What is a Doula?

A doula is a non-medical labour assistant, who provides continuous physical and emotional support to the birthing woman and her partner throughout labour and birth. Doulas may also support the woman to communicate her needs and wishes to the medical team. However, her key role is the creation of a birth environment which meets the woman's needs for safety, warmth and protection from disturbance.

Evidence shows that having continuous support during labour from someone -- whether that person is a midwife, partner, friend or doula has many benefits for the mother and baby.
 

A doula offers the one-to-one continuous care that the hospital staff team may be unable to provide. The doula role provides the birthing woman and her partner with three key things:

• Physical and emotional support during pregnancy, labour and birth;
• Facilitation of effective communication with the midwife or doctor during labour and birth
• The creation of a peaceful and respectful space within which the woman can respond instinctively to the needs of her body and birth her baby with dignity and satisfaction.

Physical and emotional support

Doulas are knowledgeable and experienced in labour and birth and are able to offer tools and strategies for improving the woman’s comfort and managing pain during labour. The doula will also be able to make suggestions to maintain the safety of birth and to increase its efficiency.

The doula’s role is also to offer the couple the emotional support to achieve their goals for the birth rather than a particular kind of birth. This ensures that the woman experiences the best birth possible on the day.

The doula can provide the partner with minute to minute reassurance that all is well and enable the partner to participate in supporting the laboring woman to the degree to which they feel comfortable. Additional support during a long labour, can mean that the partner is able to rest. This makes it easier for the partner to enjoy the process and maintain a clear perspective which can aid in informed decision-making.

Facilitation of effective communication with the medical team.

The doula can support the woman and her partner by providing them with cues to ask the midwife or doctor the right questions about their care. This questioning process, enables the woman to secure the information she needs in order to make informed decisions during labour and birth. When a woman has been supported to make the decisions which are right for her during labour, her levels of satisfaction with the outcome of the birth will be high.

Interested in having a doula and how much do they cost?

Each experience is personal and a choosing a doula is important part of your journey

as a guide here are the following fees for :

Birth Doula Services:

• Birth doula support – $2015 plus GST
• Birth doula support for single mothers – $3670 inc GST.
• This includes two experienced doulas
• Minimum of two prenatal meetings, which includes birth education and assistance in creating birth preferences
• Phone support as needed throughout pregnancy
• On-call status 24 hours a day
• Evidence-based information for you to research so you can make informed decisions about your care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum
• Labour support at your home or hospital as required, or requested
• Continuous support once active labour has begun and up to an hour after birth
• Non-medical comfort measures such as position changes, relaxation, massage and other techniques for pain management during labour
• Maintain a calm and peaceful birth environment as allowed by medical staff
• In the rare event Sarah is attending another birth or unwell, she will organise a back-up doula to attend until she can arrive
• One postnatal follow up, usually occurring within the first seven days after the birth. This is to see how you are going, discuss any concerns you have, to review your birth.

Postnatal Doula Services:

• 3 hour session – $290

 Assisting you to access support and resources for breastfeeding, sleep, baby care or counselling. Our postnatal doulas will listen and support you to discuss your birth experience, so you feel heard and supporting you parenting decisions.

Postnatal doula support can be an ongoing service for mothers who are finding it difficult transitioning into parenting. This can range from one session a week to multiple sessions a week for as long as you need extra support.

They may  recommend a postnatal maternity nurse or a baby nanny to assist you along with your parenting journey, perhaps even household support of chefs drivers, personal assistants, house keepers  to give you the luxury of time to enjoy you baby.

Would like to know more:

Reach out to our consultants to assisting in finding the right doula for you birthing journey.

we look forward to hearing from you