A Birth Doula is trained and experienced in childbirth and provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to you (and your birth partner) throughout pregnancy.
My main role is preparing you for birth by talking through all the details and helping you understand your options. You have SO MANY options when it comes to birth, that it can feel quite overwhelming. I will lay them all out for you and you can choose what suits you and your situation best.
We can talk about anything that is causing you concern and I’ll help you get ready for a calm, positive birth. I will be right beside you before, during and just after the birth of your baby.
I know how to help you find your inner strength so you can stay focussed and confident through pregnancy and labour. I will help you believe in your body’s innate ability to birth your baby by supporting you.
I help your birth partner be your BEST support, I show them the way in the lead up to birth so they feel calm, confident and prepared to support you.
I am a hands-on doula, ready to anticipate your needs with a gentle nurturing touch, position suggestions, counter pressure, acupressure, breathing techniques and reassuring words of support. I will provide you with techniques that will allow you to feel confident, strong and prepared.
My role changes depending on the circumstances that present during the labour and I intuitively anticipate what is needed moment to moment.
I’ll be a coach cheering you on to find your internal power - reminding you that your body can do this, that you do have the strength. I’ll be a calm, confident, reassuring presence during the challenging moments and I’ll be there to celebrate the many joys too.
You can call, text, or email me at any time and I I can provide you with education and resources so that you can make an informed decision that feels right for you and your circumstances.
After our time together you will feel empowered, encouraged, supported, and excited about your birth.
What exactly does a Doula do?
Oh good, I’m glad you asked because I wrote a blog post that answers this question.
But, for simplicity, here are the main points:
I will provide emotional support.
◇ Throughout pregnancy I will be your constant support - you can contact me whenever you need to discuss anything from when we meet until we depart ways after your baby is born.
◇ You can rely on me to be available emotionally with a caring attitude.
◇ I will empathise with what you need and will support what you want.
◇ I will be available to talk through any fears or self-doubt you or your birth partner might have .
◇ I will be a continuous presence throughout labour, helping you to feel safe and confident.
◇ I will give you verbal encouragement, praise and reassurance throughout labour, reminding you that your body knows what to do, that you are progressing. I will "normalise" the experience for you.
◇ I am unflappable! I will remain calm and steady even if things are hectic.
◇ I am good at re-framing the circumstance to help you view yourself and your situation more positively.
◇ I can help you process the birth of your baby postpartum - empathising and clarifying when appropriate.
◇ I give emotional support to your birth partner whenever needed.
I will provide physical support
◇ In the form of touch - massage, acupressure, rebozo (or no touch if you prefer).
◇ I can apply heat packs or cold face washers to help you reach your desired temperature.
◇ I will make it a priority to create a calm environment so you can labour and birth undisturbed. I’ll help you choose a playlist of music (or you can choose silence), I’ll adjust lighting, and minimise outside noise and talking.
◇ I will assist you with walking, swaying and changing positions.
◇ I will offer water, ice, food and other comfort items.
I will provide educational support.
◇ I will share my knowledge with you through my workbook and online course and during our prenatal meetings to discuss all aspects of childbirth.
◇ I will help you create your birth preference plans, which you can give to your care providers and for your birth partner to know your desires.
◇ I will provide resources and evidence-based information so you can make informed decisions throughout your pregnancy and labour.
◇ I will guide you and your birth partner through labour with relaxation, breathing, movement and positioning techniques.
◇ I can answer your questions about birth plans, medical interventions, home births, water births, free births, fast births, caesarean births, vaginal births after caesareans, or anything else you have questions on.
◇ If you want me to, I can explain medical procedures before or as they occur.
I will provide advocacy support.
◇ I will ask you questions to find out what you want and I will unconditionally support your decisions.
◇ I will encourage you and your birth partner to ask questions, verbalise your preferences, and I will help you create space to make decisions without pressure.
◇ I will amplify your voice if you are being dismissed, ignored, or not heard by your care providers, e.g. "Excuse me - I believe … is trying to say something, I'm not sure if you heard her…."
◇ I will support you and your right to make decisions about your own body and baby.
Where does the word “Doula” come from?
The word “Doula” comes from ancient Greek, meaning “Woman’s servant.”
Other translations say that a Doula is a “Mother to the mother”.
In many cultures, women have been supporting women through labour and birth throughout history by providing continuous physical and emotional support.
What don’t you do as a Doula?
◇ I don’t make decisions for you (you are the expert and I trust you to make the best decisions for yourself and your baby).
◇ I don’t tell you what to do (it is your body and your birth).
◇ I don’t take over or get in the way of you and your birth partner.
◇ I don’t tell you how or where to birth your baby (however I can explain all your choices and help you decide what suits you best).
◇ I don’t tell you what you are or are not “allowed” to do (I will only give you suggestions if you ask me).
◇ I don’t judge – any choices you make will be respected and supported by me. And, let me tell you, there are a LOT of choices! So, part of my role is to walk you through them all and show you your options so you can make the choices that suit you best.
◇ I don’t perform any medical or clinical procedures, such as monitoring blood pressure or physical examinations including vaginal examinations, foetal movements or heart monitoring.
◇ I don’t diagnose or give medical advice or prescribe medications.
What is the difference between a Birth Coach and a Birth Doula?
As a 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 I’ll show you how 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 a 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).
What about my partner?
As a 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 I’ll show you how 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 a 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).
When is the best time to hire me?
It is never too early. I suggest we meet for a cuppa as soon as possible.
Because I only take one family a month, I do book out quickly.
My repeat birthing families book me on the day their pregnancy is confirmed!
You can be assured that I will handle your enquiry and all aspects of your pregnancy and birth with discretion and confidentiality.
Why would I need a Doula?
That’s a good question! There’s been a lot of research into the benefits of having a Doula, I’ll attach some links below. But, in a nutshell: If you have a Doula support you during pregnancy, birth and postpartum it will increase your chances of having a positive birth outcome.
So, what does that mean?
◇ Less birth risks
◇ Shorter labour
◇ Lower chance of having a Caesarean section birth
◇ Lower chance of epidural and other interventions
◇ A greater sense of satisfaction with your birth experience
◇ A greater sense of confidence in yourself and your birth which is likely to make you feel more capable of caring for your newborn
I'm planning on a hospital birth with an Obstetrician or Midwife. How can a Birth Doula help me?
Doctors and midwives are with you to provide you with the clinical and medical care plus diagnostic tests, you and your baby need during pregnancy, labour and birth. Although they do their job well, many women report feeling like they are on a conveyor belt and just a number in the system. Appointment times are often very short and you may not have the opportunity to ask all the questions you have or build a close relationship with your care providers.
My role is different and complimentary to your other care providers.
I will be continuously by your side to support you emotionally, physically and educationally throughout your pregnancy.
I will support you in your home in early labour and help you get to the hospital or birth centre safely. I will stay with you until after your baby has been born and you are settled and comfortable.
If I have a Caesarean, would you still support me?
If you are transferred from the labour suite to the surgical theatre for a caesarean birth, your partner will accompany you and I will too depending on the care team on the day (hospitals all have differing policies and even within hospitals surgeons have differing rules). I will support you and your partner however is most helpful to you at the time depending on the circumstances.
If you don’t have a birth partner and I am your designated support person, I will be honoured to be with you for the entire caesarean birth, supporting you with comfort, reassurance and emotional support.
What does it cost to have you as our Doula?
Please contact me so we can discuss what you need and I will be able to tell you what the financial investment will be.
I've considered my pricing based on these things:
◇ I only take 2-3 families per month which means I offer a very exclusive and personalised service.
◇ I've been attending births since 2002 and over the years I have supported many families in many circumstances. The families I have worked with have taught me almost everything I know about birth – they are my best teachers.
◇ I'm a mother myself with five unique birth experiences of my own to draw upon.
◇ I am a third generation doula – my mother and her mother before her are both doulas (my grandmother hasn’t supported a birth for a few years now, she’s 84) but my mother is still very active in the birth space in Tasmania.
◇ The practical skills I have in offering birth support to women have been handed down to me from my mother and grandmother – I have experienced these first hand with each of my own children’s births.
◇ I’m good at helping you to believe in yourself and trusting your inner strength to labour without fear. I will remind you to trust your body and your baby so that you can confidently birth the way you desire. On my website I have a few brief testimonials but I can give you contact information for some of my past clients if you would like to hear firsthand how I have supported them in their journey.
◇ I am constantly taking further training to increase my knowledge and stay up to date.
What if I cannot afford you as our doula?
I believe that every family deserves to be supported to have the best possible birth experience. If finance is an issue for you (for example: you are facing hardship or are a refugee or teenage mum) please contact me and we can talk through some options.
Do you have back-up?
I carefully make sure that I am not overbooking my clients so that all of my families get exclusive care, but if there is some reason that prevents me from attending the birth (sickness or accident) I have two dedicated back up doulas in place who share a similar philosophy to me.
I will introduce you to them so that you are comfortable with them before the birth.
Can you take photos or video during my labour and birth?
Yes, I’m happy to take photos with a phone camera (either yours or mine) but my priority will be in supporting you rather than taking photos. If photos are a priority, I suggest you hire a birth photographer who can guarantee to capture the photos you want.
What experience or qualifications do you have?
I have 22 years of experience supporting families from various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds and various lifestyles and experience. I have supported families preparing for natural birth, birth using pain relief, VBAC, Caesarean birth, previous birth trauma, antenatal and postnatal depression/anxiety and survivors of sexual violence.
As a women in my late-forties, I have also navigated the ups and downs of life and the changes of seasons and gained many formal and informal qualifications along the way.
I’ve experienced loss and I know what grief and trauma is. I am empathetic and understanding because of it.
I have moved states and started ‘fresh’ in a new place which comes with joys and challenges. I have been married for 25 years and have 3 adult children and 2 teenagers (all living at home).
My clients use these words to describe me: warm, intuitive, wise, an angel, thoughtful, encouraging, easy to talk to, friendly and couldn’t do it without you.
What is your view on birth?
I believe that as a woman you have an inbuilt and intuitive ability to birth your baby and mother your child.
I believe that you are capable and strong and I trust you. You do not need rescuing. I know you are able to empower yourself and I will be there to remind you of that. I know that you have a dream for your pregnancy, your birth and your child and I will create the space for you to feel supported. I’ll be completely present with you and be your sounding board helping you to advocate for your desires.
I believe that everything you need is already within you. Through our time together in the lead up to the birth, I will help you uncover your strengths so that you can use them in the birth space to feel prepared, confident and calm.
I am an advocate for women's rights in maternity care and I work alongside care providers and midwives to support woman-centred, evidence based care.
How is COVID affecting the birth space in 2024?
There are currently NO COVID restrictions in place in WA hospitals.
You haven't covered my question, can I contact you??
Yes, contact me using the links below and I’d be delighted to personally answer you.
