I really enjoyed Tara's lighthearted point of view and bubbly attitude. All these things helped me to stay positive. I lover her spirit. It was like having one of my close friends around to joke about whatever was going on in the room.  Humor can be the best medicine :)
-C from Ashburn

Brenda's constant attention was great, offering water, soothing voice and being really able to understand the pain. She offered constant encouragement , told me I was doing great and was very soothing and helpful.
-M from Fairfax

Brenda was great at speaking calmly and gently to encourage me. She also helped a lot in weighing the options as labor went on. She was great at keeping my husband company while I slept/relaxed.
-S from Washington DC

All the information given at the prenatal meetings and the Doula Handbook allowed great education. The hip squeeze and back massage helped during labor as was Tara and my husband telling me I could do it. Labor was 10x better that I could have imagined. I felt empowered!
-M from Alexandria

Brenda was most helpful during hard labour and keeping me focused and keep my husband focused. Knowing the doula was there for both of us, we always felt safe and in good care.
-B from Washington DC

I expected many interventions during labor because I was labelled as “high-risk”. This terrified us more than the actual pain of labor. My husband and I both noticed how the doctors seemed to change their attitudes toward us after telling them that we had a doula. It was as though they realized we knew we had options and wanted to have a more natural experience. This change was great because we felt like they understood better that we wanted this to be a personal experience. I felt very prepared for labor, especially for early labor. We were taught to ignore the contractions, which I would not have done had we not been told that this would be helpful. Bathing and staying comfortable at home while checking in with Brenda to get her advice made us feel in control as things got started. Even though the labor was intense at the hospital,looking back it went exactly as we had hoped. No real interventions, no epidural, and a healthy baby. It was perfect!
-C from Falls Church

Tara's support and quiet demeaner during labor was a tremendous help. She knew exactly what type of encouragement I needed;when to be vocally supportive and when to just be a reassuring presence. Having another person to "share" the responsibility with my husband took tremendous pressure off him.
-S from Falls Church

I don't think there was one way in which Tara was more helpful, other than her presence. I found just having her there very reassuring and comforting. She was upbeat throughout, and helped me stay focused and calm, even when I thought I would lose it. I really enjoyed her sense of humor throughout the process and her absolute dedication to making the experience one I feel really good about. Tara was truely amazing
-K from Reston