I feel so lucky to have had Stephanie by my side as my Doula while I gave birth.
I was referred to Stephanie by my sister who now has worked with her for two births! I booked her during my first trimester and throughout my pregnancy she would check in with me. We met to discuss our birth plan and she guided me toward helpful resources so I could be the most informed mom-to-be.
In my pregnancy, it was all smooth sailing until I started to go several days overdue. I chose to switch providers after my due date, because my midwife wanted me to have an induction that wasn’t medically necessary (suspected “big baby” but no other actual issues), which made me uncomfortable as I wanted a natural birth and inductions increase the possibility of additional interventions.
Having Stephanie in my corner gave me confidence and strength to go with my gut and she was such a valuable sounding board. I was able to talk through my thinking with her and was encouraged to follow my intuition and get some second opinions.
I saw two other midwives past 41 weeks, who both agreed it would be fine for me to continue with NST and close monitoring until the 42 week mark. Feeling very anxious to avoid induction at 41 + 4, I did everything I could to get labor going, Stephanie cheering me on with texts, calls, encouragement, and ideas to get more comfortable like prenatal yoga, a bath, and several Spinning Babies positions to try. That day I had a cervix check and was 1cm, enough to get a membrane sweep, then off to acupuncture then yoga I went, then a prenatal massage (jam packed day for such a pregnant woman but I was DESPERATE to get this show on the road!).
The next morning, at 41 weeks and 5 days, my water broke dramatically, hollywood-style, all over the floor! It was finally happening, I wasn’t going to be pregnant forever. To my delight I called Stephanie and let her know it was finally time to have this baby, finally time to meet him/her (we were team green, waiting to find out the sex until the baby emerged)!
My birth took a long time, 37 hours from water break to baby, and Stephanie was fully available, continuously coaching me and staying in touch with my husband when my labor got more intense. She was right by my side during the most challenging, demanding, intense parts of labor. I needed her to be able to persevere 24 hours without any interventions and I’m so grateful for her encouragement and coaching to get me far past the amount of time I ever thought I’d be waiting to push out this baby.
She knew just how to support and comfort me, what to say, gentle reassurance, and most of all, she was a strong advocate for a pushy midwife.
This midwife was suggesting an unnecessary c-section and later suggesting morphine, both of which I didn’t want. Stephanie was able to whisk her away into the hall calmly and firmly for a chat, she was always making sure all staff were keeping me informed, and that I was never pressured into anything I didn’t want. I cannot thank her enough for advocating for me in a moment where I did not have the capacity to speak up for myself. I trust her so much and had confidence with her on my team. I reached the 24 hour mark since my water broke which was a turning point because I needed to do something to be able to proceed.
Despite planning for a natural birth, I chose an epidural once I had only made it to 4cm at that point. This way I was able to keep laboring, rest, and eventually get to 10cm. Here we were, 37 hours after my water broke, I was able to push my baby out! It was officially 41 weeks and 6 days, nearly 2 weeks past my due date, mere hours before my scheduled 42-week induction!
When we finally heard that sweet cry and my husband told me, “it’s a girl!” it was the highlight of my life. Stephanie took photos with my phone as well as video and they are some of the most precious pictures I have.
My baby girl is a year old now and I still get choked up looking at these pictures and thinking of the biggest challenge my body’s ever been through. I truly cannot imagine doing birth without Stephanie. I owe it to her for advocating and supporting me.
Because of Stephanie, I was able to avoid an unnecessary cesarean, avoid drugs I did not want, and avoid forcing my body into an induction before it was ready to give birth.
She visited us at home days later and it was so cathartic to talk through the birth experience. She helped fill in the gaps that I had in my mind that were unsettling to me because I couldn’t place what exactly happened.
It was so valuable to have her on my team before, during and after birth that I told her she’s going to be the first person I call when I get pregnant again.
I recommend her to anyone who wants a genuine, kind, knowledgeable coach through their birth. Stephanie Sinclair is one of a kind, the best doula you could have by your side for one of the most monumental moments in your life. I cannot recommend her enough as she’s the reason I proudly look back on my daughter’s birth with zero regrets.
