Testimonials, Birth Announcements & Birth Stories

 Congratulations to Kate and Pete on the beautiful and safe arrival of Madeleine Emily Swincer ~ 1:44pm Wednesday 16th July 2008!

Here is the story of Madeleine's birth...

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Congratulations to Jennifer and Jason on the beautiful and safe arrival of
Sarah Adeline Forest ~ 7:05am Monday 17th March 2008!

"I first learned of doulas by searching on the web about childbirth. After having read a bunch of books on childbirth I decided that they were only good for one thing – making you scared of all the 101 things that could go wrong and didn’t put you in a good frame of mind at all. So I decided to go searching for a doula, someone who had experience - where we had none - and someone we felt comfortable with. After interviewing a few doulas in Canberra we decided Jennifer was right for us. I was keen to tap into her experience and liked the idea of support for both of us, someone who was there for us, amidst all the medical stuff and hospital staff.
Jennifer came for a few visits before the birth to our home. It was really good to have someone to ask questions of (I don’t know about others, but sometimes you don’t feel confident asking questions in front of others at a big class) in the weeks leading up to the birth. Discussing the stages of labour with Jennifer and the different methods and tools available to you to work through the stages of labour was excellent preparation for the event. It made me feel more relaxed before the birth and during the birth thinking through the different ways to relieve pain and stay focused. In the weeks leading up to the birth I felt relaxed about it all and I attribute this to the preparation with Jennifer.
On the day Jennifer was great! It was a long and difficult birth with a range of complicating factors and I cannot speak highly enough of the importance of having Jennifer in the room for both of us. It was really invaluable to me to have her encouragement throughout the whole time (and the massages!) and I felt reassured by her presence – it was good to have someone who was there to support us exclusively, encouraged us both, suggested different ways of relieving the pain, discussed the options with us and who respected our decisions.
Jennifer was also really good and understanding (throughout our meetings and at the birth) in helping us both through the birth.  I think this is something really important – both my husband and I are the parents, I just happen to be the one doing the hard physical labour and we always wanted both of us to be actively involved. Jennifer understood and supported us in that. At all times, she supported both Jason and I .  Jennifer also provided us with heaps of resources like books and DVDs about childbirth but also about babies – the latter of which were great in the first weeks at home learning what to do! Thanks Jennifer, I’m truly not sure what we would have done without you!"
~ Jennifer Forest

"As a first-time Dad, I was very nervous about what my wife would have to go through when giving birth.  Jennifer was extremely knowledgeable and supportive in the lead-up to the birth and this helped my wife and myself become far more prepared and in-control.
On the day, our labour was long and difficult.  Having Jennifer with us was a real blessing.  She was a great comfort for my wife and was also able to give us the knowledge we needed to make good decisions despite being extremely tired and stressed.
Our main midwife was very negative about the role of dads and tried to exclude me from decision-making.  Jennifer was very supportive of me and the role dads play in labour and really helped me support my wife.  I would strongly recommend Jennifer to any soon-to-be father.  She was truly wonderful."
~ Jason Forest

Here is the story of Sarah's birth...

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Congratulations to Tivoli and Luke on the beautiful and safe arrival of
Imogen Eve Collits ~ 10:49am Thursday 17th January 2008!

"I first heard of Jen on the internet through my inquisitiveness of what a doula actually does. Her beautiful website made me decide I would like to meet her to see if she was what I was looking for in a doula. My partner, Luke, was wary due to him never having heard of a doula before, but he said he would give it a go.
Jen's first visit confirmed that we had done the right thing; Jen was level-headed, easy going, informative and really listened to what we had to say.
From then on Jen came over regularly every few weeks and we built up not only a good understanding of birth but also a good friendship. Jen's answers to our questions were always to let us know what she knew and then would let us make our own decisions. She never thrust on us her ideas on how birth should be but tried to help us work towards the birth we wanted. By the end of our meetings I felt confident about the coming birth and knew that I had a great support in Jen.
During the birth Jen was a quiet help, being nearby and ready to support whenever we needed her. Luke was my main support person and was absolutely fantastic; Jen helped Luke to support me and he commented later that during the birth he was never scared or nervous. The best way I could describe the birth is us, myself, Luke, our baby and Jen, working quietly and calmly as a team, knowing what we all needed to do.
After Immy was born, Jen took some beautiful pictures, made sure we were all ok and then left us to relax and be with family.
Jen was a blessing to us, having put in alot of effort, time and thought. We have the utmost respect for her and on the day of Immy's birth Luke decided he would like to have Jen back again for the next baby! Jen's support allowed us to have a beautiful experience of birth and a great start to Imogen's life."
~ Love Tivoli, Luke and Imogen

Here is the story of Imogen's birth...

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Congratulations to Erin and Jay on the beautiful and safe arrival of
Raine Jemma-Lea Henry ~ 5:23am Friday 28th December 2007!

"Being a nurse, I thought I was pretty ready for labour. Boy, was I wrong! During my pregnancy, Jen and I had spoken about what type of birth I wanted and the pain relief I wanted to use; from the start I had said that when the pain got too bad I wanted an epidural. Jen was happy to go along with anything that I wanted; she did not try and push her own values onto me.
I felt having Jen there throughout my labour helped keep me calm and focused and helped me get through each contraction. It was also lovely getting my back massaged through the strong contractions.
When the pain got too intense for me and I felt that I couldn't go on, I said I wanted an epidural. I was having my baby in a hospital that prides itself on natural birth, so I felt that I had to try and really push to get the epidural I had asked for. Jen helped with explaining to the nurse that this was something that we had spoken about and that I had said I probably would want.
While waiting for the epidural I had had enough and wanted to go home; having Jen there to help calm the situation was helpful not just for me and my husband but I think the nurse was happy as well!
After having the epidural, I felt nothing - no pain and no contractions. I was then able to start  enjoying the experience.
Jen took pictures throughout the labour which is something we will always treasure. Thankyou, Jen, for being involved throughout our pregnancy and labour. We would highly recommend you to anyone having a baby! Good luck in the future."
~ Love Erin, Jay and baby Raine

Here is the story of Raine's birth...

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Congratulations to Emma on the beautiful and safe arrival of Eli James Maslin ~ 7:04pm Wednesday 21st November 2007!

"I first met Jen 29 weeks into my pregnancy. I had little knowledge about labour and birth and was feeling quite apprehensive about the whole thing. Right from our first meeting, I felt incredibly reassured by Jen's confidence in women's ability to give birth calmly and naturally.
Over the following weeks of my pregnancy Jen met with me numerous times. We quickly developed a bond and I knew that I wanted her to be with me for the birth of my baby.
She provided me with resources about the birthing process, including books and DVDs, which gave me the knowledge I needed to feel prepared and empowered for birth.
She was always available for a chat if I needed to call her. I found this especially important in the final weeks of my pregnancy.
When it came to the actual birth, Jen was an angel. She never left my side from when I first started experiencing contractions to Eli's arrival, more than 24 hours later.
There were many times during the labour when I didn't think I could go on. Jen's gentle support and encouragement calmed and reassured me. Her physical support was also fantastic, helping me to shower, change and move about during labour.
I am so grateful to Jen for everything she did for me throughout the last weeks of my pregnancy and especially during labour and Eli's wonderful birth. She is an amazing doula and I wish her well as she continues to offer wisdom, guidance and support to other expectant mothers, fathers and families."
~ Emma Maslin

"We are deeply grateful for the wonderful encouragement, assistance and personal attention Jen gave to Emma during her pregnancy, the birth of Eli, and the days following this experience. Her care, kindness and friendship mean such a lot to Emma. We wish her well. Thankyou, Jen!"
~ Granny & Pa to Eli (Beth & Alf Maslin - Emma's parents)

Here is the story of Eli's birth...