FOR OUR CLIENTS!!! Please complete this brief evaluation survey about your doula after your birth.
Client Evaluation & Response Survey – Decatur Doulas
This page also features comments from moms and dads about their experiences with Decatur Doulas.
I really appreciated the way you worked with the doctor and nurses in the delivery room. And also, I appreciated the way you were concerned with my comfort level – checking to see if I was hot or cold, thirsty or hungry frequently. This was great, as I was not exactly in my right mind! Overall, I am very pleased with Leah’s entire birth process. I would definitely recommend your services to friends, whether or not they are interested in a “natural” birth. Thanks for telling me I could do it! Even when I didn’t think I could!
Brian & Heather (March 2008)
I was a little bit skeptical of hiring you (Jenn Purdy) as a doula for our recent birth of our daughter. I thought that your presence would be intrusive and minimize my role and opportunity to bond with my wife and new child. I could not have been more wrong. Your presence throughout the birth experience here at our home and at the hospital provided a sense of calm and comfort to not only Heather but also to me. There were a couple of things in particular that I remember that stood out as great gestures. The first was when heather was finishing a few contractions at the hospital and preparing to push she asked for some ice chips. The doctor and nurses were all pretty busy in the room and without hesitation you were gone and back before the next contraction started. Then shortly after birth you asked the nurse to bring Heather some food and prepared her sandwich for her. This was not only a nice gesture but an important observation given that Heather had an empty stomach, it was midnight and there wouldn’t be any food for her until breakfast the next morning. Getting food in her system was important to give her some energy and also to help any problems with medicines on an empty stomach. There were many other tips and advice that you gave throughout that were very valuable and given without any personal biases and I certainly appreciate that. My objections to hiring you belie my prejudice that was based on a lack of education about how helpful it is to utilize a doula during child birth. If you come across any other fathers-to-be with the same disposition I would be glad to relay my personal experience and recommendation to hire you. I cannot express the amount of thanks that I had for hiring you!
~ Brian & Heather (March 2008) – Brian’s words.
Feeling informed is empowering and feeling empowered lowers anxiety. During labor at my home it was helpful to have Jenn confirm the timing for when to go to the hospital, as I wanted to do as much labor as possible at home. Once at the hospital, Jenn’s presence was comforting and throughout labor I looked to her for confirmation and support. The birth was natural, without drugs, and progressed very well. Jenn was able to take digital photos and video taped the entire birth perfectly. I have all the important highlights on video. What a great bonus to a great delivery!!
~ Kerstin & Scott (August 2007)
Jenn was a quiet servant, thinking to get water for me and knowing to include a straw. She assisted me by helping me onto the birth ball, into the tub, and offered encouraging words the whole way. She was very attentive to the small details. Oddly, one thing I really valued was how she cut up my breakfast for me before leaving so I could eat and continue breastfeeding without a problem. It helped significantly and spoke of her caring, supportive nature throughout the birth.
~ Callie & Jonathan (November 2007)
Jenn was able to multi-task. She also provided support and was a sound board for questions. She took pressure off my husband so he was not the only one to provide support. I appreciated how she did not make me feel bad/guilty for accepting medicine to ease the pain.
~ Karma & Keith (October 2007)
Jenn was invaluable to us because our birth happened so quickly, which meant that none of our family support system was able to be present. It meant a lot to us just to have her in our corner as another person to be there for us. Also, without her, we wouldn’t have gotten the pictures and birth story that will be so important to us for years to come! It was great being able to ask questions about her own births and previous experience at Piedmont Hospital.
~ Rachel & Luke (January 2005)
This was my fourth labor but my first time using a doula – I found it made a big difference in my confidence level when it came to managing pain, in helping my labor to progress, and in facilitating communication with the nurses and doctor when I could not think straight for myself!
~ Angie & John (May 2004)
Our birth was unusually complicated and we appreciated Jenn’s flexibility. Her composure helped us stay calm under stress. We would definitely use her again.
~ Gwen & John (July 2004)
Our experience with Jenn as our doula for our first born was wonderful. Jenn is truly gifted in this area. She is passionate about birthing and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of having a baby. We strongly recommend Jenn and believe she has a natural gift in supporting couples in the birthing process. Jenn was very professional and effective. Beyond being efficient and good at what she does, she was genuinely kind and supportive to us, and made us feel confident about the birthing experience. We highly recommend Jenn and the excellent services she provides as a doula.
~ Paula & Rob (July 2004)
This was my second birth. Both were natural but only the second was with the help of a doula. My husband is an excellent coach but I would not go through labor again without the extra, knowledgeable support that Jenn provided. My experience is that the medical community does not have faith in the strength of women to do what they were designed to accomplish…. you need to be surrounded by people who will support you and help you do what you are made to do!
~ Beth & Tripp (August 2004)
