VASILIKI, NIKOLAS & LOUISA (July 2011)
Hi Delia, Just a small message to say that little Louisa is doing well (she is already 4.300 grams!) and to thank you for all you've done during a very difficult but equally exciting time.
Your help over the 5 days of the delivery was really precious, and you certainly made the birth a lot more manageable for both me and Nikos. You've also given us valuable advice and knowledge in the days after the delivery. You will be part of our daughter's birth story for all the three of us (I would have wanted to have a picture of you two together).
I'll see how things go, and if we need any more help on the days that I go to work and you are available, we might arrange something for then.
With very many thanks,
Vasiliki
BIRGIT (May 2011)
As a VBAC mother I was very anxious about attempting a "natural" birth. Without the support, encouragement and guidance of Delia I'm convinced I would not have managed the natural birth which I so wanted. Quite simply DELIA was magnificent.
MARY, ANDREW & HONOR (March 2011)
Delia was a fantastic support in the birth of our daughter. She was essential to helping us realise the kind of birth we wanted, and the euphoria of achieving a natural birth for my gorgeous daughter will remain with me for the rest of my life.
Delia is a calm and wise guide before the birth, who helped us to feel prepared and ready. During labour she's a strong, practical, thoughtful and experienced supporter who enabled me to stay as calm as possible. She was a great help in a busy hospital, frankly the birth would have been very different without her! And post-natally Delia brings her warmth, wisdom and advice, making new parenthood much easier to navigate.
I cannot recommend Delia's work highly enough. Her warmth, wisdom and years of experience were essential to helping us achieve the birth we wanted, something I will always remember.
DEBORAH & DWAINE (Oct 2010)
Thank you! I don't think money can buy the level of service we received during the birth of our third child. Even though we had been through the experience before, having Delia there guiding us through was, under the circumstances, a relaxed experience. She mentally prepared us with consultations and helped us prepare a birth plan.
We achieved our aim of having a completely natural (no gas or air) home birth. It was truly a beautiful experience and would not had been the same without Delia there. I recommend her to all expecting parents I know, regardless of whether they plan to be at the hospital or at home for the birth.
Again thank you Delia.
Deborah & Dwaine
JESSICA & HUW (August 2010)
We are so grateful to Delia for her fantastic support before, during, and after the birth of our daughter, Riva.
She was a constant source of knowledge and reassurance, and we felt thoroughly prepared.
With Delia's help we were able to have the birth we had hoped for. She helped us to stay at home for as long as possible, and guided us through the hospital system smoothly on arrival, discreetly advocating on our behalf with staff. Within three hours of our arrival we had a beautiful baby girl, and Delia was with us every step of the way.
She was there for us when the hospital midwives failed to provide adequate breastfeeding support. And she was only a phone call away during the five first days at home when the midwives failed to show up. Delia is a wonderful woman with a wealth of experience. We can't recommend her highly enough.
ULRIKKE (2009-2010)
Delia I want to thank you Delia, for great support and help during my pregnancy 2009-2010. You were a great comfort to us while we were expecting, answering all sorts of questions and concerns. However, the greatest help of all was the night 1st June 2010, when our little daughter decided to come to this world very fast.
You must have had some sort of 6th sense as you decided to come to our house and not meet us at the hospital as agreed! Thanks to you, our daughter was not born in a taxi, but at home in the living room where you helped and guided me through the whole delivery. You helped my baby into this world and you kept me calm and strong. I can highly recommend your comfort to any expecting parent.
You will always be in our hearts and I am looking forward to tell our little Alba about the night she was born and lovely Delia that helped us.
JEAN (December 2009)
I am extremely glad and grateful to have had Delia with me during my labour and on hand for advice before and after the birth. I found Delia to be exceptionally supportive, comforting and professional as well as being a calming and focused presence . She has obviously got a great deal of experience and knowledge.
I know without Delia my birth experience would not have been as successful as she stayed with me throughout the whole process, even through the night. I had a difficult experience with my first labour, but with Delia supporting me through my second labour, it was a very positive experience and I know that I had best birth experience possible with her guidance. She gives 100% support, practically and emotionally. I would not hesitate to recommend her should anyone be thinking about getting in touch with her.
Jean
RACHEL & ANDY (2008)
We asked Delia to be our doula as we were not sure that work arrangements would allow my husband to be at the birth of our child, and as I was anxious about being left alone during labour. Asking Delia to be our doula was one of the best decisions we made, and she helped us immensely both in the week of the birth and as we make the transition to be parents.
My due date for giving birth came and went, and ten days later nothing was happening. During this time, Delia provided constant support by phone and text; she always returned messages and gave practical, calming advice when I was in need of reassurance. When at last I went to the hospital and was told to go home until my labour was further advanced, she took my side and insisted to the midwife that we stayed as I was in active labour already. I found her support at this time invaluable, as she clearly knew what she was talking about and I could not have faced the prospect of going home alone, which would have been very stressful Throughout all the stages of labour, she gave calm, practical assistance, so that I felt very loved and nurtured even when I found the contractions very strong - she helped me to breathe through each one. She was a great support for my husband too, particularly during the later stages as we needed to make various decisions about how to go forward.
After the birth, Delia came to visit me in hospital within 48 hours and gave of her time unstintingly, answering my questions and again providing that calm, good-natured reassurance that built my confidence as a new mother. She came to visit us at home within a few days, and remains available to answer questions at the end of a phone line.
Delia has many personal qualities that make her a good doula. She is experienced, both as a doula/midwife and as a mother; she has a lot of common sense; she knows how important it is to nurture the mother and stay close, providing active and practical support; she has a great sense of humour; and she is very calm.
I would like to tell anyone who is pregnant what a bonus it can be to have a doula. My labour was long and felt difficult at times, and without Delia I am sure I would not have handled it so well, nor recovered so quickly from the C-section.
AMANDA & KEITH (2008)
Having Delia with us through the birth was a tremendous comfort and help. She knew the midwife who took us through the night and knew how to read the charts both of which came in hand when we had to make decisions about how to proceed with the birth. Her advice before and after has been fun, useful and just at the right level for us. She is a lovely, sensible and knowledgable person, very good to have around.
All the best, Amanda.
LUCY & CHRIS (2008)
Dear Delia, just a quick note to say thank you for all your help and support over the past few weeks. Having you with us really helped to ease (omitted)'s arrival into the new world and made it a much less stressful experience for us than it might have been! Your visits and all your top tips have also proved invaluable!