Birthready ▶ Doula Support

DOULA SUPPORT

Your guide, helper, advocate and confidant!

Congratulations on being curious and courageous to explore your birth options for postive, empowering and conscious birthing.

Together we:  

  • Build trust, confidence and skills in your natural birthing and parenting abilities.
  • Know your heath care options, their influences and how to make informed and empowered decisions.
  • Prepare you and your partner for a positive birth experience
  • Nurture a healthy partner relationship for life as parents.
  • Feel resourced and ready to care for your baby

What is a doula?

As your doula I help bridge the gap between the natural birth process, today’s model of care and what you want. Choosing your own doula gives you the continuity of care that is lacking so you can plan, prepare and experience this time of your life in a more joyful, safe and empowering way.

I provide emotional, physical and practical support, guidance, education and advocacy for you and your birth team. I am by your side through labour and birth, mindfully offering hands on support with wisdom, skill and respect.

I am your ally and advocate, your educator and life coach, your human pain relief, comfort and encourager.  But most of all, I believe in your ability to be an active participant in your life experiences.  I stay with you as you walk life’s path and determine what is best for you and your family.  I stand firm as a guardian of your birth space, so you and your partner/support team can more safely work with the power of birth, feel the love and connection you have with your baby and each other and model the respect, privacy and woman centred care that makes birth positive and empowering.

I work with you as you take on this major learning curve of self discovery and relationship growth.  You are laying the foundations of your family life to build from.  During pregnancy to parenting there is a lot to process and integrate as you consider your options, feel into what preparation you need to do, communicate your wishes and navigate your mind and body’s best health care.  I am here to help you do this.

In labour Erika’s presence brought strength and support to my partner when times got tough. I appreciated her patience and words immensely during transition when I was in a bit of a state, and her timely offerings of drinks, hip massages and encouragement were perfect. She talked us through decisions that had to be made, and listened with respect when I was requesting things I didn’t think I would be requesting! Thank you so much Erika for giving us a confidence to do it all again!

Kirsty and Jez

I support your right to make informed choices regarding where, how and with whom you give birth. My desire is to see you and your family confident in yourselves, to grow in life skills and to experience, not only the birth, but the day-to-day life as a parent, with love, health, support and satisfaction.

Research is clear…the Cochrane Library review on ‘Continuous Labor Support Reduces Risk of Cesarean Section and Other Adverse Outcomes in Women and Newborns’, sites 26 studies over 17 countries with over 15,000 birthing women confirming that doulas contributes to lower interventions and more satisfying birth experiences for the birthing mother.

“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it”.
Dr John H. Kennell.

You may wish to seek out doula support:

• If you or your partner have fears, worries, stress or anxiety about the birth process or becoming parents.
• If you want to prepare your birth team to meet your needs and provide good comfort and support in labour.
• If you want to make informed decisions and model consensual communicate about your maternity health care.
• If you want to optimise normal physiological birth.

Erika had a real influence on my relationship with my partner during the pregnancy and in the labour. I felt like I knew what I could do to help and I had a place in the whole process. I felt like I could more confidently offer my love and practical support, be better informed and know our birthing options. It really helped both of us to schedule time during the pregnancy to think about it, talk about and respond in every day life. Because without that, our busyness would have got away from us.

Cam

Hear Erika share her wisdom on mindful birthing.

 

Sexylove Project Podcast with Caitlyn Cook

Feat. Erika Munton

What comes to mind when you think of birth? Is it possible to have great birth experiences? How?! With birth educator, doula, life coach and counsellor Erika Munton we explore cultural stories and myths about birthing, talk about what supports great birthing experiences in a practical and grounded way, hear realistic expectations for birth and find out about things like ecstatic birth. And as relationships and birthing experiences can take all shapes and colours, this episode is gender-inclusive and supportive to people who have all kinds of birth experiences.

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