What can I say about how wonderful Tara is when words seem to fall flat? I met Tara at 29 weeks this spring, pregnant with our first child. From the moment we met Tara was so caring and genuine! Throughout our coffee meet & greet I was very comfortable talking about my pregnancy, and hopes for my labor and birth.
As a first time mom I definitely had some questions pop up during my pregnancy, Tara was great at helping educate and reassure me as things arose. She is a wealth of knowledge!
My husband and I planned a home birth, it was really great seeing how comfortable my husband was with Tara...after all it's both of our experience and knowing that he wasn't going to feel awkward around her during such an intimate experience was huge for me!
During my labor Tara was right there when I needed her! I don't even remember when I told her that I'm a words of affirmation person (5 love languages) but whenever I mentioned during my pregnancy, she took it to heart. Every word she spoke was encouraging, even during my really hard moments! We laughed, we bonded, she was strong with me when I needed that...and she was gentle and soothing in my moments of rest.
One thing that I really wanted was pictures of our experience, but I didn't want to hire a photographer simply because having one more person in the room would've been too much for me. Tara was amazing and captured so many moments on her phone for me! What a treasure to have such candid, authentic memories on film.
My labor was long and I had really intense back labor... Tara was so fantastic at applying counter pressure on my back and hips! We did quite a few different Miles Circuit/Spinning Babies poses with the guidance of my midwife to try and get my baby lined up properly. Tara and my husband made a great team supporting me in the different poses. When pushing was strong and focused she was right there in the thick of it going above and beyond. At one point she was holding my belly and I was leaning on my husband for support in a squat... literally all three of us working with my contractions, squatting together while I pushed my heart out. I cannot describe the strength I felt in those moments with such raw, and vivid help!
We made the tough decision to transfer to the hospital after giving it our all. I'm sure you can imagine that after having my heart set on a homebirth it was a very difficult decision for my husband and I to make. I was feeling every emotion imaginable. Tara truly was there for me in that moment when I deeply needed to hear that I wasn't failing because I wasn't going to birth at home. She was so authentic and connected with me in that raw and vulnerable place I was in, helping me focus on the positives, and reassuring me how strong I was. Her heartfelt encouragement was so genuine and I carried that with me as I walked into the hospital.
I love that even though Tara wasn't there for my birth (I had my husband and mom stay with me) she didn't "clock out" as my doula. She checked on me over text, celebrated when my son was born, and came over to meet him when we were finally home!
I truly cannot brag enough about Tara! Having her on my birth team was incredibly valuable!
She was so authentic and connected with me in that raw and vulnerable place I was in, helping me focus on the positives, and reassuring me how strong I was.
