Rachael

When my husband and I found out we were unexpectedly pregnant, we began to do tons of research as we had no idea what to expect! After lots of education about the birthing process and reflecting on my own past healthcare experiences, I knew I wanted to have our baby as natural as possible. We learned about doulas and that doula support during a labor can help decrease the odds of a C-section or complications in labor. We started to research local doulas and found Charity’s profile. After reading so many positive testimonies we decided to reach out, and absolutely loved Charity and her kind, calm, and reassuring personality. Part of Charity’s doula fee is meeting with her patients and their support persons in the weeks leading up to the due date. Charity got to know us, our personalities, and our desires for the birthing process. She went over in detail many strategies for pain management and tools to practice to help optimize baby’s position for delivery. We learned so much from Charity during those sessions! When the time came, our baby girl decided she would make a fast and furious entrance into the world that we did not expect! Because of Charlotte’s fast delivery, we were unable to alert Charity in time for her to be present for the entire laboring process. Even still, Christian and I were able to implement so many of the pain relieving techniques we learned from Charity and were prepared to tackle labor together as a team. When Charity was present with us, she did an amazing job making sure I had a fan on me, a cool rag on my forehead, and took priceless photos of the first few moments after Charlotte was delivered. Our birth story is so beautiful to me because of how comfortable, supported, and respected I felt. I felt so empowered by the delivery and I know so much of that is because of Charity! We cannot recommend her enough to any expectant families. Thank you Charity! We will definitely be reaching out to Charity if our family continues to grow 🙂

Christian

Charity was awesome! As first-time parents we were very anxious about the birth and pretty much every aspect leading up to it. Charity was an essential resource in providing us confidence, knowledge, and all-around support about the birth. She gave great direction on how I, the father, could encourage and support my wife throughout the whole process.

Brad

Charity was an amazing doula for my wife and I. She met with us multiple times before the labor and spent quality time answering questions and easing our anxieties. This was our third child so we are not necessarily new at this kid having thing. However this was our first pregnancy with a doula and we will never have another kid without a doula. 

My wife went two weeks overdue but thanks to her patient doctor and doula we had a second successful v-back. Charity was with us the whole time in the hospital when my wife was in labor, all two days! She was kind, patient, and extremely helpful. She explained what the nurses and doctors were telling us. She helped us stick to our birth plan. Most importantly to me, she was very supportive and helpful to me as the father and husband by helping me know what I could do for my wife. She helped my wife to try different positions and different strategies to help progress the labor. 

I refer Charity to everyone who is looking for a doula or whoever is pregnant. She is very professional and I highly recommend her!

Sarah

I had a somewhat traumatic birth experience with our first baby that ended in a c-section, so as soon as we found out we were pregnant with our second I knew I wanted to try for a VBAC and I knew I needed support. My OB was not overly enthusiastic about me trying for a VBAC, but they said I could and they also gave me Charity’s card when I asked about a doula. We set up a meeting with Charity and as soon as I met her I knew she was the person I wanted there with us through labor and delivery. She was so professional and her calm demeanor and knowledge about bringing a baby into the world put me at ease. Over the next couple of months before baby arrived we had several meetings to talk out anxieties and hopes for the upcoming birth. She helped us put together a birth plan and we talked through a plethora of pain management and birthing tools. She was always very optimistic and 100% supportive of my desire to try for a VBAC, which meant the world to me. It gave me so much confidence going into labor knowing I had a plan and tools but most of all having her to help us. When the day came Charity met us at the hospital and she was there with us every step of the way. She helped us communicate clearly our desires and questions with the medical staff. She walked us through a lot of different pain management coping mechanisms. She helped me get though every single contraction. There were several times during labor that I didn’t think I could keep going and Charity single handedly got me through. She gave me the words of encouragement and a change of focus I needed to keep going. I ended up having the all-natural birth that I had hoped for (to a 10lb baby). I literally COULD NOT have done it without Charity. God so graciously used her to help us bring our sweet baby into the world and we will forever be grateful for her wisdom and unconditional support. If the Lord chooses to bless us with more children Charity will be our first call!

Grace

We had a wonderful experience working with Charity. Both because of COVID and my delivery, we ended up needing a different type of support than we had originally planned, and she was incredibly flexible and accomodating throughout. My baby was breech, so I had a number of decisions to make as my due date approached regarding delivery. Charity helped me think through the options, served as a sounding board, and shared evidence regarding those options with me. I decided to have an ECV and induction with an epidural (originally, I had been hoping for a natural birth in hospital). Because of COVID and what we knew would be a slow delivery, we had Charity support us virtually following the induction and through the delivery. She helped with suggestions on changing positions and resting throughout labor, and was a consistent voice of encouragement through a long (26 hours!) labor, with 6 hours of pushing. In the end, we managed a vaginal delivery of our baby girl and I’m so happy with the experience I had. I would certainly recommend Charity’s support. 

Levi

Charity was our Doula for the home birth of our twins. It was a great experience and definitely worth the extra cost for our situation. Having Charity there to provide counsel and guidance was a great help. The midwife’s focus is on the babies and the birth process. Charity was able to help with the comfort aspects. She did not interfere or replace me but truly helped me to provide the needed support and be able to be there for my wife. She greatly reduced my stress level during the birth. 

Kate

If you are looking for a mentor, an emotional support system, and a friend, look no further!  

My husband and I were pregnant with our first and started searching for a doula as a part of our birth team.  For us, it was important to have someone with us during our birth that would be able to remind us of our options and remind both my husband and I to advocate for ourselves during the birthing process.  As a momma who birthed in a pandemic, it was easy to feel like everything was out of my control.  Charity assured me that even in a pandemic, I could have control of my birthing experience.  She was essential to my positive birth and if we have more children in the future she will be one of my first calls! 

Charity also knew the importance of my husband’s experience as well!  Prior to the birth she integrated all of our calls, skills to learn, and conversations with the birthing partner’s perspective.  This allowed my husband to have the tools to take care of me emotionally and physically.  Charity valued my husband’s feelings just as much as my own, which made us feel more empowered as a team going through the experience.  Charity held my hand (and my husband’s hand) through one of the most important moments of our lives.  I do not speak lightly when I say that I am beyond grateful for her support, comfort, and empowerment she gave to us.  Birth can be scary because of all of the unknowns, especially if it is your first child.  Charity was a calm and reassuring steadiness in a time where the world was so uncertain.  We were more than clients to her.  She was more than a doula to us.    

We could not have had a better addition to our birth team than Charity Jeffs.  We are forever grateful for her services.  

Ashly and Benjamin

Charity was amazing to work with during our pregnancy and birth. She was very easy to talk to and knowledgeable about everything. She was very prompt in responding to any concerns I had during the pregnancy. During labor I had stalled at 5-10 min between contractions for a couple of days and she came over and helped me do different things to help reposition our baby and get labor going again. Within an hour or two of her leaving us to work on things we called in our labor team as contractions were on top of each other. I am certain that without her help we would have been stalled for a lot longer. During labor she was amazing in coaching my husband to help me. She was very open to do whatever we wanted and was a great support person during the pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

As the father I had been some what apprehensive about potentially being sidelined in the process as the ladies did their thing, however Charity was great at taking time to address my concerns during the pregnancy as well as making sure that I was able to help my wife during labor. The whole pregnancy and delivery exceeding my hopes for how much of a blessing the whole process would be.

Colleen

I am so glad we chose Charity to be our doula! This was my third birth and I was really wanting to end on a positive note. I felt hiring a doula would be the perfect way to ensure a more enjoyable experience. She put my mind at ease about wanting to take a more natural approach to my labor, and assured my husband and I that she would be there to help us along the way through her knowledge and experience.

I was scheduled for induction, but even in the weeks leading up to it, Charity was available to answer any of my questions and ease my fears and anxieties. On the morning of my induction, Charity met us at the hospital and jumped right in! She walked with me and encouraged me to get moving to help my body progress, and when I wasn’t progressing, she helped discuss the options I had on how best to move forward. Charity was an extremely caring listener, and helped me make informed decisions. Once my water finally broke, I was able to labor in the tub at the hospital. Charity helped guide my husband to comfort me through contractions when they started getting more intense. She listened to how I was feeling and suggested different positions to help make me as comfortable as possible. After pushing for hours, with Charity and my husband by my side, the baby wasn’t progressing. We tried pushing in different positions, but a c-section was necessary. Charity was able to attend the c-section with my husband and I, and stayed with us for a little bit after the surgery, too.

If it wasn’t for Charity, there’s no way I could have made it to the pushing stage without pain medication. She was so encouraging and calm. Even though we ended up needing a c-section, I am very happy with the way my labor/induction went leading up to it. Charity made the entire process so much more peaceful and enjoyable – just what I was looking for with my last labor and delivery. Every mother deserves to have someone like Charity at their birth with them!

Liz

(First time parents)

I was interested in Charity for her experiences working with teen Moms. Knowing that our Doula was committing time to ensuring teens received the best emotional support and education during pregnancy and birth was a Doula I wanted to support. 

I felt very comfortable with Charity. She was patient and interested in getting to know us. She was also very open about her experiences as a Doula and a mother. I appreciated her personal experiences as a mother. I knew regardless of how our birth proceeded, she would have knowledge and experience based on delivery vaginally, by c-section and VBAC. 

Following an interview via zoom, I felt very comfortable in our preparation with two in-person meetings during pregnancy. Charity was very honest with us about how we should resource her and how labor may progress according to our wishes and the likelihood that it would not play out exactly how we envisioned. 

When I went into labor, we knew we could call Charity whenever we needed. She joined us at the Birth Center after 5 hours of labor at home following a membrane sweep. I experienced back labor throughout my 13 hours of labor. The relentless nature of contractions made it difficult to stay relaxed. Charity was very helpful in re-directing my attention if I started to loose control and tense up. Charity also showed my husband and sister-in-law how to apply pressure to my back to relieve sensation of labor. 

During the pushing stage, Charity was very helpful in reminding me how to push and offered lots of encouragement to help me get to the arrival of our baby!

Following birth, Charity checked in via text message many times and offered feedback based on our status. About a week postpartum we chatted via Zoom to review the birth. Charity’s document recapping the birth was very helpful. I felt very positive about the birth experience and the support Charity provided. Thank you!