June 2007 

Dear Penny,

Ariela and I want to thank you for the stupendous job you did as a Doula for us. Every need was taken care of and every molecule of motion seemed to be within your awareness even prior to my acknowledgement of it. You sensed what I needed and made sure that the atmosphere in the labor room and the correspondence with the hospital staff went accordingly.

You also met with me prior to the birth and encouraged me to write a birth plan. You supervised the details of my planning and offered valuable input. You were continuously available to answer any question or concern during the days prior to my labor, irregardless of the time of day or night.

You were also very encouraging and positive throughout the entire process, making me feel special and loved and alleviating any fear of the unknown I might have had.

It is hard to thank you for each detail of your concern because it was so constant throughout the entire process. And, any form of acknowledgement can never really express the gratitude I have.

My memory of the birth of my daughter is filled with joy and love and I am able to enjoy it again and again on my screen saver due to the excellent photos you took.

The birth (thank God) went very smoothly and literally problem-free. I only remember the joy of the experience and feel so fortunate that no complications arose, especially being labeled "high risk" as a first birth at age 46.

Much of the success of the positive experience and ease of birth lies with your expertise and care.

Thank you so much for everything. We wish you and your family only the best with your new move to England and we hope that you will continue to doula there.

We will miss you,

Love, Kim and Ariela