Doula Recommendation & Review: Cara Crowe
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
st4nton
Member Offline
Member Offline
|
We recently had a baby at GW and Cara Crowe was our doula. We absolutely loved working with her and wanted to share our experience in case anyone is looking for a doula in the DMV area.
First of all, the classes are great. We were a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices in the beginning… Should we do Bradley, Hypnobabies or something else? One of the reasons we liked Cara was that she knew and drew from many, if not all of the various approaches that child birthing classes offer. For us, this was a great way to learn more about the process and how to prepare for it, while really getting to know our doula at the same time. One of my concerns (Dad) with having a doula was sharing that space and time with someone we barely knew. By the time we had a few classes with Cara I couldn’t imagine doing it without her there. The classes were very informative, fun and were really helpful in getting us to a place where we could say “OK, we can do this!”. If you’re contemplating the many options for classes this is a great way to do it. You learn so much and get to spend a lot of time getting to know Cara at the same time. Another concern was distance, she lives in the Annapolis area and we’re in DC (delivering at GW). This was never a problem, she was super responsive and punctual from day one. When things started happening she came to the hospital at midnight and stayed for our little false alarm (more on that below) and was back the next day as soon as we felt like we needed her. My wife’s labor wasn’t easy and didn’t go according to plan, having Cara’s support and guidance throughout the entire process was invaluable. We wanted to labor some at home and head to the hospital when things really started to pick up, but it didn’t work out that way. Instead, my wife’s water broke around 9pm and labor wasn’t even close to starting. Cara helped us come up with a plan that made sense for us that evening. Following her advice, we rested as much as we could that night and called her again in the morning. Since contractions still hadn’t started, she recommended we pick up a natural labor tincture along with a couple of other things to help move things along. As a Naturopath/Herbalist, Cara has a lot of knowledge in this area, which was very important to us as we were looking to avoid interventions if at all possible. Things moved pretty slowly once we got to the hospital, but by midnight labor seemed to be picking up. It turned out to be a false alarm, and she probably knew it was, but Cara came to the hospital around midnight anyway. It seems like things slowed down as soon as she got there and it seemed obvious to everyone but us that we should probably rest. We really didn’t know what we should do next - keep going all night, or regroup for the next day… Cara helped us realize that we were nowhere near baby time yet, and that it was probably going to be a really long day ahead if we stayed up all night. We agreed that everyone should get some rest and talk to the midwives in the morning. Cara went home at around 4am, we ended up getting a little sleep and woke up in the morning ready to go! The next day labor gradually progressed through the morning and afternoon. Together we decided it was best for her to come back to the hospital around 11 or 12. She brought us lunch too, which was perfect as we were both pretty hungry! She helped remind us of various positions and options (bed, shower, ball, tub, etc) throughout the afternoon and around 6pm our beautiful baby girl arrived. We were in constant contact with Cara from the time that the water broke until our daughter came, she was always just a phone call or text away, regardless of the time. Lastly, Cara has a great working relationship with the GW midwives. Everyone there knew and liked working with her - there wasn’t any tension or awkward moments between the hospital and Cara. I think this is something that a lot of people might overlook, but is critical to having a happy birth experience. I was able to tune most everything out and focus solely on my wife and what she needed, knowing that everything else was covered. The whole experience at the hospital was great, thanks in large part to her. We are so happy that we met Cara and decided to work with her. Having her in our corner for labor & delivery, and throughout the whole summer, made us feel much more relaxed and in control. The classes prepared us for nearly everything we encountered and our time together in the hospital was great. She’s a fantastic person with a ton of experience and knowledge in a lot of areas - I can’t think of anyone else we would have wanted to share this beautiful experience with. http://caracrowebirthworker.com |
Anonymous
| Looks like Cara has been asking people to review her on DCUM--several old doula posts and some new ones suddenly popping up. |
st4nton
Member Offline
Member Offline
| those old ones were probably me.... maybe unfamiliar with forum etiquette, but thought I'd throw in my comments on other threads since we just worked with her. we found the info on this site and others like it quite valuable when searching for our doula. |
Anonymous
Well she got some bad press in one of the other threads since someone said she charges you extra if you go over 24 hours. |
Anonymous
|
i second the recommendation for Cara Crowe. She recently assisted us in the birth of our son at GW (with the docs not midwives).
I was induced with pitocin and was able to have the birth I wanted (unmedicated vaginal delivery), and I think that is in large part thanks to Cara. I had a high-risk pregnancy, so the chances I was going to have this kind of birth were pretty slim. We did 6.5 hrs of education with Cara, and that was so extremely helpful. We did that in lieu of any other child birth classes, and from what i have heard of those, I think we got much more out of the sessions with her. At those sessions, she discussed exercises and stretches I should be doing to get prepared for labor, as well as each stage of labor, positions and techniques for pain management, and many ideas for how my husband could play an active, supportive role. At the hospital, we were in constant communication with Cara, and she came to the hospital when I was in active labor. During labor, she helped me into a variety of positions (shower, tub, on a birthing ball, squats, positions in bed, etc.). She and my husband were able to trade off at times so he could have some necessary caffeine and food breaks. She also really helped explain what was happening when the nurses and doctors came around. She helped us understand what was going on and what our options were. When I wanted to get in a tub and there was a delay getting approval from the nurses to do that, she kept following up with them until she was successful. Additionally, when my contractions were extremely intense, she contacted the nurses to encourage lowering the pitocin amount (which they did each time). With her advice, I waited as long as possible to actually start pushing. During pushing, she was right there helping me and making sure the doctors were as gentle as possible. I had just a minimal tear and didn't require stitches (and my baby was 8 lbs 10 oz!). She took the initial pictures of us with our son, and helped me with the initial breastfeeding. I'm not sure how my husband and i would have achieved the birth we wanted without Cara at our side. I cannot recommend her enough! For the record, Cara didn't ask me to post on here. At our postpartum visit, my husband and i asked what we could do to get the word out because we were so happy with her. |
Anonymous
| Cara Crowe was cool and all, but I didn’t have a great experience. I feel like the money was not well spent. She didn’t answer emails very promptly and I felt like I was kind of brushed off most of the time. we only met once before birth, so not that helpful. Also, she was AWOL when I went into labor (on my due date) because her phone wasn’t working, and then once I DID reach her, she didn’t make it to the hospital until SEVERAL HOURS LATER, and I had already caved at that point (about 8 cm dilated) and got an epidural. Once she showed up, she just sort of hung out and went and got breakfast etc etc. she also stated in her contract that she would take photos and videos of the birth. She didn’t do any of that. As I was birthing, she grabbed my husbands phone and took a half-assed video, so I GUESS that’s what she considered “taking photos and videos”. Also, before the birth, I had discussed with her that the MOST important thing to me was that I wanted pictures of my husband cutting the cord, and she didn’t get ANY OF THAT. She only recorded that one short video, that DID NOT INCLUDE the one part that I had told her that I wanted. And then she didn’t really offer any help for me after the birth. She claims to be a lactation specialist, and I ended up with engorgement and mastitis right after. I pretty much begged her for help and she didn’t really do anything except tell me not to use a pump and to try to hand express….. Soooooo I would say big thumbs down. Sorry Cara. I only wish I had fought to get some of my money back. |
Anonymous
| Oh she was my doula! I liked her. I think she has a great bedside manner. I was pretty traumatized from birth #2, and she was really helpful in keeping me calm and helping me express my wishes in birth #3. |
Anonymous
| Has anyone had any more recent experiences with Cara Crowe as their doula? TIA! |
Anonymous
I tried to interview her in 2018 (maybe even based on this old post?) and she 1. forgot about the appointment and asked to reschedule, 2. showed up 15 minutes late to the rescheduled appointment, and 3. never followed up with the information she said she'd send. Not super recent, but memorable to me at least. |
Anonymous
Thank you for sharing |