The Shoals Doula - Katie Terry

Katie was our doula for our second and third pregnancies, and we had the pleasure of having her as our postpartum doula after our third baby was born as well. Let me just tell you, she is phenomenal at what she does, whether helping you prepare for your birth during your pregnancy, support during labor and birth, or postpartum support. My husband had to go back to work much sooner this time around than with our first two babies, so having The Shoals Doula - Katie Terry for a few days to help with things around the house was exactly what we needed. She knows a clean house and being caught up on laundry is important to me, so she took care of those things so I could snuggle my little love. She also helped take care of my older kids, brought me snacks, drinks, or whatever else I needed, and showed me how to use my ring sling. The list just goes on and on! Even though we didnt plan on having a postpartum doula this time around and it kind of just worked out that way, Im so glad we did. She is truly amazing and has made adjusting to life with three kids so much smoother! We are so thankful for everything Katie has done for our family. She will always hold a special place in our hearts. This picture is of Katie reading a book to my 2 year old while the baby was sleeping and I had a phone call to make.
Jan 9th, 2023

When my husband, Griffin, and I found out we were pregnant with our first child, we were so excited! That excitement was soon coupled with uncertainty and fear about everything related pregnancy and birth. I remember seeing an old friend from high school post about her birth with a doula (Katie). It looked so empowering, but I still didn't know what to expect. After leaving my first doctor's appointment, I felt like I had more questions and didn't know where to start. Cue Katie! During our first consultation, we immediately felt comfortable and knew that Katie was a person we didn't know we were missing through our birth process. If you are looking for someone to educate you on all options of birth and to fight for any preferences you may have, Katie is your person! We experienced the positive birth of our daughter and felt confident every step of the way. We will forever be grateful for the blessing that is - Katie Terry - The Shoals Doula!
Dec 6th, 2022

Whew! Where to even begin?!? I told my husband as soon as we came home from a unexpected c section with our first since I knew her from my college years as her babysitter that I wanted to go for a VBAC and that I wanted Katie to be our doula. He had never heard of a doula, and wasnt sure what the purpose or the point was, but he willing to roll with whatever I wanted since my first birth ended so traumatically different than my plan. From the first meeting, Katie impressed both of us with her professionalism and her ability to explain what a birth worker does and why they are valuable in the labor and delivery room. Throughout my pregnancy, Katie provided support for questions from prenatal visits, picking an ensuring a supportive provider, and educational services for us like childbirth classes and information. We took the suggested spinning babies courses and did all the stretches and exercises to the full degree to help prepare all the while Katie checked with us and made sure we knew our birth options and helped us create a birth plan from those options. We had done everything to prepare when I went into active labor and during labor Katie supported me, my husband, and even the labor and delivery nurses with knowledge and helped us stick to the plan we had chosen. She worked with comfort Measures and gave it 110% the entire time despite my labor taking way longer than anticipated. By the time we ended our birth, we knew we had done everything we possibly could have done to change the outcome even though things still didnt go our way. Katie allowed me to have my feelings about there we were at, she held my hand, let me cry, encouraged me, and she supported my husband and made him laugh in a time that easily could have torn both of us apart. We absolutely could not have made it through without her. My husband has now changed his perspective and is literally telling anyone who will listen that they need a doula for their birth and that it needs to be Katie. She stayed with us postpartum for a few hours and then checked up on us the following days to come. I cannot recommend her enough.
May 30th, 2022

There are absolutely no words to explain the service Katie provided for the birth of our first child. From the very beginning my husband and I knew we wanted to hire Katie to be our doula because of all the great things we had heard, but she exceeded all expectations. As we prepared for our first child Katie provided us with the knowledge and preparation we needed that made us feel ready and confident for our big day. All during pregnancy she was always a phone call or a text away to answer all my first time mom questions. On the day of our childs birth Katie provided comfort, emotional & physical support, wisdom, peace and encouragement. We had multiple changes to our birth plan throughout our labor, and Katie was the biggest piece to help us stay calm and push through it. There is no way I would have had the same experience if it wasn't for her support. She helped us adjust to all hurdles that were thrown our way during labor. She provided ways for me to still experience as much as possible the things on my birth plan. She was such an encouragement and essential piece on our big day. I can not explain enough how grateful I am for her and the service she provided. I highly highly recommend Katie. She is the exact support that you need on such a big and exciting day as the birth of your child! She truly is incredible at what she does. Thank you Katie, you are the best!
Apr 12th, 2022

I felt deeply heard and supported during my pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum thanks to Katie. She is a fantastic doula and is wonderful at what she does. Being it was our second baby, I hesitated to hire a doula as I thought I didnt need to but I am SO glad that I did. I initially hired her because our spiritual beliefs align and I really appreciate that but I didnt realize she was also a superstar doula. She took time to really get to know our family and listen to what our birth preferences, goals and dreams were. I know she had a huge part to play in how those goals and dreams were not only met but exceeded when it all was said and done. North Alabama is so blessed to have her! She truly empowered us to advocate for ourselves. I am so grateful for all the practical tips she helped me with that prepared my body and baby for an optimal birth. She encouraged me when I needed it and helped me stay grounded during some bumps in the road of my pregnancy. If I texted or called her, she responded promptly and went above and beyond to answer my questions. She checked on me leading up to birth and during postpartum and I felt really supported because of that. I had a very quick labor and birth in the middle of the night and she rushed to make it to the hospital and provided awesome comfort measures even amidst the quickness of it all. She is the doula version of super woman! I will forever recommend her to anyone who asks me about doula support and definitely want to hire her should I have more babies in the future. So grateful for her and all she did for our family.
Apr 12th, 2022