A Birth Ceremony

Testimonial From Lorena Santos:

We absolutely love our doula, Berenice Dimas! Berenice provided us with the guidance, tools, education, and support that made our birthing ceremony be just like we envisioned--and a lot less intimidating.

As first time parents, we deeply appreciated this preparation and the wealth of knowledge Bere shared. We were empowered to make decisions about our birthing experience from the beginning. She was with us every step of the way.

Before birth...

Bere supported me with prenatal massages, baths, limpias, and herbal remedios. In addition, as someone who has struggled with anxiety for many years, having Bere as a support system was extremely important for my mental health. Bere shared tools that allowed my anxiety to diminish and me to be fully present during pregnancy and birth. Her support allowed me to be fully in-tune with my body and notice what messages my changing body and child were trying to convey.

Bere made sure that we were emotionally, spiritually, and physically ready to face any unexpected circumstances that may have risen during our pregnancy, labor, and delivery process, especially since we chose to birth in a hospital setting. We knew what we were up against. We knew that in a hospital we could be pursued to deviate from our birth plans and would have to advocate for ourselves. We and our baby knew what kind of birth we wanted and we were determined to have it!

Our Birth Ceremony

After all was said and done, our birth ceremony was just like we envisioned. We had a non-medicated birth with minimal medical intervention. The pain management strategies Bere taught us came in handy and worked! Although our labor was relatively quick, it was also very raw and real. I completely trusted the pain management techniques we learned.

Bere was present and advocating for our family each step of the way. Joy, our nurse, mentioned that Bere was the best doula she had worked with and that brought a smile to my face.

Our daughter, Ximena, was born in a room filled with supportive women of color.

After birth, Bere made sure my partner and I were fed nutritious food, came by to make sure we had time to ourselves, prepared baths and bajos for me, as well as supported us with routine house chores. This meant the world to us! Even now, a year later, Berenice checks-in and provides support. We are indebted to Berenice for all of the support.