**Jay and Kourtney Grant
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***Here
is my dear friend, Denise's, birth story. Her and I have been friends
for over 10 years. We first met at our local homeschool support group
in the Colonial Heights, VA area, and have remained friends even though I
have moved out of the area.
I decided after 4 hospital births, that I would home birth from then on. So, Ruth attended my 6th and 7th home births. I was so blessed to have her there. I wanted a peaceful, natural experience and Ruth was great for the job! She has such a gentle, patient spirit. She is encouraging to anyone that is there for the birth, serving others with a humble attitude. I use herbal and homeopathic helps and Ruth shared knowledge with me. She prayed with me when I wanted. She left me alone when I wanted. She showed me labor helps. Lastly, she always has a kind word and a smile. I was grateful for her presence in my home. I would recommend her to anyone that wants a gentle loving birth.
**Denise Tipton
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The night I went into labor, my husband called Ruth at approximately 11 p.m. and she answered the phone sweetly, offered to pray for me, and then got to the hospital as quickly as she could. During the labor, Ruth was calm and her peaceful presence was a blessing. She prayed with me, covered and uncovered me as I went from cold to hot over and over again, pulled my hair away from my face, rubbed the pressure points on my feet, and reminded me to breathe low. Although she was not my main support person (that was my husband), I appreciated her presence, advice, and care. Ruth was encouraging, gentle, and helped my labor and delivery go as smoothly and comfortably as possible. If I were still in the area, I would love to have her attend future births.
**Rebakah McBride
Hannah McMillan
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From the moment my husband & I met Ruthy, we unanimously agreed that we wanted her to be the doula for the birth of our first child. Her calm & professional demeanor impressed us & we always felt at ease when we met with her leading up to the birth. When it came time for me to deliver our daughter, Ruthy was very accessible, despite it being a holiday. My husband & I decided to have Ruthy meet us at the hospital after my labor had started. However, as my labor slowly progressed, I ended up choosing to have an epidural. We felt like since the birth was taking a different direction than what we had wanted & since I thought my pain would be a little more numbed, that we did not want to waste Ruthy's time. We called her to tell her what was happening & that we weren't really sure if we would need her help. What a welcoming surprise it was though, when she came into the labor room. She asked us if it was still okay that she was there & we of course, said "Yes!" Despite having the epidural, I still felt the contractions on my left side. Ruthy was always very much in-tuned to what would be best to make me comfortable. When the idea that a c-section was becoming more and more of a reality, Ruthy offered to pray with us & suggested that we contact our friends to do the same. After exhausting all humanly possible options to avoid having a c-section, it wasn't until after that moment that I finally reached enough dilation to be able to push & avoid a c-section all together. I am extremely grateful for Ruthy's care for us during the birth of our daughter. I think without her encouragement & support, our birth would have been a very different experience.
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David Worthington
Ruthy recently attended my fourth birth. I had never used a doula in the past and wanted to have the experience of using a doula. Ruthy spent extensive time with me prior to the birth discussing my preferences and answering any questions I had. She was very supportive during my 40th and 41st weeks when I was overdue and impatient! During my labor and delivery, her comfort techniques, soothing words, and encouragement were exactly what I needed to make my natural birth a wonderful experience. I would highly recommend Ruthy to anyone seeking a great natural birth experience.
Posted 4/15/2013
Julie
Ruthy attended the birth of my tenth child (and my first home birth!) in June 2012. As soon as Ruthy arrived she immediately began asking me about what types of comfort measures I preferred during labor. All I can remember saying was that I just didn’t want to feel alone and it helped to always have someone touching me in some way. While on the birthing ball and sitting tailor style on my bedroom floor, Ruthy stayed right behind me, applying counter pressure to my lower back during contractions. She was very conscientious about not bumping me or stopping the pressure before the contraction had subsided.
Once in the tub, I was hot, so Ruthy kept cold washcloths on my head…she had even gotten a big bowl of ice water from my kitchen to keep the rags cold. Whenever I was in a position where my head was near the tub faucets, I always felt Ruthy’s hand there, covering the faucet to keep me from banging my face against it. One of my main supports during the birth and memories after the birth was hearing Ruthy praying over me and encouraging me while pushing (as I asked her to). With the speed of the labor, my baby’s being two full pounds larger than my others, shoulder dystocia, a Wood’s Screw maneuver and a PAC Pull to help baby emerge, it was physically my most traumatic birth, but with Ruthy’s support I felt the most supported and connected that I ever have during a birth.Ruthy’s presence at this birth was a huge blessing. The empathy she has gained through her own twelve labors is absolutely invaluable. So much of what she did and said seemed to be automatic and intuitive, just moving along with the flow of the labor. After the labor, she took care of the details of cleaning up, and getting things ‘settled’ for us for the rest of the night. I felt well ‘mothered’ by Ruthy during this time.
Once in the tub, I was hot, so Ruthy kept cold washcloths on my head…she had even gotten a big bowl of ice water from my kitchen to keep the rags cold. Whenever I was in a position where my head was near the tub faucets, I always felt Ruthy’s hand there, covering the faucet to keep me from banging my face against it. One of my main supports during the birth and memories after the birth was hearing Ruthy praying over me and encouraging me while pushing (as I asked her to). With the speed of the labor, my baby’s being two full pounds larger than my others, shoulder dystocia, a Wood’s Screw maneuver and a PAC Pull to help baby emerge, it was physically my most traumatic birth, but with Ruthy’s support I felt the most supported and connected that I ever have during a birth.Ruthy’s presence at this birth was a huge blessing. The empathy she has gained through her own twelve labors is absolutely invaluable. So much of what she did and said seemed to be automatic and intuitive, just moving along with the flow of the labor. After the labor, she took care of the details of cleaning up, and getting things ‘settled’ for us for the rest of the night. I felt well ‘mothered’ by Ruthy during this time.
Posted 1/10/2013
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Carrie Clarke
My husband and I both have been blown away by Ruthy's level of care before, during and after our son's birth. The primary reason we sought out Ruthy to be our doula is she was the only one we found who openly called herself a Christian doula. This was a very important piece of the process for us considering what a miracle pregnancy and new life is. We appeciated the time she spent with us in the weeks leading up to delivery, getting to know us personally and familiarizing herself with our birth plan and wishes. I struggled with low platelets throughout my pregnancy (which equates to clotting problems during delivery) and she took the initiative to research and suggest natural supplements that have proven successful in building up weak blood structure. Even though it was my first child, my labor and delivery ended up being a VERY quick one (less than 3 hours from water breaking to holding him). Ruthy still made it to the hospital in time to assist with the birth and was such a calming presence to have nearby. She has taken more than ample time with us post partum, since my turbo delivery didn't allow her to showcase her usual methods to support and calm a laboring mother. She has been especially encouraging as I struggled with multiple breastfeeding issues in the days and weeks following birth. She's offered advice, brought me books and listened as I agonized over the pros and cons of whether or not to continue. Ruthy is such a warm and loving force to have around during a time that is filled with many ups and downs and a neverending string of questions. 1-10...Ruthy is an 11.
Posted 1/9/2013
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Sarah Miller
My husband and I just had our first baby. We knew we wanted a natural, unmedicated birth and asked Ruth Green to work with us to help achieve that goal. We dont even have the words to describe how much of a blessing it was to have her at our birth! She gave us the calm reassurance we needed in that new experience. Her wealth of knowledge was so helpful to us, before, during, and after the birth. She took time to get to know us and our desires for our birth experience and also gave wonderful suggestions which helped us to prepare for the unknown. During the birth, my husband wanted to be my main coach. She did nothing to take away from his role during the birth, but was such a strong encouragement and help to him so that he could help me. We cannot imagine that experience without her and would highly recommend Ruth's services to anyone!
Posted 11/15/2012
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