Doula Support
As a doula, i am not a medical professional. My role at your birth is to be by your side supporting you for as long as you need me. In ancient Greek, the word means 'helping women' and that is what i am there to do. Help the mother and her partner and family prepare and receive the birth that they want.
As your Doula i am part of your birth team and i am there to help guide you and your partner in a personal (non medical) way, during your pregnancy, your birth and for an agreed time after your birth.
I am there to assist you with emotional support, to help you understand the physiology of birth and to be an advocate for you and your wishes during your labour and birth. I am also a fully trained prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher and can offer lots of information on how yoga movement and breathing can help you through your pregnancy and labour.
I am a Mother to two beautiful little souls. I have experienced birth in both a hospital setting and a home birth setting - Each beautiful in their own way. My role is not to try to tell you that one is better than the other, my role is to support you through whatever decision you make for your birth.
As a doula i can help you prepare for birth, i can give practical tips on natural pain management. Having a doula at your birth is known to reduce the need for pain relief and intervention, because of the reduced risk of stress and anxiety in the mother.
In those first magical hours of labor, you are often alone with your partner. Your midwife will come over to check progress and sometimes leave you alone afterwards. As a doula, i am there to fill that gap. I will guide you and your partner through all stages of childbirth. If you want or need to go to hospital (maybe due to a medical indication), I will accompany you. In some cases your midwife may not be able to come into the hospital because you are handed over to the hospital team, but i will always be with you. By your side, making sure that you get your birth, your way.