Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1518203
Health Matters: Providence Little Company of Mary San Pedro and Torrance | 9 says. Like Roxanna, Lori had her own birth plan in mind, and that included an unmedicated delivery. That's just one reason Courtney 's role of providing emotional support and physical comfort to Lori during delivery was so important. The other was that when you're having twins, your work is only half- finished after the first birth. "My son Dave was born first, and he was crying because he was hungry. But I still had to push the other baby [George] out," Lori recalls. "Because Courtney was there, she was able to hold Dave. She was very calming for me and very sensitive to what I was going through." Says Courtney, "I'm there for the entire active labor and then I do a postpartum visit usually within the first week to go over everything and reflect on it." She also meets with clients twice before the birth, adding, "When someone books me, they are welcome to call me anytime." Courtney, who is also a certified pre- and postnatal yoga instructor, says that she herself employed doulas for the births of her two children. A GROWING TREND OB Care Coordinator Rená Koerner says that she's seen an increased demand for both midwife and doula services at Providence Little Company of Mary and that there are currently two certified nurse midwives and 26 doulas practicing at the hospital. "We see about three births per week with midwives and five to seven requests per week for doulas," Koerner says. Koerner, who has been training doulas for 18 years, notes that they have a wide variety of specialties, including some who are lactation educators. Other special skills include communicating in American Sign Language or Japanese or serving as the doula for a family adopting at a surrogate birth. And all the options are in demand, Koerner says: "Families are more educated now about what they want from the birth experience." For more information on Providence Little Company of Mary hospitals, call 844-925-0942. AWARD-WINNING MATERNITY CARE TIMES TWO Providence Little Company of Mary is the only hospital in the South Bay to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report in both 2023 and 2024 as "Best Hospital for Maternity Care." Singled out as a "High Performing" facility, Little Company of Mary earned the distinction for its quality of care, including fewer complications in newborns and lower C-section rates than other hospitals. Remy Haynes Photography Lori Sadel with husband Joe, older son William and twins Dave and George.