I was very interested in having a doula because I wanted to have a natural birth. I learned about Rhonda because I work with her and know she would be a great doula because she is so patient, soothing, and an overall wonderful person.
Rhonda was not only helpful during labor and delivery, but she also helped throughout my pregnancy and with nursing after our baby was born. She is so knowledgeable and helped me know what to expect and always answered any questions I had.
My husband also appreciated Rhonda because she helped him, too, with coaching me during labor and also answering his questions. I would definitely recommend having Rhonda as a doula to anyone. I did have our baby naturally and I don’t think I could have done it without having her there, along with my husband.
Melanie T. ~Grand Forks, North Dakota
At the beginning of my second pregnancy, I knew that I wanted to try having a doula with me during delivery. It wasn’t until months after the birth of my baby that I realized there was far more to that role than I had at once thought. Rhonda’s role as an educator and supporter during pregnancy, a comforter and coach during delivery, and a caretaker and lifelong friend after birth helped to make my baby’s gateway into the world such an amazing experience. Rhonda’s role as my doula was priceless and I now can’t imagine going through a pregnancy and delivery without her.
Brenda B.~Grand Forks, North Dakota
When I first decided I wanted a natural birth experience, my doctor recommended that I find a Doula and she gave me Rhonda’s business card. I had heard the term “Doula” before, but I didn’t exactly know what they did, only that they were present during labor and delivery for some women.
We arranged a meeting with Rhonda and my first impression of her was that she was a very warm and caring person. After our discussion about what a Doula is and how she would support our birth experience, my husband and I decided that we would feel much better if Rhonda was there to guide us through the natural birth process with her wisdom and support.
We had multiple pre-natal visits with Rhonda where she talked to us about both a home birth and a hospital birth – we were open to both and had not completely made up our mind which we preferred. She gave us tons of information about what to expect in both scenarios, which definitely helped us to make an informed decision about what we would be most comfortable with. There were so many factors that I had never realized would be a part of the birth process, and Rhonda talking to us about these definitely helped me to feel more prepared.
In the end, for personal reasons, we decided to go with a home birth. I was in labor for 30 hours! And for that entire time Rhonda was there to support us through the entire process. Looking back, I can’t believe I was able to labor for 30 hours naturally, but with the support of Rhonda and my husband, I was able to focus through the pain and visualize that my body was working hard to bring me my baby.
One thing that was very important to us was that my husband, Justin, could be completely and totally involved with the birth process. We never felt in any way that Rhonda would get in the way of this and actually felt that she was preparing him for his role as a labor partner, which gave us both a lot more confidence.
Days afterwards I was reminiscing with my mom (who was there for the birth) that I was amazed I went through such a long labor naturally. My mom commented that it was because of the support of Justin that I was able to do this. She said he was so wonderful and supportive during the whole thing and that she could tell he was giving me strength.
What my mom maybe didn’t realize was that it was Rhonda that was giving us strength and it was her support and help in preparing Justin that allowed him to be such a great labor partner for me. He did such a great job talking to me, massaging me and holding me, and he learned all these things from Rhonda.
Looking back on my labor, even though it was so long and challenging, it was the support and encouragement from the people around me that made it an amazing experience. With Rhonda’s guidance, Justin and I were able to overcome our fears and become parents of a beautiful and healthy baby boy.
Alexandra N.~Grand Forks, North Dakota