A doula is the key ingredient for both of you to experience a wonderful, empowering pregnancy and birth. In pregnancy, she will guide and support you with unbiased information so that you can make the right choices for you and your baby.
Your Birth Right doula is trained to ‘think outside the box’, unlike other caregivers who are trained to follow rules. She is creative, empathic, intelligent and wise. A very trusting relationship develops as the doula is representing you and what you want and is not answerable to any hospital facility or staff. She is your true continuity of care, a skilful communicator and negotiator.
During labour and birthing your doula will be with you at home and hospital. She will be your rock, your emotional, physical and spiritual support, and your advocate, setting the stage for you to feel safe, supported and empowered.
After the birth your doula will provide that very important protective space for you as you fall in love with your precious baby. She will make sure that you are aware of all your options before leaving the birthing place and about a week later will visit you at home for a birth de-brief.
What will a doula do for me during pregnancy?
In pregnancy, she will guide and support you with unbiased information so that you can make the right choices for you and your baby. Your Birth Right doula is trained to ‘think outside the box’, unlike other caregivers who are trained to follow rules. She is creative, empathic, intelligent and wise. In labour she will be your intuitive guide and advocate.
Do you worry about being left alone during labour?
Your doula will ensure you are not left alone. Your partner and doula can tag team for coffee and sleep breaks.
Do you worry about how you’re partner will cope?
Of course a doula supports the birthing woman but she also works with and supports your partner, normalising birth for him and making sure he is enjoying this process of becoming a Dad.
Do you want to stay at home for as long as possible in labour, before going to hospital, but wonder if you will have the confidence?
During early stages of labour your doula will be with you at home and hospital. She will be your rock, your emotional, physical and spiritual support, and your advocate, setting the stage for you to feel safe, supported and empowered.
Are you concerned about which midwife you will have on the day? Will you know the midwife? Will you have a good connection with the midwife?
Your doula is your true continuity of care. You have developed a relationship of trust and understanding throughout your pregnancy, outside the medical environment. Your doula knows you personally and understands what you want for you and your baby. Midwives come and go, have sick leave, conference leave, change shifts and even swap shifts. Your doula is representing only your wishes. She is not representing the hospital system.
Do you worry about who will negotiate or stand up for you and your baby’s rights in labour?
Your doula will be your advocate. A Birth Right doula has been trained to know the hospital system and how it works. She is highly skilled at advocacy in a non-threatening and respectful way. She will do this with subtlety allowing for your labour to be smooth sailing, and without involving you in unnecessary discussion.
Are you concerned about medical intervention being ‘offered’?
The mere presence of a Birth Right doula will very often override this from occurring. Trust that your doula will make sure you know all your options. She is trained to think outside the box and has a creative bag of ideas to offer.
FAQs
My partner is unsure about having a doula?
Answer: This is very common for a partner to be unsure about having a doula often feeling like a doula might replace him, but it’s the opposite, as a doula allows a partner to relax and enjoy becoming a Dad, whatever that looks like for him on the day.
How will a doula negotiate for what I want?
Answer: Birth Right doulas have been trained by me, and with 40yrs experience working in ‘the system’, it is a key component of our training, i.e. how to negotiate with hospital staff in a respectful way and to make sure you are able to enjoy the experience you have chosen, as long as it is safe for Mum and baby. This is a very specialised skill and unique to Birth Right doulas.
How do I choose a doula?
Answer: I will organise for you to meet one of our newly qualified doulas. If you do not feel a ‘connection’ with the doula, then it is important to let me know so you can meet another, more appropriate match. Check out ‘find a doula page’ to see a list of experienced doulas with their contact details. In both my books there is a list of suggested questions to ask at the first meeting.
What is the difference between having a family member and a doula?
Answer: Family are too emotionally attached to advise about decision making. Family do not understand the hospital system or how to negotiate. Let your Mum be your Mum, your sister be your sister, and employ a doula to be your doula!
What does a doula do in labour?
Answer: “She was present, without being a presence”, is the best testimonial I have received from a Dad, and sums up beautifully, the role of a doula. A doula will make you feel safe, and use her heightened intuition to provide appropriate care.
What happens immediately after birth?
Answer: After the birth your doula will provide that very important protective space for you as you fall in love with your precious baby. She will make sure that you are aware of all your options before leaving the birthing place and about a week later will visit you at home for a birth debrief.
What women say:
“Thank you, Thank you. We are truly lucky to have meet you Susan, for what you stand for and what you do,there are not many woman in the world like you. The wonderful positive messages you send to mothers to be and partners is invaluable. Amber
“Thank you for connecting us with Emma for the birth of our son Raphael. She is just such a wonderful doula, and we were really blessed to have her with us. She was really supportive through difficult days of pre-labour, throughout the labour, and after Raffy was born. We always felt that she was 100% on our side and just loved having here there. She is amazing.” Kate
“Susan Ross was recommended to us by a close friend. I was looking for a doula to walk both my husband and I though the birth of our first child, as we both had many fears about birth after a close friend lost their first child during labour. At 35 weeks we were told our baby was breach and we would have to have a C Section. Thanks to Susan’s guidance and experience we found a doctor that would help us birth our baby naturally. Without Susan as our Doula, we truly believe we would not have the most amazing, relaxed, fear free birth that we had. Our baby is calm, happy and healthy thanks to the way he was brought into this world.” Candace, Jono & Kurtis
“Working with Susan was an inspiring, calm and empowering experience. We could not have felt more at ease in our journey through pregnancy and with our birth preparations. We owe a lot to Susan and Emma for having been prepared enough to have managed the 52 hour labour and still follow our birth plan giving birth to our gorgeous baby boy in the natural, drug-free and blissful way we had planned!” Anna, Matt, & Toto
“I can’t thank Susan enough for her guidance and support during the entire pregnancy and our birthing day. We recommend her services to anyone who will listen!” Kara & Tim
“Jo was just amazing, at the birth of our son, Oscar. I know its just your job but Jo gave Ben and I something we never thought would be possible, a beautiful birth with me feeling completely in control and able to be mentally stable during the whole labour. Jo was just beautiful, she kept me in control and gave Ben so much support, I seriously can’t thank Birth Right enough, I don’t believe his birth would have been like it was if it hadn’t been for Jo.” Lillian
