Complaint Review: Stephanie Larson Doula Dance Instructor Dancing For Birth - St Louis Missouri

Thank you for your interest in Dancing For Birth TM and for the opportunity to provide facts about Dancing For Birth TM. As the Founder and Owner of Dancing For Birth TM Prenatal and Postpartum Dance Classes and Instructor Training, I can assure you that the preceeding defamatory report is phony and the person writing it is neither a former doula client of Stephanie Larson nor a friend of a Dancing For Birth TM class participant. The remarks are simply a hoax. Both Dancing For Birth TM and Birthing With Ease TM (www.BirthingWithEase.com)have an unblemished record of exceeding the expectations of our clients. We follow up with our current and past clients, all of whom are wholly satisfied and many of whom have gone to the extra step of giving us their recommendations. To read some of their remarks, please go to http://www.dancingforbirth.com/testimonials.html. If you would like to speak with our clients, please call and we will put you in touch with them. For a professional reference for Stephanie Larson, please contact Sunday Tortelli, CCE, CD(DONA), HBCE, CLC who is the DONA International Director of Publications (DONA International is the largest Doula organization in the world. I am the former Managing Editor of DONA's International Doula Magazine). Sunday can be reached at [email protected]. You are also invited to contact DONA International (www.DONA.org) for information about the Dancing For Birth TM session hosted by DONA at the DONA International Conference in Washington, D.C. in which doulas from all over the world learned and embraced the Dancing For Birth TM philosophy and teachings. This session achieved an average rating by participants of 4.8 on a scale of 1-5 and the results were tallied and verified by DONA International, independent of Dancing For Birth TM. Ultimately, your own opinion is the most important. We invite you to experience Dancing For Birth TM classes and workshops for yourself. To find an instructor training workshop or free trial class near you, please visit our website. If you would like more information please visit the official Dancing For Birth TM website at www.DancingForBirth.com or call 866-643-4824. There you will find information about the history of the company, about locating a dance class or instructor training workshop near you and about the certification process to become a certified Dancing For Birth TM instructor (DFB). Here is a sample of what our clients say about us: " The training experience was truly inspirational. I felt empowered just through learning the materials and cannot wait to teach and pass on this essential information to other women." - E.W.,DFB, certified DFB instructor __________________ "I was talking to a few moms and potential moms at my daughter's school about the wonderful information and empowering philosophy... thank you again for the class. I was re-inspired to hold the values I find important close to my baby's heart. Thanks for helping me tap into that power!" -B.K. New Mom ____________________ "I LOVED THE CLASS!" - Natasha K. ____________________ "This birth was nothing like my previous births! No back labor, no delays, and best of all, no epidural! Thank you!!" -J.K Mom of 4 __________________ "Absolutely wonderful! -Stephanie B. New Mother ____________________ Great workout, helps you forget about any discomfort in pregnancy when you just focus on the music, and feel the music." -Chrystal, Expectant Mom ____________________ Please Stephanie, keep on doing this great job the way you do it! -E. S., New Father ____________________ Class was very enjoyable great to get moving, also good ideas for labor I'm looking forward to putting it into practice. Thank you!" Jessica - Expectant Mom ________________ "I pushed for only about 30 minutes and both the nurses and doctor told me that I pushed like a woman who's had 2 or 3 babies. Yay for dancing for birth! He'll be three weeks old tomorrow and I'd love to bring him back to your class." Liza L. - New Mom ____________________ "This class changed my outlook on labor & delivery - I feel much more prepared. I loved this class! I'll be back!" Patti - Expectant Mom ____________________ "It exceeded my expectations, really wonderful!" Jennifer - Experienced Mom ____________________ "It was tons of fun and a great workout, too!" A.H. __________________ "My birth plan has changed as a result of this class. I plan to be more proactive. I am more confident, less patient-like. I would definitely recommend this class to friends." Heidi F. - Expectant Mom of twins and Experienced Mom of two. _______________________ "I hadn't thought a whole lot about how the Mother's position affects the baby." Daniel F - Expectant Dad _______________________ "...it was an amazing adventure and worth every minute. Elias is here and he is beautiful and I am so in love. Thank you so much for all of your help." Sonya P. New Home Birth Mother

I am currently serving as President of St. Louis's local doula group. Stephanie Larson has been a member of our group since 2003 and is currently serving as Vice President. I am very disturbed by this report because it speaks of a person so very different from the Stephanie that I have come to know. I have taken her class while attending a DONA, (an international doula organization), conference in DC and found it to be very useful for my clients when in labor. I use the philosphy and concepts of moving the pelvis at every birth! And I am certain that DONA has very strict guidelines that must be met before even being considered as a presentor at their conferences. Many of my clients have taken Stephanie's class and have all found it to be fun, informative and beneficial. Regarding the certification that this "friend" was seeking, the innovator of a method of training is the only person to be certifying in that particular method. Who else should be? I don't think I understand this complaint at all. It is important to realize that all of us have spent money on training that we thought might be useful or that we thought we might be interested in only to find out that it wasn't a good fit. This is certainly no reason to slander the trainer and her program. While I am sympathetic to this person and her feelings, it's unfortunate that she found slanderous venting as a means of solice. I am also wondering why this person signed up for the trainer class AFTER she found herself disappointed in the training when she herself attended as an expecting mom. I am comfident in saying that Stephanie Larson is a wonderful doula, DFB innovator and instructor and I will continue to recommend her to my clients.