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Tynesha was our doula for the birth of our first child. She wrapped us in her calm, loving experience through the entire process, from 8 months to postpartum. I appreciated her knowledge of natural and western practices, calming presence, massage, and willingness to travel with me through the ups and downs of the whole day of my baby's arrival. It was an amazing experience.
Stefani S. - Sonora, CA
When anticipating giving birth for the first time, I couldn’t have imagined just how crucial Tynesha’s role would be at my natural birth. Our prenatal sessions were informative and important for building a rapport that enabled her to support me exactly as I needed during my labor. During contractions, she offered pain relief by using counter-pressure techniques and heat application, as well as massage between contractions for my aching back. She anticipated my needs to suggest new positions and helped me establish a focal point (a candle) that became critical to staying calm during intense contractions and during the pushing phase. She supported my husband throughout the process as well, guiding him in assisting me. I labored at the natural birth center for 30 hours before giving birth, and Tynesha stayed by my side for almost the entire time - taking only a few very short rest breaks for herself - never showing me her fatigue but always providing calm, steady encouragement. The emotional support she provided reassured me when I felt overwhelmed. In addition to the important help she offered during my labor, Tynesha’s prenatal and postpartum visits have been wonderful. She has given me many ideas for caring for myself and my new baby as well as hands on support at my home. She provided a referral to a lactation consultant by contacting the consultant on my behalf with all of the information she had collected regarding my breastfeeding, streamlining the process. Her detailed written notes on my labor proved valuable as well when I had questions weeks after giving birth. I also need to say that Tynesha has a great sense of humor! Our appointments were truly fun and we shared lots of laughs, which has been especially important to me amid the challenges of the postpartum period.
Mary L. - San Andreas, CA
Tynesha was exactly what I needed in a doula. She was calm, attentive, helpful, knowledgeable, encouraging, and present.
I appreciated the ways she made me more comfortable during labor. I asked her repeatedly to hit a pressure point in my hand during contractions and she was such a trooper doing it every time. She would frequently offer me sips of coconut water, massage me, get me cool rags etc.
During the pushing stage she stayed right up by my head and encouraged and coached me. Her helpful words and visualizations for me through 2 hours of difficult pushing. I don't know how much longer it would have taken without her help.
After the baby was born, she delivered our family home made bread and bone broth. They were delicious and it made us feel so seen and cared for during that sensitive postpartum period.
We still stay in touch and it's evident how much she truly cares for me and my little family. I'm so grateful for her and will be calling her back in a few years for help with baby #2.
Marie K. - Sonora, CA
I can’t say enough good things about Tynesha. When my wife and I talked about what we wanted and needed in a doula, we firstly needed someone that we trusted and could give calm clear guidance to my wife through the birthing process, it was also crucial that I as the husband felt like that if I needed to step out of the room for anything that my wife would be totally supported in anything she needed. Tynesha checked all of those boxes and more! We really couldn’t have asked for anything more and are so grateful we found her to walk through such a special experience for our family!
Travis K. - Sonora CA
Tynesha was so wonderful and helpful when I called her regarding a breastfeeding issue. She was quick to respond and went out of her way to help me figure out the problem. She gave me great suggestions and I was feeling better within hours. Tynesha is always so kind and caring. Her knowledge and calming demeanor is invaluable.
Kayla P. - Sonora, CA
We are an older couple essentially in our early 40s going through the experience of having a child for the first time. We had decided to do whatever we could to make the process the most enjoyable and at the same time as stress-free as possible. Going through all the classes, reading all the books, hiring a Doula still made sense to have someone with experience to help us through this journey. So we set out and searched through the resources that Kaiser had provided and found and met a nice Doula that we liked immediately. About four weeks prior to our due date, we had one last Zoom call to meet our back-up Doula, which happened to be Tynesha. Tynesha was full of positive energy and kindness and we felt comfortable knowing that either Doula would help us once the day came.
Well it so happened to turn out that our little guy decided to speed things up a few weeks early and this conflicted with our main Doula's personal schedule (family trip out of state). Thankfully, Tynesha was on it and was in immediate contact with us to understand when and where to meet. Sure enough, Tynesha arrived at the hospital bright and early when we estimated things were going to be kicking off given that we had to use Pitocin to induce. Right off the bat, Tynesha was jumping in and providing a calming presence. Tynesha was very attentive to our needs and adapted quickly to the room and nurses that were in and out.
Note, this was the first time meeting Tynesha in person but it felt like we had known each other already. Tynesha immediately got her bearings and began working her magic. Once active labor began, Tynesha approach really shined. She was always encouraging to move, stretch, and do different things all while asking how things felt, level of comfort, and all with a positive and caring voice. Fast forward to 9pm or so when pushing began, Tynesha was right there providing encouragement, ensuring comfort, and overall being the coach we needed.
Baby came at 10:02 pm and all went well. Tynesha stayed and made sure that we were all doing well before heading home.
If you are reading this, you are giving thought to hiring a Doula and possibly Tynesha. Do it. We couldn't imagine how this would have gone without Tynesha's support and we're incredibly grateful for her being there to welcome our son into this world.
Natalya and Jonathan M. - Modesto, CA
Having Tynesha's support for postpartum was a blessing. Her warm, calming presence and easy skill with babies was wonderful to have in our home, as was her ability to offer us insight and information, and practical help around the household. Those early days can be full of overwhelming emotions, uncertainty, and new challenges, and knowing we had Tynesha's assistance, even for a few hours a week, was a relief and a valuable resource. We only wish we'd known about her beforehand, for pregnancy support, as we're sure it would've helped that part of the journey as well!