In person doula support
I will be on call from 38 weeks to support you from when you call through to after you birth. Whether you want to birth at home, in a hospital or whether that changes over time, I will be there to support you and your family, to ensure your voice is heard. I will not offer clinical advice or medical care, that is the job of the midwives or other health professionals. I am there to support you and to help ensure your birth is how you want it to be. I can use my knowledge and experience to offer suggestions, options and practical help for you and your family. I will work with you, your partner if applicable and your healthcare providers to ensure that you and your baby are at the centre of all decisions made to help facilitate an amazing birthing experience, whether vaginally or by caesarean, at home, in a birth centre or hospital.
In our antenatal support sessions we will look at your preferences and options for birth and spend time getting to know each other. We will talk through what you want and I can signpost you to additional options and services if wanted. It is my pleasure to support you to make the right decisions for you and your family, so I come with no preconceptions about what will be right for you.
"Caroline was a blessing for my partner and me as well as our son. Her support was monumental it helped us to remain focused during a testing time." Mel
Things I might do as your Doula UK birth doula:
- Stay with you from the time you call me until after the baby is born and you are settled at home or in hospital. No matter whether your labour is 40 minutes or 40 hours, I will stay with you constantly to support you.
- Give you information that helps you to clarify your birth wishes and preferences
- Reassure you and comfort you
- Support you to try different positions for labour
- Ensure you have the information you need about choices in labour
- Offer a light massage or other soothing techniques
- Help your partner or birth partner if you have one to support you
- Support you to use your chosen comfort measures such as hypnobirthing and relaxations
- Provide physical support and balance as you use different positions
Things I don't do:
- Offer clinical or medical support
- Advise you on how you should labour, birth or parent
- Planned home births
- Unexpected home births
- Planned hospital and birth centre births
- Planned, unplanned and emergency caesarean births
- Instrumental births
- Inductions
- Vaginal and caesarean births of twins
- VBAC, VBA2C & HBACs (vaginal & home births after caesareans)
- IVF pregnancies
- Pregnancy and non-pregnancy related medical conditions
- Parents experiencing miscarriage or stillbirth
"I don't know how I could have managed my pregnancy and birth without Caroline. Her presence was reassuring and she understood every stage and what to expect next. I have no hesitation in recommending whatsoever." Rend
Costs - in person support
Includes:
- Introductory discussion
- minimum of two antenatal visits to discuss birth options and help you plan for different outcomes
- invitation to a group breastfeeding class, or private safe formula feeding session dependent on feeding preferences
- on call from 38 weeks
- support during the labour and birth
- at least one postnatal visit to debrief your birth experience
- Whatsapp, phone or email support through your pregnancy and the first four weeks postnatally