Your Birth Doula
 A
birthing doula is a birth-educated lay person
who will be with you for the whole duration of
your labour and birthing experience; a trained
birthing partner. She will help you and your partner
feel positive, safe and relaxed at home and in
the hospital/birthing centre. Our doula is specially
trained and experienced in labour massage and
other comfort measures to support you and your
partner, allowing you both to get the most out
of this special time. Having someone else to tend
to all the mundane little things allows your partner
to relax and spend time focused on supporting
you for whatever you need. A doula will be with
you right from the beginning of labour until your
baby is snuggled in your arms.
Our birthing doula has a great understanding
of what is required for your birthing experience
to be as easy, safe and empowering as it can be.
However, doulas are not medically trained like
a midwife or obstetrician and so will not replace
the wonderful care that they offer. Instead, a
doula will be a spokesperson for you giving you
a voice at a time when your head is not necessarily
in a space to think. Doulas are not part of the
hospital system and so will only answer to you.
If the going gets tough, a doula will help you
to ask the right questions and support your decisions.
PARTNERS BENEFIT FROM DOULAS TOO
Having a doula to get you both food and water,
supporting you with non-medical comfort measures
such as massage, hot compresses and position change
and give you both encouragement gives you and
your partner the space to relax and enjoy the
whole experience. When you are both relaxed, your
birth will be much safer and easier… because
your body knows how. During such an emotionally
charged time as the birth of your baby, most expectant
mums and dads forget a lot of what they've learnt
during antenatal classes. Having a doula to support
you both and remind you and encourage you of your
roles is priceless, especially in the early stages
of labour when your midwife is not with you.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM A DOULA?
- Would like to increase your chance of having
a natural and empowering birth
- Would like to be massaged throughout labour
- First time parents
- Feeling anxious/fearful about birth
- History of sexual abuse
- Previous difficult birth
- Previous caesarean
- History of miscarriage
- Unsure who your midwife will be
- Unsure who your birthing partner will be/
your partner is unable to be with you
- Your birthing partner would like to be able
to relax and have support in looking after you
during labour
- Family don't live locally
HELPING PREPARE FOR BIRTH
Our birthing doulas' work starts long before
the birth. You will have at least two meetings
before the birth of your baby so as you and your
partner can build a trusting relationship with
your doula. Your head will be filled with positive
birth stories about real women and time will be
taken to answer your questions and listen to your
fears, helping you to turn them around and look
forward to your birth.
REPORTED BENEFITS OF DOULA SUPPORT
Numerous studies from around the world have found
great benefits from birthing doulas. A
study in 1993 by Kennell, Klaus and Kennell found:
50% reduction in cesareans
25% shorter labours
60% reduction in epidural requests
40% reduction in the use of synthetic oxytocin
(to induce labour or to make contractions more
effective)
30% reduction in requests for pain relief
40% reduction in forceps deliveries
PROS AND CONS OF HIRING PROFESSIONAL
LABOUR SUPPORT
+ Continuity of Care
+ Support for the father or partner
+ Accessible resource
+ Another pair of hands
+ Credibility
+ Advocacy
+ Reduced rates of medical procedures and complications
- Hiring the wrong person
- Hospital staff hostility
(Taken from The Thinking Woman's Guide to
a Better Birth by Henci Goer)
If you would like the Joyful Childbirth
Doula, Samantha to be with you for the birth of your baby,
please do get
in contact to arrange a
FREE no obligation
meeting
|
HOW MUCH DOES A JOYFUL CHILDBIRTH DOULA
COST?
Bloomin'
Marvellous!- Just what you need
Includes;
-
Minimum of
2 pre-natal meetings (including the initial
meet up) lasting 1-4 hours each giving you
the run down about the big day and getting
to know each of us and what you would like
from your doula. The meeting with you and
your partner will include the Natural
Pain Relief for Chidlbirth Private Tuition and the No
Need To Push Private Tuition worth
$320!
-
Casual coffee
meetups, email and telephone contact
- The Breathe
Guided Meditation CD to help you practise
relaxation and relaxed breathing before the
big day worth $28!
-
Attendance
for the whole duration of your labour. From
the time you know you're in labour, until
you are settled in with your baby. Whether
this takes 2 hours or 48 hours or more, your
doula will be with you for the whole time.
- If birthing in hospital your doula will go
with you both to either Birth Care (or other
maternity hospital) or back home.
-
1 postnatal
visit to discuss the birth and celebrate you
as new parents!
FREE Optional Extra; Specialist
pregnancy massage worth $100!
Fee: $850
A non-refundable deposit of $250 is required
to cover the work before your birth with the
remainder to be paid after the birth. This allows
you the freedom to choose us to be with you
or not and depending on medical circumstances
(for example a planned caesarean where a doula
may not be able to attend).
If you are a midwife or obstetrician who has
been approached by their clients about our doula
service, please do read
this article to find out more about us and
answers to questions you may have.
|
Sam,
I wanted to let you know what a huge support you
where, and how much I appreciated your presence,
and you gently, but persistently filling my mind
with fantastic birth stories, both before and
during the labour. Reminding me what was possible.
And just knowing I could ask...
