Birth doula services
Doula - a woman who provides non-medical support to women and their families during labour, childbirth, and the post-partum period.
Whether this is your first child, or you have lots of children, having a doula present with you during your labour to provide emotional support can be beneficial. In many traditional societies a woman giving birth would have been surrounded by female friends and relatives, who would have looked after her during her labour. These women would usually have given birth themselves, and would have supported other women through birth. They would know what a labouring woman needed.
In modern society we often don't have this level of support available. A doula helps to fill this gap by supporting the woman giving birth, and her partner.
As a doula I would meet with you several times antenatally, for a couple of hours each time. In these sessions I would talk through you ideas, hopes and fears about birth, and we would work out how I could best support you. I might give you useful pieces of research in these sessions which relate to any specific issues for you and your partner. Together we would prepare a Birth Preferences list, which we would also share with your midwives. These sessions are also about getting to know each other, and building trust and a sense of comfort.
I would then be 'on call' for a month over your estimated dates, and would attend you in labour, for as long as you are in labour, and as long as you want me to stay after the birth. I am happy to attend you in labour at home or hospital, and I am happy to support special pregnancies such as VBAC and HBAC and births of twins. I would also visit you at least once postnatally to debrief with you and your partner after the birth. If you would like me to provide postnatal doula services as well I would be delighted.
Whether this is your first child, or you have lots of children, having a doula present with you during your labour to provide emotional support can be beneficial. In many traditional societies a woman giving birth would have been surrounded by female friends and relatives, who would have looked after her during her labour. These women would usually have given birth themselves, and would have supported other women through birth. They would know what a labouring woman needed.
In modern society we often don't have this level of support available. A doula helps to fill this gap by supporting the woman giving birth, and her partner.
As a doula I would meet with you several times antenatally, for a couple of hours each time. In these sessions I would talk through you ideas, hopes and fears about birth, and we would work out how I could best support you. I might give you useful pieces of research in these sessions which relate to any specific issues for you and your partner. Together we would prepare a Birth Preferences list, which we would also share with your midwives. These sessions are also about getting to know each other, and building trust and a sense of comfort.
I would then be 'on call' for a month over your estimated dates, and would attend you in labour, for as long as you are in labour, and as long as you want me to stay after the birth. I am happy to attend you in labour at home or hospital, and I am happy to support special pregnancies such as VBAC and HBAC and births of twins. I would also visit you at least once postnatally to debrief with you and your partner after the birth. If you would like me to provide postnatal doula services as well I would be delighted.