FAQs
If you have any questions that aren’t covered below, feel free to reach out via my contact page!
Birth, Doula & Pregnancy
FAQs
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Check out my services page for the details of all of my packages and prices.
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Check out my services page for the details of all of my packages and the kind of support I can offer you.
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Yes, of course, I’ll still be there for you. We will go over your options which we will have discussed antenatally, and help you prepare mentally and emotionally. I’ll remain with you until after your baby is born and you’re happily feeding.
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Yes. We keep in touch during your last months of pregnancy, so hopefully, you will have told me of any conditions which could lead you to go into labour early. As long as I’m not out of the country, I will make every effort to support you in person. If you went into labour before you reached 37 weeks, and I’m away, I will offer you remote support if I’m available.
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I only take one client a month to prevent this from happening, and I make sure to stay close by so that I can come to your home to support you in labour when you ask me to.
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See point above.
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He will be confidently being the best birth companion you could wish for! I find that once I arrive, they finally relax and happily hand over the responsibility to me whilst I gently coach them on what they can do. We tag team and work together to support you.
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It doesn’t matter where you give birth, what matters is the continuity of care of having someone who knows you and your wishes and will do their utmost to help you feel positive about your birth and the choices you make. Unfortunately, even private obstetricians and midwives will follow their own beliefs and how they’re used to supporting all the pregnant mums they see. It’s important that you understand the difference between active vs expectant management of care. Depending on how they practice and what they’re used to doing will be how you will also be treated. For example, if they always cut an episiotomy (because they believe it will prevent you tearing) how do you know if you needed it, as you may not have torn anyway (if allowed to birth in a position of your choice, and not instructed to purple push).
Read my blog post on Active vs Expectant Management of Care during Pregnancy and Labour and B’LIEFS
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It’s all down to who you have supporting you on the day. And as you’ll likely experience a shift change, it is a matter of potluck! Some midwives are wonderful at supporting mums’ birth plans and go out of their way to do everything they can for them, others (from my experience mainly those working in labour wards) only get to see high-risk mums and thus don’t have the experience of supporting unmedicated, mother and baby led, physiological birth.
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Yes, unfortunately, it does happen. I’ve witnessed all sorts of coercive language being used to force mums to give in to what is being suggested they do. All too often no explanation is given of the actual benefits or risks of a procedure being suggested, or mum is told she’s not allowed to do something. My sessions with you will teach you how to communicate effectively with any staff, and ensure you know your rights and the role your partner needs to take in such situations.
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Read about sweeps in my blog post - The Truth about Inductions – A Gentle Push to Get Labour
Going or the First Step to A Cascade of Interventions?
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Yes, you can. You can have any intervention and pain relief you want. I make sure that you fully understand the pros and cons of what’s being offered to you so you can make an informed decision about what’s best for you and your baby.
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Here is a very brief and not comprehensive version of what happens. See my blog for the bigger picture. Your baby will be placed on your chest, skin to skin so that they can get used to being here. I will protect your Golden “hour’ so that you and your baby remain undisturbed as your baby slowly starts moving and works their way towards your breast and starts to feed. You will have time to fall in love with your baby. However, you still need to birth the placenta. Once that’s done and your baby has had its’ first feed, the midwives will check you for any tears and repair them there or in theatre if necessary. Your baby will be checked over and weighed after you’ve had your golden “hour”, however long that takes for your baby to have latched on and had a good feed. When you’re ready, and there’s a free bed, you will be transferred to the postnatal ward, or you can go home if you and your baby are doing fine. If you birthed in the Birth Centre, and everything went smoothly, then you can often stay there until you go home.
Postnatal, Breastfeeding & Newborn Life
FAQs
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That’s up to you and whether you think their presence will be comforting, you don’t mind them being around whilst you’re in labour at home, and whether they will give you the time and space you will need to adjust to your new roles, the exhaustion and the whole bonding and getting to know your baby on your own terms that is needed.
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This very much depends on you, the type of birth you had, and how long you have to remain in the hospital after your baby is born. If you have to stay for any medical reasons, then you might want me to start supporting you in those first days whilst you’re still learning to feed and adjust to your baby. This also gives your partner a chance to go home, do the laundry and whatever else needs doing, and have a nap before returning to the hospital refreshed again. Depending on when visitors are allowed, I can even come on the day you give birth and help with the first feeds. If you are discharged either the same day or day after you give birth, then I will come to see you as soon as you’re back home. Working on your baby’s latch, making sure you have lots of skin-to-skin and answering all your questions …
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Yes, I try to work around you and accommodate family visits. As long as I know this in advance, I can plan my days around this and take on other work. I ask that the hours booked as part of the package are used within the first month, but this can be extended to the first 6 weeks. In these circumstances we usually agree that I support you the first 2 weeks to focus on breastfeeding and your recovery, and then once family have left, I come back once more and support you for the remaining sessions.
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Yes, as a certified Breastfeeding Counsellor this is a big part of the support I offer! Most postnatal sessions usually involve me observing at least one or more feeds. Whilst your baby is feeding, or maybe having difficulty latching or your nipples are sore as a result of a poor latch, I will make minor adjustments to your baby’s positioning and attachment at the breast. We also chat about anything that’s happened since my last visit and what may be bothering you in terms of feeding.
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Yes, as a certified Breastfeeding Counsellor this is also something I can help with. It’s so important to know how to prepare formula safety, especially with all the new bottle prep devices on the market, many of which do not explain or offer safe formula preparation. Maintaining your milk supply is very important and I will cover all of this with you.
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This is a big topic to cover here as there are so many factors at play. I will address this in a blog. It is important to know this is a possibility, especially for mums who have an elective caesarean at 39 weeks, before going into labour. Experiencing labour is so important not just for your baby, but also for you. You get all those wonderful mothering hormones being produced (plus many others), and whilst your body has been producing colostrum since your second trimester, it kicks in to another level. Then you need to consider the medications given via your epidural and IV drip and how long they’ve been running for. Babies born via C-section aren’t experiencing all the contractions and hormones of labour, one minute they are happily inside your womb and the next they are out. This can make it difficult and take longer for them to adjust to feeding. Often, they will be taken to the ressuciter for observation before being swaddled up and shown to you, or placed on your upper chest. Some babies will latch on there and then, but this is often delayed. Whilst ideally your baby will have undisturbed skin to skin with you until after they’ve had their first feed, which happens in the first hour or so after birth, they may not get this opportunity with a caesarean birth. I could go on…
How to prevent it happening to you? Book my Positive Caesarean workshop (also included in my caesarean doula support package) and learn all about how you can best prepare for your C-section and get breastfeeding off to the best start.
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Yes, this is quite normal. I see a lot of babies who are so chilled the first 2 weeks. They just sleep and feed, no fuss at all! Then it’s almost like they’re finally waking up and they want to be held all the time (totally normal, this is where they feel safest, warmest and comforted). There are many factors that could be playing into why they won’t settle or why they’re fussy. The first thing I always go back to is how is feeding going, observe a feed and suggest adjustments if necessary. Sometimes baby is uncomfortable as a result of the position they were in labour, how the head was aligned with the pelvis and then I would recommend seeing a Certified Paediatric Osteopath who will be able to release any tension in the head and neck that could be affecting your baby whilst they feed.
Many other things could be causing their discomfort, and through observing your baby, how they feed, and what they’re like after an hour or so. I would come up with suggestions of things we could try to make them more comfortable. Maybe you have a forceful let-down; maybe they are gassy and we need to work out why. There’s lots to consider.
