Early in my wife's pregnancy, my wife and I began investigating the prospect of a natural birth.  The more we researched, the more we were convinced that it would be the healthiest option for both mother and baby.  When my wife suggested the idea of contracting a Doula, I thought it would be a good idea.  After all I thought, she would be doing all of the work and experiencing all of the pain.  After some research, she had a few options.  Some of the Doulas only charged 500$, but we were both convinced that cheaper didn't equate to better in something as important as birth.  We had both watched some Bradley classes that were led by Doula, Holly Press.  After we contacted Holly, we learned her price for services was substantially more.  At first, I thought that the cost was a bit much.  I then realized how selfish this was, since we had just managed to buy a new TV.  Really?  I could afford a TV, but a Doula for something as important as the birth of my son was too much?  Yeah... Holly included two pre-birth, two hour visits in her package, although on each of these visits, she spent closer to three hours with us.  When we met her, we were impressed with her depth of knowledge and her warm demeanor.  It was clear to us that Holly was making a conscious effort not to push her views on important issues, but sought to address misinformation and offer clarity.  She coached us on birthing positions, lent us books, referred us to sources for more research, and above all, she encouraged us to make our own decisions.  My wife and I made a solid effort to research, prepare for, and dedicate ourselves to a natural birth.  We wouldn't realize how important this was until after the birth. We all have preconceptions about how things should/will go when it comes to important events.  Our preconceptions did not match up with the actual experience.  My wife's contractions lasted for about three days.  At times, her contractions were strong and only a few minutes apart.  At other times, they were 12 minutes apart.  My wife's father is an anesthesiologist and my mother worked in a health and fertility clinic for women for nearly 20 years.  Needless to say, they had very strong opinions both during pregnancy and birth and expressed those opinions regularly.  Their opinions usually ran directly contrary to the natural method of birth and created a difficult dynamic for Holly.  Nevertheless, she handled it professionally and with dignity, supporting our decisions as a couple. Once we elected to go to the hospital, we were free from parental pressure, but began to feel the pressure present in the hospital environment.  I must make clear that most of the staff at our birthplace were supportive of our desire to have a natural birth and respected our wishes.  The one or two who weren't, however, added unnecessary pressure at critical times.  Holly made herself available for the majority of the 3 days of labor, and was by our side for the final hours of active labor.  She was instrumental in helping us cope with the stress of a long labor and in supporting our efforts to have a natural birth.  She made sure our wishes were followed in a polite and professional manner when in dealing with the delivery staff.  She taught us effective strategies for when we were being pressured, such as delaying the decision (i.e. “We really need to get these contractions moving with Pitocin.” Response, “Ok, I think we'll give her body a few more hours then we'll decide.” In the end, after my wife's water broke, the birth process happened extremely fast—about 3 hours.  Her contractions were so regular that the nurses told us that they couldn't even yield those results with Pitocin.  Our baby was born alert and breastfed immediately.  Although it was an exhausting process, we are extremely glad we resisted numerous pressure to have a natural birth. Holly was instrumental in helping my wife and I achieve the goal of a natural birth.  Without her, I'm quite certain we would not have had the knowledge and tools to hold out for a natural birth.  Every penny we spent on her services was worth it.  I would highly recommend her due to the quality and depth of her knowledge and the extensive experience she has as a doula.