Stories of Empowerment and Transformation
Colorado Birth Stories by Reborn Birth & Body
The Client Story of Christine & Ian
Why did you want to work with a doula?
We worked with Chelsea during the pregnancy and birth of our son, making us first time parents. We wanted to work with a doula because Christine was interested in giving birth at a hospital but with minimal interventions, and we both liked the idea of having additional coaching and support during such an important life event.
What was the most valuable aspect of our experience working together?
So many valuable aspects! What stood out was the incredible support during many twists and turns of labor, including medical decisions and emotional support for my partner and family.
her balance of abundant positive energy and calm felt like the right fit from the first call
Chelsea’s personality really resonated with us - her balance of abundant positive energy and calm felt like the right fit from the first call. She is inquisitive and knowledgeable, helping to support our decision making. Chelsea is also very professional and organized in her communication, which helped us stay focused on key prep items for baby without feeling overwhelmed. There is so much noise and many opinions about how to manage pregnancy, delivery, and preparing for a baby, and she did a great job of helping us prioritize what mattered to us most.
How did having me as your doula help shape your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey?
Leading up to my due date as I eagerly hoped to go into spontaneous labor, Chelsea checked in daily via text and we talked on the phone to discuss topics in more depth as needed. Toward the end of my pregnancy, my care team encouraged me to consider a medical induction, something I definitely didn’t want to do, and Chelsea kept me calm and helped me think through trade offs while providing fact-based recommendations for inducing labor naturally. During labor, Chelsea really showed why she is an incredible doula - I truly believe this work is her calling. She created a calm environment in the labor and delivery suite, ensured I stayed hydrated and fed, applied hands on counterpressure and comfort and showed my partner how to do the same, and helped us navigate many unexpected healthcare decisions along the way as my labor stretched to the 36 hour mark. I had some postpartum complications within an hour of giving birth, and Chelsea supported my husband and went and spoke to our families in the waiting room, explaining the situation and providing much needed peace of mind.
The Client Story of Maisie & Quinn
Why did you want to work with a doula?
I knew that with some support, it would help me to be the best version of myself for my family. I knew that the whole journey was going to be so life changing, I wanted to be as proactive as possible and mitigate any stress that comes with being a new mom. Preparing for labor, labor itself and postpartum was of course still hard with a doula, but I was prepared.
What was the most valuable aspect of your experience working together?
The consistent touch bases that built so much trust. I felt so comfortable in the most vulnerable time asking for help, guidance, and support. Postpartum: once you leave the hospital, you’re on your own! And the internet is a scary place. As a new mom there are so many “is this normal” questions (mom + baby things) and I never hesitated to reach out to ask because I knew Chelsea was there for me, ready and excited to answer and support me no matter what.
I felt so comfortable in the most vulnerable time asking for help, guidance, and support.
How did having me as your doula help shape your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey?
Chelsea gave incredible tips for pregnancy that made it easier, I knew to be mentally prepared for the unexpected or for things to not go to plan during labor, and she offered so much support postpartum for me and my baby. I didn’t know what I was going to need postpartum and as things popped up (serious things like mastitis and not-so-serious things like how many times a day I can use the snot sucker for her boogers!) I knew I could reach out for support and that made this phase of life easier. With that, because of Chelsea and her support, I felt in charge. I was empowered, I was able to stay calm, confident and be as present as possible through the full journey.
What was the most important nutritional and exercise guidance I shared with you that helped you stay active/feeling good during pregnancy? How did that prepare you for birth?
Electrolytes before / during / after working out! I struggled with bad muscle cramping midway through pregnancy and by adding this into my routine, I was able to continue running and lifting heavy weights without cramping up. With that advice, I was able to continue working on being as strong as possible going into labor, which helped with labor and postpartum! Coincidence or not, I was able to push baby girl out in just under 30 minutes and felt so strong when I got back into the swing of an exercise routine.
The Client Story of Anna & Evan
Why did you want to work with a doula?
This was my first pregnancy and from the beginning, I wanted to focus on anything that would help this journey be a healthy and positive experience, no matter what the journey ended up looking like. Everyone I spoke to who worked with a doula highly recommended one and I knew that research highly supported it too. Chelsea was recommended to us by a friend and from our first meeting, my husband and I felt very excited for the opportunity to work with her! We immediately felt comfortable with her, like someone who I had known for a long time, appreciated her knowledge and experience, and just felt like someone I wanted to have by my side in the delivery room!
“she helped us feel like we always had someone in our corner”
What was the most valuable aspect of our experience working together?
The most valuable part of working with Chelsea was knowing we had someone in our corner that we could trust 100% and felt completely comfortable with. She is a wealth of information and was so great at sharing information and helping us prepare for the birth in a way that was manageable and not overwhelming. I felt so prepared to support my wife through the process and a huge part of that came from Chelsea's guidance before, during and after the birth. She was with us every step of the way for our 30+ hour labor and it was definitely very hard at times but we both felt so happy the entire experience. Once Chelsea left, our nurse said to us, "you guys know you have a REALLY good doula right?" They see a ton of doulas but she was amazed by Chelsea's knowledge and how she seamlessly fit into our birth experience and labor as such a supportive and positive force.
How did having me as your doula help shape your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey?
Having Chelsea as our doula helped us feel like we always had someone in our corner, someone to reach out to with ALL of the random questions that arise, and someone to point us in the direction of evidence-based recommendations. Chelsea was incredibly responsive and supportive anytime I reached out, but especially in the last couple weeks of my pregnancy. She regularly checked in to see how both me and my husband were doing and provided a ton of helpful ideas to help with my discomfort and to help my body prepare for labor once I was ready for it. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery can be overwhelming experiences, but Chelsea helped us feel prepared, supported, and encouraged throughout it all.
The Client Story of Meredith & JT
Chelsea helped calm our nerves and set a peaceful mood
Why did you want to work with a doula? What ultimately led you to choose me?
I wanted to work with a doula because of the anxiety I was feeling going into my first birth experience. I found through researching that working with a doula improves birth outcomes. I wanted my first birth experience to be good since I knew I wanted to have multiple children. Having Chelsea as my doula gave me the confidence I needed to go into my birth knowing that I was capable and was going to be informed and ready to make decisions when it came to labor and delivery. My birth ended up being challenging and exhausting with a long and uncomfortable labor that was not progressing and led to an unplanned, though luckily not an emergency, belly birth. Even through this, I felt safe and empowered knowing that my husband and I had support from Chelsea. She was there through it all, reassuring us and explaining what was happening. Having Chelsea as an advocate with us before, during, and after the birth of our baby was extremely valuable.
How was I able to help you during labor when you had to pivot from your original plan?
Chelsea was there to help ease my anxieties when I was getting my epidural placed, when it didn’t work as expected, and as I was experiencing back labor pains, Chelsea was there applying counterpressure to help with the pain. Chelsea helped calm our nerves and set a peaceful mood in the hospital room when labor was not progressing. She was right there next to me during and after my belly birth so that my husband could start skin to skin with our baby. Really, so many things throughout the labor and each and every step of the way!!
What was the most valuable aspect of your experience working together?
I loved that my husband and I didn’t feel alone in the preparation and experience of pregnancy and birth. It was reassuring that Chelsea was there for us whenever we had questions or concerns especially with it being our first time and everything being so new!
What was the most important mindset guidance I shared with you that helped you prepare mentally for your birth?
The most helpful shift for me was rethinking the pain of childbirth as a purposeful discomfort.
