I just plain didn’t know what to do and Brandie did.
I recently witnessed my daughters birth. I actually just wanted it to be me and my wife in the labor room. I wasn’t very vocal about it though because ultimately, its about what would make her more comfortable in the delivery room, not me. However, when it was said and done, I was thankful that Brandie was there. Brandie is very knowledgeable about pregnancy; knowing not only what the different pains meant, and ways to help comfort but also speed the process up which is what we want. I was hoping I would be all the comfort my wife needed but in the heat of the moment, I realized she needed more. I just plain didn’t know what to do and Brandie did. She even got the nurses to check her because they were hardly around. She also made sure all of our wants were carried out. Oh good grief, I don’t know. I’m not good at putting things into words. I just know that my heart says, I’m very thankful Brandie was there.
With her support, I felt in control, confident, and strong enough to do what I needed to do.
Brandie was not the original doula I hired. When my doula had to go out of town and I had passed my due date, Brandie was her backup. I met her Wednesday night and called her the next day to let her know “it’s on”. Brandie was amazing! My original plan was a completely natural, unmedicated birth. Plans had to change due to complications and throughout the whole process she was incredibly supportive and encouraging! Her massage and acupressure techniques were so great! Even when her hands were hurting and she was nearly as exhausted as I was, she never complained. I truly feel that without her help, I may have ended up with a c-section, like my doctor feared would happen due to the complications. With her support, however, I felt in control, confident, and strong enough to do what I needed to do, even when I had to throw most of my birth plan out the window. I highly recommend her services!
Having her there helped me accomplish my goal of a natural birth.
Brandie was my doula for my first daughter. I’m very thankful I had her. She was full of knowledge and able to answer all my questions and address all my concerns with factual information. She was a great help in the delivery room. Having her there helped me accomplish my goal of a natural birth. My husband was very great-full to have her there as well. She is experienced, educated and caring!
Hiring her was the best money we have ever spent and was absolutely the best choice!
My husband and I cannot express enough how much we appreciated Brandie’s presence at our daughters birth. She is absolutely amazing and we will eagerly hire her again for any future births! I do not say this lightly – hiring her was the best money we have ever spent and was absolutely the best choice! From extremely helpful prenatal appointments, to her calming presence and support during birth, and her helpful lactation experience she was absolutely vital to our whole pregnancy/birthing experience. My daughter is 5 months old now and I still think often of Brandie and how thankful we are for her. I labored mostly at home, and Brandie arrived in the middle of the night to be with us. Her continuous presence at home, on the way to the hospital and while in the hospital greatly aided me in having the natural birth I desired for my daughter. During the hospital admission she advocated for us so well, without her we would have felt overwhelmed and underprepared (even though I am an RN who works in a hospital). Brandie is full of wisdom, experience and care, and we cannot thank her enough!
I was impressed by her wide range of training and certifications that went far beyond many of the doulas I interviewed.
I hired Brandie to act as my Doula for the birth of my first child. As a registered nurse I knew there were benefits to having a Doula, but I was skeptical if it would be the correct choice for me. I picked Brandie because I felt that our personalities would go well together and I was impressed at her knowledge base. She provided me with research papers and websites for both standard medical and homeopathic birth practices. When talking about my pregnancy and labor Brandie always had statistics and research for multiple options and opinions. Brandie never pushed me into one particular decision. She was always ready to provide available clinical information on any practice that I had chosen. I was impressed by her wide range of training and certifications that went far beyond many of the Doulas I interviewed. Brandie was also very flexible and worked with my husband and I at every opportunity. I work night shift and Brandie provided us with the opportunity for a private one on one birthing class which she did in the privacy of our own home. Her classes were very informative and engaging. She provided great knowledge/practices in engaging ways that helped to retain the information. Her professionalism yet warm personality managed to get my skeptical husband to fully endorse the use of Doulas in birth.
Without her assistance, I would not have had the amazing birth experience I was looking for.
Brandie was my Doula during my second pregnancy. Even during our initial meeting, she was very sweet, easy to get along with, compassionate and helpful. She never once made me feel like any of my questions were bothersome or redundant. Any concern I voiced would be met with advice, links to articles to help ease my mind and warm support. Brandie helped me not stress over the little things, like a day with less than normal activity. As labor approached, she was even more supportive and was genuinely concerned with my well being at all hours of the day. She would often text me during the day just to see how I was. It was very reassuring to just know she was there. A week before my daughter was born, I started having regular contractions. She decided to come over and help teach me how to time them since I was unsure of how to do it properly. She spent two and a half days at my house with me and my husband as I contracted all day long only for it all to stop at 7 pm every night. Even when she told me that it didn’t seem like it was going to turn into baby coming soon, she was very understanding and made me feel better about it all. I remember her talking to me about how I needed to stop focusing on the contractions as I laid on my bed and cried. She never judged me for being emotional. Then, when my water broke at 1 am, she was at my side within an hour. She kept me grounded and calm as things started progressing. Even my husband, who had only slept an hour, was relieved for her to arrive. She stayed by my side the entire time I was in labor, reminding me to breath and to not tense up. As I hit transition, she would whisper encouraging words to me. Brandie held me hand and my head whenever I slid deeper into the pool. Without her assistance, I would not have had the amazing birth experience I was looking for. Thanks to Brandie, I gave birth completely naturally in my home. It was beautiful and I highly recommend her. She’s beyond amazing!
Brandie helped us to feel educated and empowered by our birthing experience.
My husband and I choose Brandie Kiefer as our doula because we wanted someone who could walk us through each step of our precious journey and who had knowledge and compassion to guide us with as much grace and understanding as possible. Brandie stood out to us because she was so available came to us in the comfort of our own home both before and after the birth of our son. She always made my husband feel included and important, which was very important to me.
Brandie helped us to feel educated and empowered by our birthing experience. She never left our side during our birthing process and after taking baby home she continued to check on our new family. She not only calls to check in, she takes the time to make the commute to our home. She answers any postpartum questions that we have and updates us on community events that involve families or mother and baby classes that may be of interest.
Brandie was able to help us understand the language in the hospital room when we had questions. She also gave lots of support and guidance, assuring me that I was strong and capable of completing labor and delivery naturally and with as much ease as possible.