The Birth We Planned and Hoped for: Our Dream Birth--In A Hospital
Clara Bellar and Gulu Monteiro

We have no words to describe how grateful we are to her, our "birthing coach" as we affectionately like to call her. Had she not prepared me physically, emotionally and intellectually for the marathon that a natural birth is - had she not been present from beginning of labor till the very end... there is no way we'd have had the kind of birth we had: a totally un-medicated, intervention-free birth in a hospital, which occurred in water, as it was planned and hoped for.

We hear birth stories from friends all the time, and it seems they all say "Thank God we were at the hospital, because things didn't go as planned and we had to induce/do an epidural/a cesarean." Our story is pretty much the opposite: "Thank God we had a doula. Thanks to her, we were able to get our dream birth and follow our plan, DESPITE the fact we were in a hospital."

We cannot recommend Marie-Paul enough. Her expertise, her dedication, her passion for the birthing process and her empathy make her a dream partner in this wonderful and unique adventure. She makes sure that a woman gets the most out of the experience and helps her discover how unlimited her strength and will power are; that the baby is welcomed without violence and trauma; and that the precious bonding between the parents and the baby happens the way it had to be. She helps the father be a part of the process and understand his role in it, and not be a passive, helpless observer, so he knows how to benefit from the bonding experience right away even though he doesn't have breast milk! What else can one ask for?

Best wishes,
Clara Bellar and Gulu Monteiro,
Actress and Actor