a friend recommended Shelia, I decided to explore the possibility of having an additional level of support, and I’m so glad I did. From the start, Shelia brought such a calm and confident presence. She visited us twice before the birth, and I remember feeling instantly more at ease. Her knowledge helped me feel calmer about the whole birth experience as she walked us through how to think about my own birth preferences and decision-making in advance. When my water broke in the middle of the night, undexpectedly 2 weeks before my due date, my husband and I forgot everything we had planned for. Slightly panicked, we called her at midnight, frantic (and a little embarrassed), but she picked up right away and was so kind and reassuring. I never felt uncomfortable reaching out. She talked us through everything with such care and we made a plan for meeting at the hospital later that morning. During labor and delivery, Shelia was the perfect complement to my husband’s support, offering massages and acupressure when I was feeling tense, guiding my breathing through every contraction, and suggesting helpful positions to help my baby move down. When different medical decisions needed to be made, she helped me think through them in a way that made me feel empowered, always honoring my birth preferences. In the final moments before meeting my baby when everything felt so intense and chaotic, I distintcly remember zeroing in and hearing her tell me to “breathe down on your baby, push your baby out” and truly believed that if I just focused and listened to her, I’d meet him soon. Out he came after a few more pushes! I don’t think I would have had the same determination during pushing without her. Shelia was an absolute gift during my birth, and I’m so grateful she was by my side!