Natalie played such a crucial role in our child's birth. She flowed effortlessly through each contraction, providing so much knowledge and support- physically, mentally, and emotionally. She was a huge asset from the very beginning right up until the very end! She helped bring my husband and I closer together through this and really helped take some of the load off his shoulders. I can't say enough good things about Natalie as a doula and as a person. She is so passionate about what she does. She just lights up concerning anything pregnancy/labor/delivery! Some of the comfort techniques and soothing and/or encouraging words she provided are still with me to this day. If you want your experience to be out-of-this-world wonderful...then you definantly want Nat on your team! My husband could also attest to the fact that Natalie really knows her stuff, she will help you get through anything. She allowed some of the most sacred special moments to happen between him and I, simply because she was "there" doing so many of the tedious little things that make a HUGE difference to a laboring Mother...(running to grab a cool washcloth, counter-pressure to the hips/back, rubbing oils for pain and general well-being or stamina, filling a bath tub, feeding me ice chips when my mouth was dry, reminders of breathing deeply, packing stuff in the car, providing sound advice and knowledge when faced with tough questions, taking pictures/video, giving us our own space and knowing when to step in or out, and just overall was an earthly angel!! I would do it all over again in a heart-beat...even the pain, because I know what an excellent "team" I have to support me, comfort me, and encourage me! What a treasure of an experience, and treasure of a doula!- Nashina Jagielski
I am a mother of three children, and have recently given birth to a beautiful baby boy. I used Natalie Sainsbury as my Doula with this last birth. With my first birth I felt lost, like I had no idea what to do or what to expect. I had taken a birth class offered by the hospital, and the only thing I felt was beneficial was the tour of the hospital. During the birth experience, I didn’t feel like I was informed about my options and felt overwhelmed about what was happening to me. However, I didn’t know what else to do. It ended in a very negative birth experience for me. With my second child, I wanted to know more about birth and options, and I tried to look but didn’t find enough information or what I felt I was looking for. So once again, I allowed things to happen to me during the birth process and although it was a better experience than the first, it was not what I was yearning for. During this pregnancy I found out that Natalie, (who I met through church), was offering birth classes. I had no idea she was a Doula, or what a Doula was, but I was so excited to find out more about birth. I soaked up everything and when she talked about what she did; my husband and I started to think about the options. I desperately wanted a natural birth, to feel and experience instead of numbness and out of control. However, I was terrified of going through the pain, and not knowing what it would be like was intimidating. I went through a few more birth classes with Natalie before my husband and I hired her as our Doula. She was amazing!! She contacted me frequently to see how I was doing and what was going on in Dr. appointments with the baby. She came over and discussed the plan of what I wanted. I didn’t feel pressured into “no drugs” or “drugs” she just let me decide what I wanted and supported me. She gave me books so I could research the options I had. When I felt very discouraged about the response from family and friends about wanting a natural birth she was right there with positive words and such support for me. This birth was the most amazing experience I have had. Natalie was KEY to it being that way for me. It was a very fast labor and if it wasn’t for Natalie I would have had a baby on the side of the road not knowing what to do. The pain was real and it was intense, but I was prepared for that. I had done my research. Natalie was there with counter pressure and speaking positive affirmations into my ear the whole time. She kept me focused and calm, as well as my husband. When the baby was born she knew how much skin to skin time meant to me and she just took over and made it happen. It was a gift I could never thank her for. I bonded so strongly with my baby during that special time, and I will NEVER forget those special moments after my son was brought into this world. She also was instrumental in helping my husband experience the birth. He wanted to be involved this time and she encouraged him and he got to catch the baby and cut the cord, which he hadn’t done with our older two children. She stayed at the hospital with me to help me not feel alone while my husband went with the baby to the nursery. She helped me talk about the experience and point out the positive aspects of it. I struggled after both previous deliveries with postpartum depression and because of the wonderful natural experience; I have not had problems this time. Even my husband has told me that I seem so much more loving with this baby than I did with our others. I could not have experienced this without the education, encouragement, or the support from Natalie to have the birth experience that I wanted. If I could give anyone advice for birth I would say “GET A DOULA! GET NATALIE!” Get educated on ALL your options and feel empowered about whatever birth experience you want.
I had been doing yoga with Natalie when she began her journey as a Doula. At the time, I had no thoughts of having another baby, but once my husband and I found out we were expecting our fourth child, I thought how right it would be to have Natalie as my Doula.
When I first mentioned that I wanted a Doula to my husband, it made him immediately defensive with a feeling of being replaced. I tried to explain to him that she actually helps him feel more involved, but I could never adequately explain the feeling that I had how RIGHT it was to have her a part of this last birth.
Finally, I was able to convince him to attend one of her Free Childbirth Refresher Courses. All of the couples attending were not on their first, so it was nice to be around others that had already been down the childbirth path before yet were searching for something more.
She had excellent insight and notes that helped explain her role and how it's truly an experience that WE lay out. For me, I wanted my husband to be on the frontline, while she was my advocate when things got intense, since having a natural childbirth was a new experience for me, as I had medical interventions with my other three children.
I really felt much more educated on what I was capable of, and my husband ended up giving me his blessing to have Natalie as our Doula after attending the class.
And then, I went into labor. For a WEEK. Natalie was great in creating a peaceful, calm environment as my uncomfortable body was ready to call it quits. One experience in particular that will always stand out to me was when she invited me over to do some prenatal yoga, but she could see how discouraged I was that my body wasn't progressing as it had with my prior pregnancies. She became my own personal birth therapist as she listened to my frustrations and helped dispel the fears that I had for complications and feelings of inadequacy. She was just what I needed to clear my mind and complete my final preparations before my son was born.
The day before he arrived, she met us at the hospital but could see that again, things stopped progressing. She then took a step back and recommended to take this time to bond more with my husband. Once active labor hit early the next afternoon, it was full force and we barely made it to the hospital, but I felt so at peace (juxtaposed with the intense pain I was in) as everything fell into place just as I had pictured it, right down to the essential oils and music while I held my husband's hand as I stood bringing our son into this world.
She occasionally took some pictures and small clips of video which I didn't even know about until afterwards, but are absolute treasures to me. I also found out later how she was able to keep my husband composed while I began yelling at him to drive faster and get me out of the car! Definitely a memory I purposely tried not to remember too vividly. ;)
Natalie's role as a doula for us was as a chameleon; she blended in with the completion of the pregnancy journey and provided an atmosphere of sacred peace. My husband is now one of her biggest fans! She's a Birth Whisperer. :)
I met Natalie on a Facebook group and she invited me to her free birth refresher class. I attended the class by myself with 2 other couples because my husband was working. I talked with her and let her know I would be in contact after my 24 week ultrasound after my Placenta Previa resolved itself. I knew that with this being my last pregnancy (#5) I wanted to have a natural birth without the epidural and I knew that a doula would help me be able to do that. My first 2 babies were born after being induced and my next 2 with an OB-Gyn with an epidural. I chose a midwife and enlisted Natalie's help to fulfill my dream of a natural birth. She honestly was the best money I ever spent. She gave me support and ideas when I was told I was positive for Group B strep. See pampered me and painted my toenails and massaged my hands and feet. She encouraged me and kept me from being negative when things didn't go quite as planned. My water broke at 11:30 at night on Labor day. I texted her to let her know. Then I called my husband who was working in Williston North Dakota. He left right away for home. 2 hours later his car broke down in Montana. My labor stalled because i was a little stressed about the situation. I hung out at home all the next day waiting for my husbands car to be fixed. Natalie texted me every so often to give me encouragement and see if i was progressing at all. She came over at 6 pm and gave me a foot rub, turned on some relaxing music and we tried several different methods to get the contractions coming. We walked around Community Park twice then decided we better get to the hospital because it had been 18 hours since my water broke. She helped me get settled and we discussed our options with the nurse and midwife. They all encouraged me to keep trying different ways to bring on the contractions. Dave finally arrived at 2:30 am. My midwife suggested we all get some sleep and try some more in the morning. Natalie slept at the hospital in another room and stayed through the whole ordeal. She made great suggestions and encouraged my husband to actively participate in helping me during labor. I did wind up having Pitocin given to me to keep the contractions coming. She helped me try several positions to labor in so I wouldn't have to get an epidural. It was truly amazing how my body just knew what to do once I hit transition. I pushed for forever till Collin Marshall was born at 2:22 pm on Wednesday Sept. 5th. I pushed him out on my hands and knees. She was right there encouraging me and my husband as he caught the baby. She got me turned around ands got the baby skin to skin asap. Without Natalies support I do not think I would have had the strength to pull off an unmedicated birth.
~copied and pasted with permission from my profile at doulamatch.com for Samarra McGary~
Natalie is such a wonderful calm, happy, encouraging woman! Natalie helped me and my husband with our birth in so many ways…. As this was my first birth and not knowing anything on what to expect…. I wanted to have a natural child birth and my last 4 weeks till I was due we decided to look into having a doula. And I'm so glad we did!!! We met with Natalie and instantly loved what she had to offer and loved her personality!!! She gave us so much information, from videos, books, rice packs, counter presser points and much more. Our birth of our son is such an incredible experience I will never forget… and with the help and support of Natalie it made it even more relaxing, calm, and less stress for my husband who didn’t fell guilty leaving and taking a walk to get some fresh air, because he knew she was with me. The oils she has are amazing… all the nurses loved them too… During the birth she helped me focus on my breathing, gave me encouraging words, helped with counter pressure, and took amazing photos of the birth itself (it tells such an amazing story!). I highly recommend Natalie as a doula and we will defiantly be calling on her again in a few years when we have #2!!!
Natalie is amazing! She's so focused on trying to get the laboring mama comfortable and you can see in her eyes that birth and babies are her thing. When I interviewed Natalie I knew she was a great match for me. She is confident about what she does, she knows labor, and she is comfortable with the whole process. I knew that Natalie could be my advocate when I or my husband couldn't be strong. Natalie meets with you a few times before you go into labor to make sure she knows what you want and what you're expecting from her. And she teaches some birthing classes as well to prepare you for what lies ahead. My labor and birth story had some twists and Natalie was just perfect. She conveyed to the nurses and Dr.'s just what I needed her to since I was focused and not explaining things as perfectly as I would have liked. I had a half hour drive to the hospital and I was actively in labor, Natalie sat on the dash for a half hour and provided the pressure on my hips that I needed, the woman deserves a metal!
She took pictures during my labor which was so appreciated I can look back and remember it all. Never once did I feel that she was in the way, I knew she was there for me and my husband. My husband also appreciated having her there, labor was long and painful. She was there so that hubby could get breaks as well. I could not recommend her enough. She's got the touch!
Natalie played such a crucial role in our child's birth. She flowed effortlessly through each contraction, providing so much knowledge and support- physically, mentally, and emotionally. She was a huge asset from the very beginning right up until the very end! She helped bring my husband and I closer together through this and really helped take some of the load off his shoulders. I can't say enough good things about Natalie as a doula and as a person. She is so passionate about what she does. She just lights up concerning anything pregnancy/labor/delivery! Some of the comfort techniques and soothing and/or encouraging words she provided are still with me to this day. If you want your experience to be out-of-this-world wonderful...then you definantly want Nat on your team! My husband could also attest to the fact that Natalie really knows her stuff, she will help you get through anything. She allowed some of the most sacred special moments to happen between him and I, simply because she was "there" doing so many of the tedious little things that make a HUGE difference to a laboring Mother...(running to grab a cool washcloth, counter-pressure to the hips/back, rubbing oils for pain and general well-being or stamina, filling a bath tub, feeding me ice chips when my mouth was dry, reminders of breathing deeply, packing stuff in the car, providing sound advice and knowledge when faced with tough questions, taking pictures/video, giving us our own space and knowing when to step in or out, and just overall was an earthly angel!! I would do it all over again in a heart-beat...even the pain, because I know what an excellent "team" I have to support me, comfort me, and encourage me! What a treasure of an experience, and treasure of a doula!- Nashina Jagielski
ReplyDeleteI am a mother of three children, and have recently given birth to a beautiful baby boy. I used Natalie Sainsbury as my Doula with this last birth. With my first birth I felt lost, like I had no idea what to do or what to expect. I had taken a birth class offered by the hospital, and the only thing I felt was beneficial was the tour of the hospital. During the birth experience, I didn’t feel like I was informed about my options and felt overwhelmed about what was happening to me. However, I didn’t know what else to do. It ended in a very negative birth experience for me. With my second child, I wanted to know more about birth and options, and I tried to look but didn’t find enough information or what I felt I was looking for. So once again, I allowed things to happen to me during the birth process and although it was a better experience than the first, it was not what I was yearning for.
ReplyDeleteDuring this pregnancy I found out that Natalie, (who I met through church), was offering birth classes. I had no idea she was a Doula, or what a Doula was, but I was so excited to find out more about birth. I soaked up everything and when she talked about what she did; my husband and I started to think about the options. I desperately wanted a natural birth, to feel and experience instead of numbness and out of control. However, I was terrified of going through the pain, and not knowing what it would be like was intimidating. I went through a few more birth classes with Natalie before my husband and I hired her as our Doula. She was amazing!! She contacted me frequently to see how I was doing and what was going on in Dr. appointments with the baby. She came over and discussed the plan of what I wanted. I didn’t feel pressured into “no drugs” or “drugs” she just let me decide what I wanted and supported me. She gave me books so I could research the options I had. When I felt very discouraged about the response from family and friends about wanting a natural birth she was right there with positive words and such support for me.
This birth was the most amazing experience I have had. Natalie was KEY to it being that way for me. It was a very fast labor and if it wasn’t for Natalie I would have had a baby on the side of the road not knowing what to do. The pain was real and it was intense, but I was prepared for that. I had done my research. Natalie was there with counter pressure and speaking positive affirmations into my ear the whole time. She kept me focused and calm, as well as my husband. When the baby was born she knew how much skin to skin time meant to me and she just took over and made it happen. It was a gift I could never thank her for. I bonded so strongly with my baby during that special time, and I will NEVER forget those special moments after my son was brought into this world. She also was instrumental in helping my husband experience the birth. He wanted to be involved this time and she encouraged him and he got to catch the baby and cut the cord, which he hadn’t done with our older two children. She stayed at the hospital with me to help me not feel alone while my husband went with the baby to the nursery. She helped me talk about the experience and point out the positive aspects of it. I struggled after both previous deliveries with postpartum depression and because of the wonderful natural experience; I have not had problems this time. Even my husband has told me that I seem so much more loving with this baby than I did with our others. I could not have experienced this without the education, encouragement, or the support from Natalie to have the birth experience that I wanted.
If I could give anyone advice for birth I would say “GET A DOULA! GET NATALIE!” Get educated on ALL your options and feel empowered about whatever birth experience you want.
I had been doing yoga with Natalie when she began her journey as a Doula. At the time, I had no thoughts of having another baby, but once my husband and I found out we were expecting our fourth child, I thought how right it would be to have Natalie as my Doula.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first mentioned that I wanted a Doula to my husband, it made him immediately defensive with a feeling of being replaced. I tried to explain to him that she actually helps him feel more involved, but I could never adequately explain the feeling that I had how RIGHT it was to have her a part of this last birth.
Finally, I was able to convince him to attend one of her Free Childbirth Refresher Courses. All of the couples attending were not on their first, so it was nice to be around others that had already been down the childbirth path before yet were searching for something more.
She had excellent insight and notes that helped explain her role and how it's truly an experience that WE lay out. For me, I wanted my husband to be on the frontline, while she was my advocate when things got intense, since having a natural childbirth was a new experience for me, as I had medical interventions with my other three children.
I really felt much more educated on what I was capable of, and my husband ended up giving me his blessing to have Natalie as our Doula after attending the class.
And then, I went into labor. For a WEEK. Natalie was great in creating a peaceful, calm environment as my uncomfortable body was ready to call it quits. One experience in particular that will always stand out to me was when she invited me over to do some prenatal yoga, but she could see how discouraged I was that my body wasn't progressing as it had with my prior pregnancies. She became my own personal birth therapist as she listened to my frustrations and helped dispel the fears that I had for complications and feelings of inadequacy. She was just what I needed to clear my mind and complete my final preparations before my son was born.
The day before he arrived, she met us at the hospital but could see that again, things stopped progressing. She then took a step back and recommended to take this time to bond more with my husband. Once active labor hit early the next afternoon, it was full force and we barely made it to the hospital, but I felt so at peace (juxtaposed with the intense pain I was in) as everything fell into place just as I had pictured it, right down to the essential oils and music while I held my husband's hand as I stood bringing our son into this world.
She occasionally took some pictures and small clips of video which I didn't even know about until afterwards, but are absolute treasures to me. I also found out later how she was able to keep my husband composed while I began yelling at him to drive faster and get me out of the car! Definitely a memory I purposely tried not to remember too vividly. ;)
Natalie's role as a doula for us was as a chameleon; she blended in with the completion of the pregnancy journey and provided an atmosphere of sacred peace. My husband is now one of her biggest fans! She's a Birth Whisperer. :)
I met Natalie on a Facebook group and she invited me to her free birth refresher class. I attended the class by myself with 2 other couples because my husband was working. I talked with her and let her know I would be in contact after my 24 week ultrasound after my Placenta Previa resolved itself. I knew that with this being my last pregnancy (#5) I wanted to have a natural birth without the epidural and I knew that a doula would help me be able to do that. My first 2 babies were born after being induced and my next 2 with an OB-Gyn with an epidural. I chose a midwife and enlisted Natalie's help to fulfill my dream of a natural birth. She honestly was the best money I ever spent.
ReplyDeleteShe gave me support and ideas when I was told I was positive for Group B strep. See pampered me and painted my toenails and massaged my hands and feet. She encouraged me and kept me from being negative when things didn't go quite as planned.
My water broke at 11:30 at night on Labor day. I texted her to let her know. Then I called my husband who was working in Williston North Dakota. He left right away for home. 2 hours later his car broke down in Montana. My labor stalled because i was a little stressed about the situation. I hung out at home all the next day waiting for my husbands car to be fixed. Natalie texted me every so often to give me encouragement and see if i was progressing at all. She came over at 6 pm and gave me a foot rub, turned on some relaxing music and we tried several different methods to get the contractions coming. We walked around Community Park twice then decided we better get to the hospital because it had been 18 hours since my water broke. She helped me get settled and we discussed our options with the nurse and midwife. They all encouraged me to keep trying different ways to bring on the contractions. Dave finally arrived at 2:30 am. My midwife suggested we all get some sleep and try some more in the morning. Natalie slept at the hospital in another room and stayed through the whole ordeal. She made great suggestions and encouraged my husband to actively participate in helping me during labor. I did wind up having Pitocin given to me to keep the contractions coming. She helped me try several positions to labor in so I wouldn't have to get an epidural. It was truly amazing how my body just knew what to do once I hit transition. I pushed for forever till Collin Marshall was born at 2:22 pm on Wednesday Sept. 5th. I pushed him out on my hands and knees. She was right there encouraging me and my husband as he caught the baby. She got me turned around ands got the baby skin to skin asap. Without Natalies support I do not think I would have had the strength to pull off an unmedicated birth.
~copied and pasted with permission from my profile at doulamatch.com for Samarra McGary~
ReplyDeleteNatalie is such a wonderful calm, happy, encouraging woman! Natalie helped me and my husband with our birth in so many ways…. As this was my first birth and not knowing anything on what to expect…. I wanted to have a natural child birth and my last 4 weeks till I was due we decided to look into having a doula. And I'm so glad we did!!! We met with Natalie and instantly loved what she had to offer and loved her personality!!! She gave us so much information, from videos, books, rice packs, counter presser points and much more. Our birth of our son is such an incredible experience I will never forget… and with the help and support of Natalie it made it even more relaxing, calm, and less stress for my husband who didn’t fell guilty leaving and taking a walk to get some fresh air, because he knew she was with me. The oils she has are amazing… all the nurses loved them too… During the birth she helped me focus on my breathing, gave me encouraging words, helped with counter pressure, and took amazing photos of the birth itself (it tells such an amazing story!). I highly recommend Natalie as a doula and we will defiantly be calling on her again in a few years when we have #2!!!
Natalie is amazing! She's so focused on trying to get the laboring mama comfortable and you can see in her eyes that birth and babies are her thing. When I interviewed Natalie I knew she was a great match for me. She is confident about what she does, she knows labor, and she is comfortable with the whole process. I knew that Natalie could be my advocate when I or my husband couldn't be strong. Natalie meets with you a few times before you go into labor to make sure she knows what you want and what you're expecting from her. And she teaches some birthing classes as well to prepare you for what lies ahead. My labor and birth story had some twists and Natalie was just perfect. She conveyed to the nurses and Dr.'s just what I needed her to since I was focused and not explaining things as perfectly as I would have liked. I had a half hour drive to the hospital and I was actively in labor, Natalie sat on the dash for a half hour and provided the pressure on my hips that I needed, the woman deserves a metal!
ReplyDeleteShe took pictures during my labor which was so appreciated I can look back and remember it all. Never once did I feel that she was in the way, I knew she was there for me and my husband. My husband also appreciated having her there, labor was long and painful. She was there so that hubby could get breaks as well. I could not recommend her enough. She's got the touch!