Best and most extraordinary day – Karo

I am one of these lucky girls who can say that the birth of our little boy 6 months ago was the absolute best and most extraordinary day in my husband and I’s life! We were of course lucky to have a naturally progressing delivery, almost by the book, so cannot ignore that important fact; but, what is also a fact, is that having Mandy as our doula throughout the birth made it an 100% success. We could not have done it without Mandy! I must add at this point that I am not an “extreme natural birthing warrior ” woman so it was wonderful to work with a doula like Mandy that understands what the mom & dad want and tailors her approach to “your needs and desires”.For my husband & I the goal of the birth was “healthy happy baby & mom”; if medication or interventions were necessary to achieve the goal we were totally ok with this. Mandy was totally supportive of our desires and tailored her approach to us….and it is thanks to her and my husband’s amazing support on the big day, that our wee little monkey was born totally naturally in the end!

It was so wonderful to have Mandy’s support and care throughout this most important adventure of our lives, that I hope we can get a little sibling en route before we leave Bangkok just so we can have Mandy by our side again!

Successful VBAC after 2 Caesareans
Sun Dahlfred

The vbac went beautifully. My doula, Mandy, came when I felt I needed her help. We labored with her for an hour at home. She rubbed my back with aromatic oil and did massages to distract me during contractions. We chatted in between as I controlled my breathing according to the hypnobirthing book she lent me. Then my water broke, which was about 6 hours after contractions had started. Mandy noticed that my water was not clear, indicating that meconium may have been in the water. At her recommendation, we went right away to Bumrungrad Hospital despite the heavy rain storm outside. When I checked-in, I was told I was 9 cm dilated. The doctor came soon after that and said I was 10 cm and ready to push, which my body was already doing. The baby’s head came out and he opened his eyes, but didn’t cry until his whole body was out. While applying skin-to-skin therapy, I was able to nurse him from his very first moment of life outside the womb. So precious!

The whole labor AND delivery process, from the start of contractions at around noon until 9:30 pm when he was born, was only about 10 hours. My baby was skinny (being 39 weeks) but long and heavy. He was 56 cm long and weighed 3.840 kg. My doula took pictures of us. That was a nice touch.

No drugs or medical intervention were needed (except for a local anesthesia for stitches from tearing). Praise God! It was such an answer to prayer. Mandy was so wonderful and so helpful, not at all hesitant to support this vbac even after my two caesareans. The doctor told me I was his second patient who wanted a vbac after two caesareans. He helped us both succeed. It can be done!

Empowering Experience – Ksenia

Having Mandy as our doula for the birth of our baby daughter was a very positive and empowering experience. As this was my first pregnancy, I was looking forward to having extra support and Mandy came highly recommended by a work colleague. Mandy was there for me throughout my labour and delivery but what I appreciated the most is that she was present in a very gentle and inobtrusive way as I was practising hypnobirthing during my labour and was fully concentrated on breathing and visualisations. I am sure that Mandy’s presence, help and advice helped me to stay relaxed during labour and to have a very positive natural birth experience that I will always cherish.

Once our baby was born we had literally zillions of questions so it was very reassuring to be able to turn to someone like Mandy who is very experienced with newborns. Mandy also gave us some excellent advice that made a real difference for our baby’s first weeks.

My birthing experience convinced me that I would love to have the support of a doula again for my next pregnancy. I would highly recommend Mandy as a doula, regardless of the type of birth you are planning/hoping for.

Daddy’s also need guidance – Clara

My husband and I were one of those soon-to-be-first-time-parents who thought we could handle everything on our own. We thought we’d read all the books and were planning to have the baby in a hospital with professional doctors, what more do we need? But boy oh boy, were we so wrong. If it weren’t for Mandy, we wouldn’t have had the delivery we wanted and I’m pretty sure we would have completely fallen apart by day 3 of our newborn being home.
Mandy assisted us with drafting of our birth plan, supported my actual delivery with her experience and labor tips (because of her guidance and “tricks”, my labour was as short as it is!), helped me through breastfeeding (no books really truly describe just how challenging it actually is) and even cheered me on through my baby blues and sleep deprivation.

Many a times, so much focus is on the mommy and the baby that we forget that daddies also need guidance and support to be the “strong pillar” that is expected of them – to hold everything together. She is always a phone call or text away, even for my husband.
Mandy provided both of us with not just knowledge, but confidence and assurance that everything is going to be ok. She knew exactly what to do every step of the way. The emotional support and guidance that Mandy provided to both my husband and myself is nothing something we will never forget – more than just our doula, she became our friend.
Thank you Mandy, from the bottom of our hearts.