Thank-you Notes

It has been pointed out that in my birth story, I sound like I was dissatisfied with the service of our hypnodoula, Tanya McHale. I want to say for the record that we were actually very satisfied and grateful to Tanya, and I would recommend that any of you in the Chicago area hire her. It's true that I had hoped to use hypnosis more extensively in this birth, and because of this, I had looked around a bit for a doula who specializes in only hypnotherapy. Tanya, while she is certified in hypnotherapy and does use it with her clients, also incorporates other tools. I got the impression before the birth that perhaps Tanya's use of hypnosis was not quite as intensive as I was looking for, but we liked her so much overall that we decided to hire her anyway. So while I would love to use hypnosis more in a future birth, I was not disappointed in Tanya's performance.

In the end, my labor intensified so quickly that no response would have made it a peaceful, relaxing time. Tanya helped me cope a great deal in the ways she saw as appropriate, and under the circumstances I think she did a great job. She really helped me get through the frustrating pushing stage, and she was also a great help afterward in helping me make sense of the whole crazy event.

Epu also did a great job of supporting me and dealing with the emergency situation, by the way. I remember at one point he was sweating heavily because the delivery room was pretty warm and it is hard work to hold up a woman's leg for one long pushing contraction after another. A nurse asked him if he was going to faint, and we both just laughed, because at this point he is a pro at this childbirth thing. He's not bad at making pretty babies, neither.