Learn About What’s A Doula and Why It Matters For Your Birth & Postpartum
We are there for YOU.
Doula's come with no agenda other than to support you in your choices as your birth and look after your baby. No-one else involved in your journey is able to do this: for example, midwives will have obligations to the NHS, or family members will bring their own experiences, views and opinions. So the main answer to the question what's a doula is: the person in the room who is there for you alone.
As your doula, I work for you and my sole interest is helping you as you discover what you want, and then to how to achieve those goals. We live in a world that has lost sight of the value of instinct but doulas are huge believers in the innate wisdom of a pregnant woman and the internal knowledge she has. This extends into the postnatal period and I am there to champion and support your choices as you discover what works for your family and your style of parenting.
We are evidence based.
Research has shown that having a doula really helps! There is strong evidence that continuous support in labour improves outcomes in birth, but on top of this there is evidence that support from a doula specifically – rather than from midwives and family or friends – has even more positive benefits. This particularly applies to a lowered chance of having a Caesarean birth (39% decrease), and an increase (15%) in the chance of a vaginal birth with no assistance (1).
In the postpartum period, research tells us that new parents who are well supported and cared for make the adjustment to becoming mums and dads more smoothly. For example, in cultures where women are nurtured and cared for in the weeks after birth there are increased rates of breastfeeding and reduced postnatal depression.
(1.) Bohren MA, Hofmeyr GJ, Sakala C, Fukuzawa RK, Cuthbert A. Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Jul 6;7(7)
We are your tour guide.
Being pregnant, birthing a baby and looking after a baby can feel a bit like being thrust onto the moon! Even though I firmly believe that you have all you need within you as you become parents - our current culture means that we have lost confidence in our innate abilities. Instead, birth and parenting appears a whole new world - the language is different the landscape is different, the choices are different.
I used to love travelling in my 20s, and whichever country I went to I always bought a "Lonely Planet" guidebook. I used my Lonely Planet to learn about where I was visiting, to decipher some of the language I needed to use and to know what my choices of accommodation and restaurants were. I still made all the decisions, but the book was there to guide me. Doulas are a bit like a guidebook.
As your doula I have walked this path before you, and I have gained wisdom through experience and dwelling in the world of pregnancy, birth and newborns for over a decade. I am a reference point and a source of information and reassurance for both of you. I will help you map out where you want to go, and help you realise you have all that you need to get there.
As your pregnancy progresses it is not uncommon to find that different issues and challenges arise and choices need to be made. This can feel quite overwhelming! If you hire a doula then I will have all the information you need at my fingertips you help you make the right decision for you and then have confidence in this.
We fill in the gaps.
When I became a mum I became conscious of lots of “gaps” surrounding pregnancy, birth and parenting. The most obvious gap is the fact that many women come out the other side and describe their transition to motherhood as difficult and lonely: they simply didn’t have enough of the right support around them at the right time.
When it comes to birth, the most important things are for the labouring mother to feel safe and confident, trusting her own instincts. This is harder than you might think: you’ve may have never done this before, or you may have had a bad experience last time round, you want to make a choice that goes against “hospital guidelines” and you feel unsupported, or you transfer to hospital and suddenly everything feels different, there are people there you have never met, you are being asked a lot of questions... A doula provides a buffer against any obstacles to this. We have relaxed antenatal sessions to really nail down YOUR birth preferences, you can contact me any time during your pregnancy, and then when you go into labour I am on hand to support you from whenever you want me to be. This can give you the confidence you need to let your body get on with the job it wants to do and birth your baby.
After your baby is born you are likely to discover that whilst you have quite a lot of appointments and medical care when you are pregnant, this all fades away very quickly when you bring them home! Often we live some distance from our family, and our culture is one where we don’t find it easy to ask for or accept help. New parents need non-judgmental support, companionship and reassurance as you build your confidence, along with practical help. I can provide all of this as your postpartum doula.
Now I know what's a doula - how do I hire one?!
You can find my birth doula page by clicking here.
You can find my postnatal doula page by clicking here.
On those pages you can learn more specifics about what I am able to offer in these roles, prices and a detailed FAQ section although I always love to hear from you so please feel free to contact me using the form below.
