CuddleBug

To whom it may concern,

          I am writing to recommend Ila Rhodey for work as a postapetum doula or in infant and childcare.  I have had the pleasure of knowing Ila as a friend for four years, the latter half of which she has been involved with the care of my son.

          Ila is compassionate, empathetic, nurturing, and a natural caregiver.  Through a difficult postpartum experience she offered emotional, physical, mental, and practical support such as allowing me to process my experience through conversation, watching my baby for several hours per week, offering to do night feeds so my husband and I could sleep, cooking meals, doing laundry, and cleaning up the house.  She engaged and interacted with my son by bottle feeding him, playing, reading books, going for walks and as he grew older, connecting with him through his interests.

          Ila has the ability to perceive needs in others and to fulfill those needs in a gentle, non-invasive way.  Ila offered to watch our newborn son at her home overnight for as long as we needed to get rest.  She continued to offer this support well into our son’s first year.  She easily alleviated any worries, guilt or concern through her reassuring, and calm nature.  Ila is confident in her ability to look after and care for babies, and can often calm a fussy baby very quickly.  Ila is a great communicator and is always sure to ask if she isn’t clear on instructions.  Ila often checked in to make sure that she was doing things the way I preferred, such as putting my baby down for a nap at a certain time, or making up a bottle with the correct amount of milk.  She is also able to perceive what needs to be done and takes action without needing to be prompted.  If she was watching my baby for several hours she would record when he ate, how much, as well as when he slept, and for how long.  Ila is responsive, reliable, and often dropped everything day or night to be available when I needed her.  This created a relationship of trust, and alleviated much of the pressure, stress, and anxiety of the early postpartum days.

          After two years of caring for my son, I can confidently say that anyone who has the privilege of employing Ila will be very lucky to have her.  I would recommend Ila for any position of work in child and infant care or as a postpartum doula.

Sincerely,

Katrina Eeles

contact Information available upon request

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure that we recommend Ila Rhodey as a postpartum doula.  Ila was recommended to us by our birth doula and we cannot express enough how grateful and appreciative we are for all that she did for our family.

Ila arrived into our lives a few weeks after our daughter was born and did an outstanding job taking care of her.  She has a great deal of knowledge in caring for newborns and had a way of putting both baby and us at ease.  Ila was always on time, and took great initiative helping around the house while baby napped. She would prepare lunch, help tidy around the house, fold laundry etc. and attend to many daily tasks that would have otherwise been neglected while we transitioned into being new parents.  Ila was with us for 12 weeks and I truly believe we would not have survived the 4th trimester without her care and guidance.

Ila has a friendly and approachable personality, making it easy to have open and honest discussions about the care of the babies, which was invaluable as new parents.  She displayed a great deal of compassion and care for our daughter and ourselves.  One of Ila’s best qualities is that she was loving and affectionate towards our daughter.  She cared for our daughter in a way that we do.  We were very lucky to find a trustworthy, wonderful and calming person to be around.

We would definitely recommend Ila to anyone who is looking for a postpartum doula.

Fareea Surtie & Michael Gousseau