Breann and Ben share their experience as students in Amara’s childbirth class and as doula clients served virtually during the pandemic
Zoe Says:
In Summer of 2017, I was induced at 36 weeks with my son due to a small leak of amniotic fluid. I was given an epidural, 24 hours of labor and no food/drink. And my recovery after having my healthy baby boy was long and hard.
After moving with the navy to Virginia and getting pregnant the summer of 2018, I was looking for a different approach. A friend of mine recommended the Midwifery, and Amara’s class. I heard about all the benefits of a natural child birth and was excited to go with both recommendations.
While my husband and I had already had our first child, we were amazed by how little we knew about it all when taking Amara’s class. We learned very helpful techniques that not only were essential during labor with our baby girl but helpful throughout the pregnancy as well.
Another thing that was amazing, was that she had great guest speakers, and hearing from others in the class was helpful as well. You also meet great friends that are having babies in your area all at the same time! We still meet and are friends with our class today!
A month after the classes ended, I had a natural birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl. I used techniques learned from class to help me get through the labor, and my husband was able to help get through contractions from techniques he learned in the class. And my recovery was 1000x better than the first time. Plus you’re on cloud nine after naturally having a baby
If you’re on the fence about taking Amara’s class, don’t be! Take the class, you won’t regret it!!
Picture taken right after birth of Scarlett in May 2019
Ashley shares how both the childbirth classes and doula services were important components to help her achieve the unmedicated birth of her second baby, Cruz. She chose to take the longer in-depth class even though she had previously given birth because there is always more to learn!
Mallory says:
Amara has been present for the birth of both of my daughters. The first in July 2017 and the second recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning my doula would not be allowed to be physically present in the hospital was heartbreaking, but Amara quickly notified me that she would be available virtually. Amara joined us via text, phone call and ultimately FaceTime. She did not miss a beat and I often forget she wasn’t actually there. Her knowledge and calming demeanor was extremely helpful and a crucial part of our daughters birth story. My husband and I also enjoyed both her 8 week BirthWorks class and the 2-week refresher. Both classes were helpful in preparing for natural childbirth.
Laura shares about her experience with Amara at two births
Jacqueline Says:
This was our third birth with Amara as our doula and we would absolutely recommend her! She has been with us through three very different births and each time was quick to so beautifully adapt to our needs. When I was pregnant with my first child my mother passed away. This was understandably a very difficult time for me and the reason I decided to hire a doula. I knew I wanted a woman who had given birth and was there to simply be with me and believe in me and stand up for my wishes. I interviewed Amara and looked no further. Three births later, I know I made the right choice.
This birth was my longest and most demanding birth yet and I so needed Amara’s support and guidance. She has a wonderful way of gently being present without being overbearing. Due to the pandemic we chose to have a homebirth and allow our older children (6 & 8) to be present. Amara was so helpful in fielding all of my curious 8 year old’s questions. She is very interested in medicine and found my birth fascinating. It was hard for me to turn off the “homeschooler” mom in me and to focus on my birth, but Amara helped me to do this by satisfying our daughter’s curiosity. They were fast friends by the time our son arrived.
In previous births I’ve never had long pushing times, and somewhere in me I expected this one to be similar if not faster! That was not the case and I was pushing on and off for five hours before we met our beautiful boy. It was very discouraging at times and Amara so gently helped me to focus on just going through one contraction at a time. As the contraction would approach I would ask her to talk to me and she would calmly guide me to the top and down the back, it helped me so much to remember that the contractions wouldn’t last forever and I just had to get to the top of each one once. I leaned on Amara much more for this birth than I have for previous births and she rose to the occasion as if it brought her joy to do so. She and my husband are my birth partners and giving birth wouldn’t be the same without her.
Michelle, RN Says:
I worked with Amara for years as a nurse at DePaul medical center's Center for Birth. She is amazing with her clients. Amara empowers clients to stick to their birth plans and explains every detail the client needs to have a successful birth. She is knowledgeable and experienced in prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care of the mother and newborn. She is the best doula I have ever had the pleasure of working with. When you hire Amara, you are guaranteed an amazing birth experience.
Rachel shares her experience with Amara at two births
Melissa Says:
My husband and I are so thankful for Amara and can’t recommend her enough!
2020 is a weird time to be pregnant and have a baby but Amara didn’t skip a beat with her support. Despite all the restrictions, Amara was creative and made sure she was there for me in every capacity - virtually with zoom and FaceTime, phone calls and text messages as I labored at home at 3 in the morning, and then physically at my birth. She is extremely knowledgeable about labor and delivery and I truly believe her tips and advice made it so that I had my “dream delivery.
I also highly recommend the birth story. Originally I passed on it thinking it wasn’t something I really “needed.” I am so glad I opted for it though. I wanted to have something in writing with all the little details from such a special day. I’m not an emotional person but reading my birth story brought the tears! She had captured so much leading up to my birth and the day of; it’s something I will cherish forever.
Amara also has that indescribable quality that few people posses - the ability to walk into a room and bring calm, peace, and order with them. A truly necessary trait for a doula who is assisting women through labor and delivery which can often be a scary time. Amara was such a worthy investment in my pregnancy and delivery and we are so thankful for her!
*Generic baby picture at the parents’ request to respect their privacy
Sarah Says:
After three births and attending both of Amara’s birth classes, I could not imagine birthing my kids without her by my side. Her wealth of knowledge is huge. She understands each trimester of pregnancy. She understands what a father maybe experiencing. And she knows how to get a baby out of your body! But moreover her heart is massive. Like a true mother, she came along side me during three very different pregnancies and championed me every step of the way. Amara doesn’t exclusively believe in natural birth. She believes in safe birth. She wants your baby to be delivered without stress or unnecessary intervention. She never pressured me to take the unmedicated route (which I did twice). She always made me feel empowered to make my own informed decisions whether it was to have an epidural or use the tub in certain positions. No baby will ever leave my body without her by my side!
Amber shares about her experience with Amara at all three of her births
Jessica Says:
I first learned about Amara’s doula services when a Facebook friend posted about her a few years before I got pregnant. Although I had the recommendation for Amara, I still researched all the other local doula services to see if she would be the best fit for me. I still felt compelled to reach out to Amara so I did. When I first met with Amara, I could feel her love and passion for what she does as a doula and birth educator. She was sweet and kind; but you could also feel her strength when talking to her. My husband and I spoke with each other after our interview with Amara. We agreed we wanted to work with her as both our BirthWorks instructor and doula. Amara is an amazing instructor!
I was excited to attend each class and left each time with a wealth of knowledge. She shared a lot of real life stories which helped me better understand the content presented. She brought props to class for us to see and use the items we would use during labor. My sweet little boy decided to turn breech just before it was time to give birth so my labor experience is unique to most of her clients. However, Amara was always available and present for me as needed. I was able to call and email her random questions throughout my pregnancy, and she was there after the birth to ensure we had settled in nicely at home. She even brought our little guy a little gift including a onesie that says “my doula loves me.” You can absolutely tell Amara puts her heart and soul into her work as a doula and birth educator and I am so happy to have met her.
Kelly Says:
We are repeat clients of Amara’s as we have used her Doula services for the birth of both of our sons. Additionally, we attended her 8-week BirthWorks class and 2-week Refresher series. Both classes were exceptional...Amara is a gifted instructor who armed us with the knowledge we needed for two complicated deliveries.
As a Doula, Amara is top-notch! We had unexpected complications during the births of both of our sons (one ending in a C-section) and Amara was incredibly encouraging while guiding us through optimal positioning during the labor process. My husband and I trust her completely and greatly appreciated her support via a calming and professional demeanor, open communication, understanding, and incredible knowledge base. Whether you are a first timer or seasoned parent, we highly recommend Amara to anyone who is expecting!
Jenn, RN shares about her experience with Amara at many births as a nurse
Eunice Says:
Amara was the first ever doula experience I had. After 2 c-sections my desire for a vaginal delivery was always doubted by my medical providers and even well meaning loved ones. She was the encouragement that kept me going apart from God to pursue a vaginal delivery even with all the listed complications the dr gave. She is such a patient, warm, encouraging person. On my day of labor, at about 12 midnight and a rainy day she had on her brace on her arm she made the time to make it before my delivery and stayed through the process. I was glad that on my first attempt at vbac she was there to cheer me on. If you hire Amara you are making a smart decision!!
*Partial close-up picture of baby at the parents’ request to respect their privacy