My wife (Sarah) had a very quick labor. We got to the hospital at 5:30am and the baby was born at 10:30am. 

My wife was pregnant.  She wanted a doula. At the time I was in the mindset of whatever the pregnant lady wants, happens.  I was a little nervous about the price, because I knew it was going to be a bunch of money, and we were getting ready to have a baby and pay for childcare, diapers, burp cloths, etc.  I was also a little nervous that having a doula in the mix would somehow make my role less valuable, I started thinking the birth would be about Sarah (my wife) and Tara (our doula).  I was totally wrong.

Tara was great, and the money was totally worth it.  Included in the service are multiple prenatals. It was really helpful to sit-down with Tara (in our home). She came to us (via bike) and sat on our couch and drank tea and answered questions. Her presence was calming. We were taking a childbirth class and reading all the books and talking to my Mom daily, but it was so valuable to get to talk to Tara and ask a bunch of questions.  She is very easy to talk to, a great listener, and easily put us at ease.

At then, when my wife started experiencing labor pains as we were nearing our due date, it was wicked helpful to get to call Tara. She was always available. We could call/text/email. It felt like we were her only client. I would work with her again in a heartbeat.

The day the baby decided to arrive, we already felt like we knew Tara well. She was such a calming presence. It was helpful to call her when my wife was laboring at home.  She was in it with us, but also gave us space to be in it by ourselves.  When Tara showed up at the hospital it felt great. First off, she's experienced, so she knew the midwife who was going to deliver our baby. All of this just increased our confidence.  She not only made my wife as comfortable as possible, she also helped me relax and was constantly checking in to make sure that I was okay.  Sarah's vision was to do natural childbirth, which ended up happening, and Tara was invaluable. I remember her saying throughout the process:  YOU ARE STRONG, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.

When it came time for the final pushing and everyone in the room looked at each other because they all knew the sounds meant that now was the time, Tara took a second to do a final check in with me to make sure I was happy with how it was all about to happen.  She made sure someone took photos, which we had wanted, but forgot to think about.

After the baby arrived, there was some minor complications with her breathing and Tara was a rockstar once again, just making sure that we knew that all of this was normal and that it was no big deal. She followed up with texts and calls during our hospital stay.  When we brought the baby home, Tara did one last visit to say hello, debrief, and answer questions.  She read us a story of the birth. It was totally awesome to walk through. Tara had taken notes through the entire labor.

It's now 704 days since our baby was born. My wife and I have been having a blast hanging out with our cute chubby toddler (who just started saying NO BIGGIE).  For a while now, I've been meaning to write something that Tara can share with prospective clients, but you know, we've been busy.  But I am truly grateful for everything Tara did for us.  If you are looking for a Doula, Tara is excellent. She's experienced, accessible, and confident. She made the pushing part easy (I can say that because I wasn't in labor).  If we have a second baby, we will for sure have Tara as our Doula.