Artist Amy Feldman recounts her positive experience working with Janel for her low-intervention hospital birth.
We are beyond grateful to have worked with Janel. With her guidance, we expanded on my yoga practice to prepare for natural childbirth and were able to adhere to our birth plan. I successfully gave birth naturally, without an epidural or interventions to our beautiful daughter. Janel thoughtfully guided my husband and I through the birth process from start to finish and got us mentally and physically prepared leading up to and after the birth. She arrived within minutes after I began the laboring process and steadfastly worked through each contraction. I had painful back labor and was terrified from the pain, but Janel’s compassionate and reassuring voice eased my fears.
At one point I thought I couldn’t proceed, and she refocused me within the instant. Neither my husband nor the hospital staff could have shifted my perspective so quickly. Janel was an excellent advocate in the hospital and assisted each decision in accordance with our plan. This felt especially important during the height of the pandemic, which continues to persist. I have a vivid memory standing in a cold shower propped up by masked Janel and my husband, knowing we would all make it through the night, one breath at time.
Our daughter arrived at 10am in a moment so transcendent and sublime, exceeding language and displacing my whole being in the most powerful and wonderful way. After birth I couldn’t stop shaking and experienced waves of intense anxiety. Even in that tired state, Janel stayed and worked me through it. In the following days, I had trouble breastfeeding and could not believe the state of my body. Janel came multiple times postpartum and once again provided an excellent level of support.
We truly could not have gotten through this time without her services.