I had such a wonderful experience with Melissa as my doula for the birth of my 2nd baby. Right from our first meeting, I felt like she listened and understood my feelings so well about my fears and feelings of trauma from my first birth and what I was hoping for in my 2nd birth. Knowing that I would have her by my side helped me feel much calmer throughout my pregnancy. I was looking for someone who I knew would be in tune with me throughout the birth, yet at the same time able to speak up and help me advocate for myself about things happening around me, and she did exactly that. When it came to the birth, my water broke but my labour was delayed in starting, so she did some movements with me using her "Spinning Babies" knowledge. These movements helped get my labour started amazingly quickly. As is often the case, things then did not go as planned with my birth. My labour progressed so quickly that I was not able to make it to the hospital and we called an ambulance. My baby was born in the ambulance not far from my house. This could have been a panic-inducing situation especially for my husband; however we both felt calm, confident, and supported by her presence. Melissa communicated clearly and confidently with the emergency services personnel who arrived (firefighters and paramedics) while at the same time supporting me, keeping me as comfortable as possible, and ensuring that my dignity was maintained. Throughout the delivery, she helped me give birth in a comfortable position in spite of being in an ambulance. She also coached the paramedics, ensuring that my birth wishes were honoured as much as possible in spite of being in a different setting.  After the birth, she has remained in contact with me and helped me process the birth emotionally.  She has also been a big support with breastfeeding   I am so grateful to Melissa for making my 2nd birth such a positive, memorable experience, and cannot recommend her highly enough!