Denise is a Doula par excellence and was a essential part of my labor experience for the following reasons. Firstly, she is very responsive to text and email- of all the doulas' that I reached out while choosing a birth companion, Denise was one of the very few who responded immediately. She was similarly prompt in her responses during the prenatal and post natal period. Secondly, while she is experienced in the field (~15 plus years), her knowledge is up-to-date with the ACOG, AAP and Lamaze recommendations. For instance, she used the same terminologies/lingo that we were taught in the hospital birthing classes. She has an easy going personality and took the time to tailor her approach to match our needs. For instance, we are both professionals and needed the exact rationale for particular practice or birth position. Here, Denise went out of her way to provide detailed scientific explanations for the same and thoroughly answered our relentless questions. Lastly, her bedside manner is excellent- she supported both me and my husband when the going got really tough. She helped us stick with our birth plan that we had developed together which we were ready to give up on in the fog of labor. In retrospect, being older first time parent, although we had read every book, attended every class, toured the hospital and researched labor/delivery, we had unrealistic expectations on what actual labor looks like. Denise bridged this gap and advocated for us at the hospital. Overall, we are eternally grateful to her and would seek her out again if we choose to have more children.