You’re thinking about having me as your doula?
If you haven't worked with me before, you’re going to love how easy I will make it for you.
I’m a mother of five so I know how important streamlining is.
Every mother I work with has a different pregnancy experience and view of birth so I will tailor my approach to meet your individual needs.
But, as an experienced doula, I think the process below works well for most families.
Step 1: Our First Discussion
We start talking when you click this link or phone me.
We then meet face-to-face (or via zoom) so you can see if…
You and your birth partner like me
You connect with me
You feel safe with me
I’ll ask you a few questions about your previous birth experience (if relevant) and we’ll talk about how I can support you through this pregnancy and birth.
Please keep in mind that I’m often booked up to eight months in advance, so get in quick if you think you like the look of me.
Even though I have a lot of experience and I’m great with pregnancy and birth, the most important thing is for you to feel safe with me and to decide if I will be the right birth doula for you. There’s no pressure to book me after our first chat. I encourage you to interview a few doulas and find the one that you connect with the best.
Step 2: You Say “Yes, Let’s Birth Together”
Fantastic! I love that you and your birth partner feel safe enough with me to invite me in to the most vulnerable moments of your life.
I’ll send you a contract, with my terms and conditions and my bank details and you send me a deposit so I don’t book anyone else near your dates. (I only take one family a month).
I send you a welcome letter with the next steps.
Step 3: I Give You Access To My Online Course
You work your way through the Together We Birth Online Course. With 85 short, clear videos, I’ll talk you through everything you need to know to prepare for birth.
To make life easier, you can listen while you’re folding washing or cooking dinner.
(How’s that for multitasking? Motherhood in a nutshell)
Step 4: I Give You My Workbook
I give you my Together We Birth Workbook (230 pages filled with everything you need to know about preparing for birth and life with your new baby).
You use it as a journal to jot down your thoughts about your pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum. The workbook is filled with questions and prompts to help you navigate all your options and confidently make informed decisions. I will partner with you as you write your birth preferences, uniquely tailored to your individual situation.
Step 5: We Book Four Meetings Together
As well as the workbook and the online course, we will meet in person so that we can get to know each other. I want you to feel educated, informed and emotionally ready to birth.
During your coaching sessions, you can tell me anything that is coming up for you, what your care providers are recommending and we’ll discuss all the details so that you make the best choices for yourself. I will walk alongside you as you discover and clarify any fears or personal challenges that could prevent you from reaching your desired goals.
As your birth coach I am trained to partner with you as I lead you towards achieving your desired birth experience.
With thought-provoking questions and intentional self-reflection, I will help you uncover your unique style of coping. We will draw on strategies you already successfully use in other areas of your life and we’ll work together to apply these to your birth experience.
We’ll discover what your unique brain and body does when you are faced with stress and we’ll build on your life experiences to help you meet each challenge and overcome any internal resistance that rises up with game-changing refocus.
Through personalised, intentional coaching, I will help you clarify your convictions, find confidence in your choices, transmute fear and overcome personal challenges to take charge of your birth.
As your birth doula, I am skilled at providing continuous support to you, your partner and your family throughout pregnancy, labour and birth. I will do this from an emotional, physical, and educational perspective.
I recognise that you are the expert in your life. You have what it takes to reach your personal goals and be in control of your birth journey (even if things don’t go the way you plan or hope).
Your birth partner is very welcome at our visits, but these are mainly for you, the mum.
I am available any time by phone and text message support throughout your pregnancy and postpartum.
I will be on-call for you from 38-42 weeks (earlier if there is a preterm labour concern)
You will have access to my library of pregnancy, birth and parenting books.
I will offer you evidence-based information so you can make informed decisions about your care during pregnancy, birth and immediate postpartum.
Step 6: Payment Is Finalised
Roughly four weeks before you birth your baby, I will send you an invoice for the balance of your payment. With the money side of things out the way, we plan the last minute preparations before you go into labour.
Step 7:You Let Me Know When You Are In Labour
When you are in labour, I will meet you at
Your home (where I will support you with comfort techniques and emotional support to feel comfortable and safe in your own space until you are ready to either transfer to hospital, call the midwife or birth your own baby if you are having an unassisted birth.
At the hospital (if you are having an induction or your baby decides to come quickly).
If for any reason I am not able to be with you (never happened in 20 years, but you never know what life will throw) I have a back-up doula in place that I will introduce you to so you know you are in good hands.
Step 8: I Stay By Your Side
While I am with you, you will have full access to my “doula bag” which includes TENS machine, mood lighting, massage tools, massage oil, aromatherapy essential oils, CUB birthing support, peanut ball, rebozo, snacks and a multitude of other helpful things.
I will offer you non-medical comfort measures such as position changes, relaxation, massage, counter pressure and other techniques for pain management during your labour.
I can take photos for you with either your phone camera or I can bring my professional DSLR camera and give you the photos on a memory stick - my priority will be in supporting you rather than taking photos, so photos will be a bonus.
I will not leave your side and I will support your birth partner to support you. I will help create and maintain a beautiful, calm, safe space for you and your partner to birth in which honours your desires.
Post birth, I will guard the space so you can bond undisturbed, skin to skin with your baby. I can assist you with the “breast crawl” (baby-led attachment) or maternal-led breast feeding. I will leave you when you are settled and feeling confident.
Step 9: We Debrief
I will make a postnatal visit in your home after your baby is born to debrief the birth with you. We can discuss everything that is relevant to your situation and I can be there for advice to make the transition with your newborn easier.
Step 10: We Keep In Touch
We will have shared a profound and intimate experience together and we will likely be bonded for life through the intimacy of birth. I love it when I see photos of your baby growing up and I am happy to stay in touch as little or as much as you wish.
Birth Doula Support For Single Mothers
I recognise that as a single mum, you need more support during pregnancy and labour so this package comes with two experienced doulas so that you will have complete confidence that you will never be alone or unsupported. During pregnancy we will tag team to give you the best information and support and when you are in labour both of us will be with you until you have birthed your baby until you are safely settled in with your new baby. This package also includes two postpartum care visits of 4 hours each which will give you the space to debrief, chat, have a sleep or a shower while we pop the washing on and do light housework. We can bring you nutritious meals and run errands for you.
Please contact me for more information on this package.
Birth Doula Support For Refugees and Asylum Seeker Mothers
I offer my services for free to women from refugee, new migrant and asylum seeker backgrounds ~ if you have little to no support during this critical time. I can help you understand your rights and navigate Australia’s complex maternal health system. I will support you and help you to feel empowered so that you can birth your baby with continuity of care.
Please contact me to discuss how I can support you.
The Last Minute Doula
It isn't too late to call me. I know how easy it is to plan but then never get around to it. Maybe you thought you were okay but now feel you need an experienced doula to help you believe in yourself and make you feel more comfortable. Perhaps the person you thought was going to be your birth partner is unwell or just not the right person after all.
I am here to help! Call me
If there is time I can try and meet you once before the birth but if not, I can meet you at the hospital or birth centre (depending on current hospital rules - check the Covid FAQ) or at your home once you are in established labour. I will provide as much support as I can that will best assist your needs.
VBAC Education Session
In this two and a half hour VBAC (vaginal birth after a caesarean) specific information session I will help you create a map or plan for your birth and talk to you about all the holistic ways you can approach your VBAC to give you the best chance of achieving your desired birth outcome.
We’ll talk about the benefits and risks of having a VBAC and of a repeat caesarean with evidence based information. I will discuss ways to help you feel more prepared and confident in your birthing experience allowing you the space to explore and discuss your thoughts, feelings and options for your baby’s birth in a friendly, safe, comfortable setting. If you choose to ask me to be your doula after this session, I will take the VBAC Education Session fee off my Full Package price
For more information please contact me.
Birth Planning Session
The “right” decision regarding the birth of your baby is unique for every family. For some, an unmedicated vaginal delivery may be the “right” decision and for others, a scheduled induction or caesarean birth is “right”. Because every family is different, the benefit of your prenatal birth planning session is not just making your preferences clear – it is being presented with all your options and having them explained to you so that you can make empowered decisions for your family. There may be some things you have not yet considered or are unsure of, so we’ll discuss the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives using the EBRAIN acronym.
I offer this two and a half hour stand-alone prenatal birth planning session separately because I recognise and respect that having a doula present at the birth of your baby may not be the right decision for all families. If you do this session with me and then decide to invite me to be your birth doula, I will take the Birth Planning Session fee off my Full Package price.
Please contact me so that we can discuss what is best for you and your upcoming birth.
If I have been your doula and you’d like to leave me a review, I’d absolutely love that. It is a gift to me that you are willing to take the time to help me offer a better service to other families. Please use this link to write me a google review.