What The Fudge Is A Doula?
What is a doula? What does a doula do?
This is normally people’s first question when I tell them what I do, and until a couple of years ago I would have asked the same thing!
It comes from a Greek word and literally means ‘a woman who serves’, so as a Birth & Postnatal Doula I am here to serve YOU!
Whereas a midwife has a clinical role, watching over your pregnancy and birth from a medical perspective and giving help or advice when needed, as your doula I fill the role of emotional, practical, informational and spiritual support.
Now there are doulas, and there are 💫DOULAS💫! I’m here to help you make big changes to the way you enter Motherhood, and we can only do that by diving really deep and building a relationship you can trust 100% when you birth your precious baby.
Photo of doula providing sacral pressure during labour, birthing mother standing leaning forwards, birth partner giving verbal encouragement.
SO WHAT KIND OF DOULA AM I?
(Spoiler: a flipping good one!)
The very first thing I do is meet with a family for a cuppa and a chat about what it is they want for their birth and postpartum experience. If we’re a good fit and you decide to hire me we will have a series of antenatal sessions to get fully prepped for birth.
Now a lot of doulas offer a couple of 2 hour antenatal sessions in the run up to birth, but I’m sat here wondering how the fuck can you even scratch the surface in 4 hours??! (Oh, I’m pretty sweary fyi 😉).
Stepping into your birthing power means allowing yourself to surrender to the process, and with that there is preparation to be done!..
Unpacking previous births and/or healthcare experiences
Your mindset around birth
Your values, hopes and dreams for this birth
Your conditioning and limiting beliefs
How our incredible bodies work to birth a baby and how do we support the process
The role of our subconscious and the mind-body connection
How you respond to stress and learning to regulate the nervous system
Understanding the maternity system and using it to your advantage, or choosing to birth outside the system
The intricacies of your current pregnancy, any special circumstances etc
Where to source and how to interpret information
What’s right for you and how to make balanced decisions
Creating a plan for birth and making any adjustments that might become necessary
The role of your birth partner, ways they can support you, unpacking their fears and working on their mindset
Advocacy and your rights in pregnancy and birth
If plans change, what is important to you - induction, caesarean birth, NICU etc
Bodywork to prepare you for birth
Once your baby is here - normal newborn behaviour, sleep, feeding, attachment etc
Planning for a nurturing postpartum
And so much more too!
Photo of a birthing mother looking into her doula’s eyes, acknowledging their mutual trust. The newborn baby is in the mother’s arms as she sits in the birth pool, and the midwife is performing checks on the baby.
If you’ve given birth before you’ll appreciate how birth cracks you open, shows you the very edges of your capacity, and then rebuilds you.
And when you’re deep in those moments where you’re questioning the very essence of yourself, I will be there for you to lean on. And you will know you can trust me because we’ve done so much preparation together. I will understand exactly what you want and need in those moments, and I will be there to support you.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK!
So you can see how 4 or 6 hours is nowhere near enough, right? My packages include 5 or 6 antenatal sessions, each of which are at least 2 hours long, and weave all of my hypnobirthing knowledge into our prep. And I’m always there on the end of the phone or email to answer any queries or give you a little pep talk.
Once you reach the end of your pregnancy I go on call for you from 10 days before your Estimated Due Date (aka estimated guess date!) until the birth, and will travel to be with you wherever you have decided to birth your baby. Once your labour begins I stay with you for the duration, and will be there until you’re ready for me to leave.
GAMECHANGING POSTNATAL SUPPORT
If you’re choosing postnatal care as part of your package (and why wouldn’t you?!) I’ll visit you as soon as you want me to, typically within the first day or two. Another visit 2-3 days later, and the rest of your sessions spaced out however you choose. My standard postnatal care package includes 20 hours of support, and you can add on as many 3-hour blocks as you want!
What does postnatal care look like?
Well, what do you need?
We’ll chat about the birth and I’ll provide a safe, supportive and judgement-free space for you to unpack your feelings
I’ll hold space for aaall of the emotions that come with having a newborn
I can support you with breast or bottle feeding and signpost elsewhere if necessary
I can give you any guidance you need with caring for your newborn
I can care for your baby while you get some sleep, take a shower, get some fresh air, or anything else you need
I can accompany you on trips out of the house if you need a little confidence boost
I can help with meals, light housework, older siblings, pets etc to lighten the load
I can nurture you with hugs, massage, bodywork, breathwork, meditation etc
Basically I look after you, so that you can look after your baby from a place of nourishment
Now isn’t this how every Mother deserves to be treated? Hell. Yes.
If this sounds like the kind of birth support you’re after, or you know someone who is, get in touch!
You can take a look at what my doula packages look like here:
And if you’re wondering what the benefits of hiring a doula are, and what families have to say about the experience then watch out for my next blog post - What Benefits Can A Doula Bring? 👀
Til next time,
Debra xx
