I had gone to a birthing class over ten years ago when my first son was born. I basically thought I had a good understanding of the overall process. When I was informed of attending a private session for the birth of my latest son, I basically did an internal eye roll. I learned it would be given by Kristi, who was a doula. Honestly, I never heard of a doula before, and my preconceived ideas were humored by, kept to myself, and sarcasm. However, everything changed when I met Kristi and sat through her informative teaching. I actually found it quite fascinating and far more informal than anything I had heard before. Attending the birth of Phoenix, I noticed Kristi’s dominance in birthing knowledge to be met with enthusiastic compassion for the physical baby delivery. I was cynical initially to wonder what a doula would add to the experience. Amazingly, Kristi’s aide and talents weren’t exclusively focused on Phoenix’s mother. I was significantly stressed and filled with anxiety. Kristi maneuvered around that delivery room like a boss. She brought comfort and direction to the experience (all the while, employees of the hospital basically stared at a computer for the majority of the time) and made the whole experience easier for me to digest. Take all of life’s situations seriously, think about them, and prioritize them. Having a baby is at the top. I don’t understand now that I experienced a doula why you’d enter into such an unbelievable life experience without one. If you come to the place to recognize the benefit of and hire a doula, there is only one to select…Kristi Reed!
