As a midwife/birth doula I support you during labour, through birth, until 1 hour after you give birth.
My Aims
- I believe that birth is a normal physiological process and the most important journey in a woman’s/man’s life.
- I provide physical, emotional and educational support.
- I provide information to enable you to make informed choices.
- I do not perform clinical tasks such as blood pressure check or foetal heart rate monitoring.
- I support you during pregnancy, labour and in the postpartum period, in whatever choices you make.
- I strive to support you during labour to ensure a positive birth experience and to help you to achieve the type of birth you want. I like to support you during labour at home as long as possible.
- I maintain complete confidentiality of all details relating to your pregnancy and birth.
What do I offer?
- Once you have requested me to act as your doula, we meet for the first prenatal visit in your home. I answer your questions, we sign the doula contract, and you let me know what your expectations regarding me. And we discuss the birth plan.
- During the second prenatal visit I give you an oil massage/craniosacral therapy session on your bed. This allows me to evaluate if/how you can relax physically. We discuss the birth plan, if not done in the first visit. Or we can have a session prenatal water yoga or floor yoga, focussing on breathing and opening the hips for birth. Or a foot massage to induce labour. I introduce the belly bind (15 meter cotton cloth) which can be used in postpartum offering emotional and physical support.
- I to accompany you for doctor visit at one of your last visits.
- Additional visits to cover childbirth education (including physiology of labour and birth, breathing, relaxation, breastfeeding), prenatal yoga, prenatal massage, craniosacral therapy are all possible. They are not part of the doula package. I highly recommend to be fully prepared not only for labour and birth but mostly for postpartum.
- Hypnobirthing is another option to prepare for birth. I teach this course with the Mucha Mama method from Nederlands. This is also not part of this package.
- I take responsibility as your primary doula. I am the person who you first contact when you are in labour as we aim to labour at home as long as possible, avoiding medical interventions.
- I am on call for you 24 hours/24 hours beginning 2 weeks before your estimated due date (EDD) until labour begins.
Before birth
- I answer questions and make suggestions over the phone any time before labour begins.
- I provide early labour support over the phone and come to your home once you are in active labour, so that we can stay in your home as long as possible before moving to the hospital.
- I provide reassurance and perspective to you, make suggestions to help labour progress, and help with relaxation, massage, positioning, and other techniques for comfort.
- The presence of a doula lifts the sole responsibility off the shoulders of your partner, allowing him/her to enjoy the whole birth process. I help the partner to feel calm and informed, giving him/her ideas to support. At no time will I "take over" or deliberately exclude the partner. I support you both at all times.
- In case of planned labour induction, I provide intermittent support by phone and/or in person as circumstances allow, until active labour is established.
- I remain with you once active labour has begun until 1 hour after your baby is born. I may take short breaks for meals and rest if possible, this will be discussed with you at the time and I will not leave you if it is inappropriate.
- I strive to maintain a calm and peaceful birth environment.
After birth
- During your hospital stay I love to visit (postpartum visit 1) you, talk about the birth experience, help you with breastfeeding and positioning of the baby.
- I assist in providing information and emotional support on postpartum care, breastfeeding, and new-born wellness, belly-binding.
- Then there are 2 more postpartum visits in your home within 6 weeks after giving birth.
What do you offer?
- Complete the birth plan and discuss this with your doctor.
- Check out the labour room and maternity ward in the hospital.
- Be in touch regularly in the 2 weeks before, mostly checking in before going to sleep.
- Call me when you think you may be in labour, even if you are not sure, so that I may make arrangements to attend your birth. Allow me approximately 2 hours to reach you.
