Google a Doula! That’s what we did after a friend suggested we get a Doula for the birth of our first child. Both my husband and I knew nothing about what a Doula was before this. After a few short minutes, we both agreed though, that this was exactly the missing puzzle piece to what we felt we needed for our pregnancy journey.
We decided on a birth in the public system and knew we would see lots of midwives and specialists. We wanted one person who was consistently there by our side through all these changeovers, to help us collect and analyse information, to offer insight and understanding into terminology that was foreign to us, and to help us better understand our options throughout the pregnancy. This person was Stephanie.
When we reflect back on our pregnancy journey, there was so much information thrown at us and at times it was quite overwhelming. Stephanie’s gentle and calm nature always kept us focused on the outcome of our beautiful baby and helped us decipher the information we were given. She listened and empathised, she helped us reflect on our preferences for birth and her antenatal care and education was second to none.
We had established a clear and beautiful plan for birth with Stephanie. Which of course didn’t go to plan! But did that mean all our plans were deemed useless? Not at all! Our baby girl was breech when I went into labour and despite efforts to turn her in the weeks leading up to the birth, she was stubborn and didn’t want to move. Despite the disappointment of not having a natural birth, she was still delivered safely by emergency caesarean at 2:29am. While Stephanie could not attend the birth, she was there with us every step of the way. From the initial ‘am I in labour?’ phone call to constant check ups in the wee hours of the morning, we both felt supported and reminded that despite our birthing experience being different to what we envisaged, we could incorporate as much of our plans into preparing ourselves for parenthood! The scents, music and positive thinking all benefit a new baby and new parents! Nothing went to waste!
Following the birth, Stephanie was so supportive and her visits were well timed as my family were interstate and unable to travel due to my father being ill. Stephanie was our family during those first few days at home. We will forever be grateful for those caring phone calls and helpful visits. Her baby massage techniques have been invaluable for bub when she has a pain or experienced reflux. Colic massage is now our best friend and Stephanie was a well of wisdom in this area.
Would we use Stephanie again? Absolutely! While she has equipped us with so much knowledge and confidence as parents, one thing we have learnt is that birthing is a new experience every time. And for that reason, we would love Stephanie to be part of future pregnancies, assisting us again to make the best decisions and to enjoy each and every step of the way.
Shannon, Dan & Lucille – 2013
