Testimonials

Doula Services

"Patricia’s passion for women, children, birth, and life spill over into all she does. Her zeal and excitement for the birthing process is contagious and calms any kind of fear, nervousness, or uneasiness for new moms and especially new dads – just ask my husband.
My husband, Jesse and I, met Patricia at a birthday celebration for a mutual friend. During dinner, we realized that Patricia worked at the same midwifery that we were going to for our prenatal care. From then on, it was clear that we wanted to have Patricia be a part of our life, especially our birth experience, we attended her childbirth classes and I was fortunate to have her as my doula.
I was having a particularly strong contraction, my knees were on the hospital bed and my arms were wrapped around the birthing ball that my head rested on. I opened my eyes and I saw Patricia there. She moved from my side where she had placed a cool cloth on my back and she looked me right in the eye, moved some sticky, sweaty hair from my forehead and offered me some ice. She was never out of arms reach from me. She knew exactly what to do, what to say, where to apply pressure, and when to do it. She was a steady calming presence in a room that was full of anticipation, eagerness, excitement, and the occasional wave of doubt and panic.
Our beautiful, precious daughter, Gracee Renee came into this world on June 22, 2006. I am so glad that Patricia was with us for her birth and I’m so thankful for her friendship and her continuing presence in our lives. She has done more for our family than she could possibly ever know."--Jennifer W. Junction City,Or. 

"We had chosen a hospital birth but as my pregnancy progressed I became less confident in the nurturing skills of my doctor or the hospital. I decided to hire a doula for labor support. When I went into labor, the doula I had hired had another client going into labor and she asked me if it would be okay for me to have Patricia, the back-up doula, at my birth. I had met Patricia at a previous doula meeting and had liked her immediately. I was impressed with her experience as an OB nurse, and with how knowledgeable and enthusiastic she was about birth. My OB/GYN was not on call that night so a stranger was going to deliver my baby; when Patricia arrived at the hospital minutes after us, it was a relief to see a familiar face. The nurses were ordering me around, putting me into a hospital gown, asking me for a urine sample; Patricia came in and congratulated us immediately on staying home for so long and talked to me as a friend, not as a patient. I asked Patricia if I had to wear the bulky hospital gown and she said “No! Get naked!” The nurses bustled about as I labored but Patricia sat patiently with us and settled into calm focus with me for every contraction. The nurses sent for the doctor to break my water without discussing it with me, and it was Patricia who explained to us that it would speed things up and present no risk to the baby. As the doctor and nurses chanted “push push push” like a bunch of annoying cheerleaders, Patricia stood by my side and offered quiet and helpful suggestions. I’ll always remember Patricia’s face after my daughter was born: even though I know she’s seen scores of other births, Patricia gazed at Phoebe as if she was the most incredible miracle. Patricia helped me get Phoebe latched on for her first nursing immediately after birth, and she showed us the placenta after it was delivered: Phoebe’s side and my side, and how it looks like the tree of life. My husband especially enjoyed that. Afterwards, Patricia ran a shower for me, helped me get all swaddled up in pads and ice packs. I also felt that Patricia’s post-partum visit to our home was a quiet relief after the flurry of new-baby visitors. Her familiarity with the McKenzie-Willamette maternity ward was a great assistance and her patient dedication to healthy birth brought a deeper level of comfort and calm to my first birth experience. We are very thankful for Patricia’s involvement in the birth of our daughter."--Laura V. Eugene, Or

 Childbirth Education Classes

“While all of us were first time parents Patricia prepared us for our births with classes that were fun and  extremely educational.” --Sydney C. Eugene, Or

After attending Patricia’s birth classes, we felt extremely well-prepared for our son's birth. She made it fun to explore both our joys and anxiety of pregnancy and childbirth. By the end of the class, we felt that we had been exposed to many childbirth options and were able to envision our ideal birth plan. We also felt knowledgeable enough about the unexpected to be prepared for all circumstances faced along the way. Although we had our son in the hospital - we felt well enough prepared to have a home birth. Thanks for taking the confusion and fear out of a magical experience!—Jennifer and James S. Eugene, Or

Hi, Patricia!
 My name is Tina and I took your birthing class in June with my husband Ed. I just wanted to thank you for  your awesome instruction! You were so empowering about the naturalness and ease of birthing. The class served us well. I went into labor 2 weeks early, at 2 a.m. I thought I had terrible gas pains for the first 4 hours, which allowed me to be nicely in denial. Your
advice to stay home ALAP was great: my contractions were 3 min. apart when we left the house; I was 8 cm. when we got to the MW center; and I gave birth within 3 hours of getting there. It was wonderful! Here are a few photos of our magical boy, and the coolest birthever. Thanks again!
Tina

Placenta Encapsulation

I am grateful Patricia offered the placenta capsule option to me, because none of the ways of consuming it or even rituals had any particular appeal to me.  When I explained to people what we did with the placenta they were generally open and intrigued, as I was.  It's not "gross" like eating it in a stir fry, and it makes common sense that all the great stuff in the placenta would sure be useful for replenishing the postpartum mama. 

I had some severe mood swings in the beginning and I took placenta capsules hoping it would help.  It took some experimentation to discover that for me, taking it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and not eating for a while gave me the most noticeable benefit.  I found myself feeling more even and steady in my mood, even lighter and more joyous.  To illustrate, just recently - about 3 1/2 months after giving birth - I had the following experience.  After a few days of crying inexplicably, feeling rushes of anger, rushes of sadness about nothing in particular, and listlessness - none of which seemed to have any relation to my external circumstances, I decided to try the placenta solution again.  I took 2 capsules in the morning and went about my day.  By the middle of the afternoon I realized that I just felt like an ordinary person feeling reasonably happy while working.  I have had that experience with the capsules many times. 

I also gave a good deal of the placenta capsules to my mother, who is going through menopause.  She has found that when her hot/cold flashes start up, taking the placenta steadies her, as well.  She is visibly more comfortable and energetic, and clearly a person more at ease.

Now that it has been some time since giving birth, and things are a little tougher in caring for my sweet baby, I also find that taking the placenta gives me a sense of reconnecting with the pregnancy, and the miraculous force of life that created my son and, some time ago, myself. 

Tatiana

Well, I think I have a great Placenta capsule story.  I went from crying in the fetal position and unable to nurse one minute to nursing and laughing after you walked in and gave me 2 placenta capsules.  They were a lifesaver for me.  I had no problem taking them. 

Tori

 Patricia M. Couch
Phone: (541) 556-8415

Email: pcmidwife@gmail.com