Brittan D.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think Michele and Naima saved my birth experience. I had a rough pregnancy and began to have concerns about the care I was receiving from my provider. With Michele’s encouragement I made the choice to switch to a

wonderful OBGYN and began to feel more calm about my rocky third trimester, and more in control of the way I was going to give birth. She truly empowered me and felt like a cheerleader in my corner at all times.

I had pre-labor that started and stopped off and on for weeks and she kept me sane through it all, texting me advice, words of encouragement, or even just calling to chat and take my mind off of it. It was like having a friend on-call who always knew exactly what I needed and was prepared to drop anything when the time came, even if it ended up being a false alarm. I never doubted that I could depend on Michele and Naima, and that’s a great feeling to have when you’re nervous and unsure about everything else.

When the time finally came Michele was very sick, but still kept in touch with me as Naima took over. What can I say about Naima? She is such a lovely person, and a very calming, maternal prescence. It felt like having a mother or sister with me, which is what I really needed, as we don’t have any family nearby and it was just me, my husband and my male doctor. I was so happy to have a woman there who understood what I was experiencing and could provide comfort. Naima probably massaged my back for 8 solid hours, stayed calm through my very vocal last hour of birthing a 10lb baby with no medication, an
d made me believe that I could get through it. Looking back on my birth experience, Naima was and always will be a very important part of it.

Michele and Naima both hold a special place in my heart for helping me bring my son into the world, learn how to nurse him, and have my own personal feelings cared for. I think we forget how important that part of it is.