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What is a doula?

A doula is a person who is trained to provide you and your family with support through pregnancy, labour and birth and/or the period of time following the birth. They are not medically trained but have a wealth of experience and provide continuity of care to the birthing person and their partner or wider family. They support families in all kinds of situations, wherever and however you wish to give birth and whatever your parental choices are.

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Birth doulas work together with the family and midwife or obstetricians, providing practical, emotional and informational support. They don’t give advice but can help you make informed decisions by offering balanced and evidence based information.​

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A postnatal doula is someone who can provide nurturing support after you have had your baby. How this support looks may evolve along your postnatal journey. You may find you need more practical support in the early days so you can get some much needed rest or you may wish to chat through your birth and talk about how you are feeling as a new parent. Perhaps you would like your doula to find evidence based information on a particular topic. Doulas are there to support you in whatever way you need at the time.

Do you only support home births?

I support all people giving birth wherever they choose to be, whether that is at home, at a birth centre or at hospital. I have no agenda and I am passionate about supporting you in whatever you choose.

If I have a caesarean section, will you still support me?

Yes. If you are planning on having a caesarean, I provide support antenatally, helping you prepare and plan for a positive experience as well as helping you to prepare to breastfeed, if you wish to do so. On the day, I will be there (in theatre, if allowed - it's always worth asking if you can have two birth partners in theatre), holding your hand, explaining what is happening before and during the caesarean and whilst recovering from surgery. I am there to support you and your partner emotionally too. Having a baby while also undergoing major surgery isn't the easiest thing to do.

What does shared care look like?

I often work alongside another doula, meaning you get to benefit from the wisdom and experience of two doulas. We both attend all antenatal appointments and come and see you for the postnatal visit. We set up a what's app group so you can communicate with both of us throughout your pregnancy and once labour has started or up until your caesarean section (if planned).

 

When you want us to come and support you in person, whoever is on call at the time will come to you. Sometimes we split the on call period between day and night so you may see both of us (e.g. I will come to you if you call during the night, my partner doula will come during day time hours and we may swap in too to ensure you have a well rested doula at all times). If one of us is away, the other doula will be on call 24/7 and will remain with you throughout.

Is there a minimum number of hours I need to book for postnatal support?

No, not at all! If I have availability, I am more than happy to offer ad hoc sessions, but I do state a minimum of 3 hours per session. This is so you can feel the real benefit of having me there. It gives me enough time to sit and chat with you (if that's what you would like), talk about the newborn days and breastfeeding as well as help with any practical support, allowing you to rest.

With the birth package, is it all or nothing?

I am really happy to tailor packages to your requirements and budget so if you would like more antenatal sessions or less, that's absolutely fine! I would say that 3 sessions allows us to get to know each other well before the birth but I also like to meet clients for a monthly coffee outside of these sessions so there are other opportunities to get to know each other.

 

I also offer stand-alone birth planning sessions which are so valuable so if a full doula package isn't something you are looking for, I can offer support in another way. 

Do you offer gift vouchers?

Yes! A gift voucher towards doula support will always be well received! There is often a lot of focus on buying clothes or items for the baby but having support during pregnancy, labour and birth or postnatally can make the world of difference to a new family. You can find more information on gift vouchers here.

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