I believe in you. End of.

So many people have asked me what a doula is… How can they support? How can teaching hypnobirthing through The Wise Hippo help in labour?

First and foremost I believe in YOU. I believe in your ability to prepare, I believe in your ability to birth and I believe in your ability to be a mother.

Without even realising it, we are absolutely swamped with negative messages about birth. Through stories told to us, films we watch (don’t even get me started on Bridget Jones’ Baby!), magazines we read and general need for everyone to over share their negative experiences of birth. I mean, what is with that?! This need for people to instill fear when a woman is at her most vulnerable is something I will never understand.

I can teach you through the Wise Hippo techniques that a positive birth experience is a state of mind, it’s not something that will be determined by what path your birth takes, but by how you feel during the whole process.  It is possible for you to have control over your birth experience, to master the art of deep relaxation, to have faith in and to allow your body to do exactly what it’s made to do.

A friend of mine called me up out of the blue when I was 36 weeks pregnant with my first baby and said:

“I just want to say to you that I had a wonderful birth. It’s totally possible, but people never tell you the good. So I’m telling you one and I want you to know I’m thinking about you”.

This is one of the most empowering things that someone has ever done for me… She knew as a new mum herself the mix of feelings I’d be having at that moment and this managed to wade through the negative doubts that were creeping in and focus on my relaxation practice.

I can’t promise you that your birth will ‘go like this’ or ‘feel like this’, but what I can do is share techniques with you that will allow you to be utterly relaxed, focused and absolutely in tune with your baby for their exciting journey.

I believe in your birth partner and your family. This is YOUR time, your path and your euphoria, you can totally own it and make it yours!

So where does the role of a Doula come in I hear you cry?

“Most women after seeing that thin blue line, are catapulted to a place where they don’t speak the language, all the rules seem different and the only option is to cling to any life raft that is offered. It can be comforting to be led by the hand through the corridors of pregnancy and birth”, Maddie McMahon.

I mean… it truly is another world. When I was pregnant it felt like the whole world had an opinion on everything and anything. I looked big, I looked small.  I should go straight for the drugs… It’s painful, but so worth it… the seeds of doubt and worry were just planted all over the damn place! But you can cut through all that negativity and having someone by your side to discuss every little thing you might have seen on google, heard one of your friends saying or just a gut feeling you have, really can be invaluable.

People want to find answers to a ‘problem’ to help them. I’m just going to put it out there… birth isn’t a problem. I believe being pregnant and giving birth is an utter privilege.

I want to help you break through all the medical jargon and keep things as simple as they need to be for you. I want you to know your choices and I can be the familiar face and ongoing support throughout your birth preparation, labour and postnatally that you choose, can confide in and allow into your sacred space. I can be your advocate for what you want, an extra pair of hands, a physical support and I’m nifty with a bottle of nail polish to help you pass the time and feel like a goddess.

But enough about what I can do, this is all about YOU. My role is to empower you, to hold your space and to get to know you so I know what makes you tick  so I can support you. I’m there to be your doula, to help you to feel like the best you you can be at such an insanely special time!