“I woke to them bringing him back in the room, and jumped up to grab him. I picked him up and held him close. I teared up looking at his beautiful face. I scanned his body, noticing a big bruise on his hand, several scabs from needle pricks in both his arm and his foot, scratches on his wrists and ankles from all the little bracelets they had on him. In that moment, what was left of my heart crumbled in my chest and I sobbed again. My poor sweet boy had been through so much and he wasn’t even a day old.”

Birth StoriesMary DukeJanuary 8, 2019birth story, Down SyndromeComment

Savanah's Birth Story - Part One

“My eyes begged for an answer. She looked up at me and calmly said, “Everything is going to be okay, but we need to head to the hospital right now.” I wanted to cry, but I didn't have time. I just nodded my head. Everyone was moving quickly around me, and I was just caught in a sort of stupor. Not only was my dream birth coming to an end, but my baby's life was in question. My body moved, but my brain was frozen.”

Birth StoriesMary DukeJanuary 3, 2019Jennifer Condon West, Birth Story, Mary Duke LCCE, Savanah McEwenComment

Alana's Birth Story

“Pushing was the hardest part of labor. I had to be fully present in my body and actively labor. I don’t know how long I pushed for. I had a moment where I thought that I couldn’t do it. Mary told me to look into David’s eyes and focus on him. I experienced a side of myself that I haven’t before. It has always been there, this primal animal-like part of myself that gives in completely to the body and embraces the extreme physical experience.”

Birth StoriesMary DukeDecember 25, 2018birth story, Alana Yon, Mary Duke LCCE, Home Birth, hospital birthComment

Birth Story: Labor with Auggie Dale by Heather Wade

I remember saying, “I’m not getting off this toilet.” It was then that she did not pull me, but gently took my hands and guided me off the toilet. I think she knew then, that I was farther than we thought, and I was going to have this baby on the toilet.”

Holding Mary - A Doula’s Perspective

“Les moves closer to get a better look at his strong wife and healthy baby. Moments later, she looks to see if the baby is a boy or a girl. She sighs and looks up at her husband, “Les Brown, you have a son.” Tears of joy stream down everyone’s faces…”

Birth StoriesMichelle HowellAugust 2, 2018Michelle Johnson Howell, Mary Duke LCCE, Labor & Delivery, birth storyComment

Mary's Second Birth Story

“I had not just birthed my baby, but caught baby with my own hands. I had confronted demons and won. Surrounded by those most important to me, I found the inner strength I had lost. I held baby to my chest. I felt the thick layer of vernix, smelled the sweet aroma of the newly born head and suddenly, the battle I had just won felt so far in the past. As if it was already years in the distance. A beautiful memory of a victory…”

You Are Not A Failure - The Lifesaving Support of A Doula for a Breastfeeding Mother

“I have an important, deeply emotional story to share with you tonight. Only one month postpartum, Lucy's weight had rapidly declined. Suddenly, this little one's story was not so positive. Despite seeing the pediatrician regularly, she was still failing to return to her birth weight of 6lb 8oz. It became obvious then, that something was wrong.“

Renee Cooper's Birth Story

"...By the time my midwife came I was already dilated pretty far and the contractions were beginning to be very painful but I was coping very well...the euphoric feeling and rush of emotions afterward took all my pain away and filled it with love. For those curious about home births or wanting to consider, my best advice is to be as informed as possible beforehand and to remember that the pain has a purpose and is very rewarding in the end."

Birth StoriesMary DukeApril 19, 2018Birth Story, Mary Duke, Tracey Shelly Moore CPM, Jennifer West, Home Birth, Water BirthComment

Natasha's Birth Story

“This was our third baby and we wanted/needed that support person who would help us advocate for ourselves and see our birth plan respected. This was, by far, our best birth experience. We felt more educated, supported, and given space to treat birth as the natural process it is.”

Birth StoriesMary DukeJanuary 20, 2018Comment

Mary's Birth Story

"My husband was very supportive, educated and calm when it came to birth and I was confident in my ability to birth my baby. Yet, my story doesn’t lack in traumatic moments. My desire to prevent such outcomes for other mothers was the motivation to share my birth story for it also inspired me to start My Sunshine Birth Services."

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