From the moment Verina agreed to be my doula, I felt more relaxed about my upcoming birth. The 1:1 hypno-birthing sessions were really helpful and allowed us also to get to know Verina too (would highly recommend doing these sessions). I really appreciated the extra thoughtful details from Verina e.g. the croqueted cord tie and the birth journey beads to help you understand the different stages of labour and of course her amazing sourdough bread!
I had opted for the midwife-led unit at Peterborough hospital. Having Verina was invaluable, she was a strong advocate for me, particularly during the stages of labour where decisions had to be made that weren’t part of my birth plan. I felt informed and empowered to make the decisions that were right for me. Between Verina and my husband Chris, I felt very supported. I was very happy to have had a natural birth (although it was a challenging one because the baby wasn’t lined up correctly). Our lovely Leo arrived safely in the early hours of 24 March 2024. We had 3 hours of skin to skin time, which was amazing (largely due to Verina’s intervention in ensuring I had that special time with Leo). Verina helped me to get Leo latched on for his first feed, led by him. And ever since then, he’s been great at breast-feeding. We were thankfully able to be discharged the same day from the hospital.
The post birth support from Verina has also been hugely helpful, not only with my recovery but also any questions I had about Leo e.g. how to get him comfortable in the sling (I’ve got the knack now!).
Verina; thank you so much for your unwavering support and thoughtfulness throughout our birthing journey. I’m grateful to have had your experience and wisdom to support Chris and I.
Maren