Get the support you deserve

Being present for a birth isn't always a necessary or possible part of being your doula- but my promise is this: if you want me at your birth, I will move heaven and Earth to be there for you!

Having a doula for your birth is associated with HUGELY improved outcomes! Studies have shown birthing people supported by doulas have more positive feelings about pregnancy, shorter labours, less reported pain and anxiety during labour, lower usage of epidural and other analgesia, increased rates of spontaneous birth and lower rates of induction and augmentation, lower rates of caesarian delivery, fewer neonatal admissions to NICU, higher rates of breastfeeding initiation, more positive reported experiences of birth, and reduced rates of birth trauma and anxiety! (You can check out all those studies here)

I go "on call" (my phone is always on and I'm never more than an hour away from you) at 38 weeks gestation, until you have your baby in your arms. If you're planning a home birth and would like to try labouring and birthing in water, I have my own pool that can be reserved for you for the duration of the on-call period.

I can provide support throughout the labour process, however you want that to look. You can wait until things are really "going" to call me in, or I can drop in and check on you as often as you need during those hours or days when you're niggling and things are just beginning to unfold. I can provide support and encouragement during that in-between time before you're ready to call a midwife or head to the birth centre or hospital.

Once labour is established, I can be with you for as long as it takes to bring your baby into the world. I will work with you (and any other birth partners you want) to protect your birth space, implement your chosen comfort measures, help you communicate with your healthcare workers, make sure your wishes are respected, and keep all those lovely birth hormones (hello oxytocin) flowing! I can help physically support you into comfortable and effective positions or through movements to ease your baby down, and use rebozo or my hands to provide relieving pressure and massage. If you're labouring in water I can go back and forth keeping the pool nice and warm, or pour soothing cupfuls over your back. I might spend a lot of the time sitting quietly in a corner knitting, or making the tea, as you truly take charge of your own birth! And I'll always be there with words of affirmation and a hand to hold when you need it.

I will remain with you through the "third stage" of labour (delivering the placenta) and for up to three hours afterwards while you really settle into those first golden hours and milky cuddles. And of course I can make a round of hot drinks and slices of cake (yes, I bake too) for everyone!

If you're having a caesarian delivery (some prefer the term "belly birth"), either planned or unplanned, I can help you prepare to have the gentlest and most positive experience possible. I can sometimes, depending on circumstances and hospital, accompany you in theatre, or be waiting for you with a cup of tea and a huge smile when you come out.

However you bring your baby into the world, my job as your birth doula is to make you feel like the amazing goddess or invincible champion you are!