In preparing to give birth for the first time, I knew that the labor of birth was going to be as much mental and emotional as it was physical. That was the reason my husband and I chose to hire a doula. Leading up to the birth, we got to know Grace very comfortably and we saw how gentle, calm and knowledgeable she was. She was a good listener and really got to know us as people and what was important to us. The night my labor started, Grace talked me through the early stages over the phone, then met us at the hospital right after we arrived at 1am. She was patiently by my side from then on, helping me find my own inner strength to have the birth I had hoped for. With her knowledge and experience of birth plus the friendship we had built, she advocated for me to the hospital staff and guided my husband to support me in all the right ways. When I met my first moment of doubt, telling her that I was too tired to go on and that I just wanted to sleep, her quiet confidence gave me perseverance in that pivotal moment. She said, “Margot, I think today is your baby’s birthday. You can sleep after he’s born!” An hour later, I met our son. Grace is gifted at this work, and I would hire her again in a heartbeat.