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We're looking for good day care options for our daughter, who will be 4 months old when we start next month. We live in Mt Rainier and are interested in anything close by. We're already on the waitlist for Heritage.
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
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.
We loved working with Cara too! I was also worried about the 24 hour thing at the beginning, but by the time we got around to having our baby that was the least of my concerns.
We interviewed several doulas, and there were things we liked about all of them, but when we compared the differences in price to the experience of the doula, it was a no brainer to spend a little more for someone that has tons more experience/expertise... In the end, we had a long labor but didn't come anywhere close to needing her there for 24 hours.
We interviewed several doulas, and there were things we liked about all of them, but when we compared the differences in price to the experience of the doula, it was a no brainer to spend a little more for someone that has tons more experience/expertise... In the end, we had a long labor but didn't come anywhere close to needing her there for 24 hours.
We also worked with Cara Crowe, she's fantastic! Her expertise in naturopathy was very important to us and we feel like it ended up being a critical factor in labor & delivery.
+1 for Cara Crowe - she's fantastic!
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
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