“I can’t emphasise what a massive support Mary was to us during the birth and she in no way stole my thunder. If anything Mary freed me up to enjoy the birth of our son and take on the role of supportive father. In addition, the fact that the birth was gruelling and long made Mary’s presence even more important.”
The birth doulas we represent are highly trained and passionate. They have all undertaken professional training with a reputable organisation and many have other areas of expertise. All Doulas involved with DoulaCare Ireland are insured and work under a strict code of ethics with passion and professionalism. We have hand picked Doulas for their enthusiasm, empathy and work ethic. We offer Doulas with many personalities to ensure each family can find the right match for them.
Birth Doulas are there to provide you with physical, emotional and educational support throughout your pregnancy and will be there alongside you and your birth partner as you have your baby.
They are committed to providing non-biased, evidence-based information should you require it and are there to support you during your labour to have a positive birth experience.
A doula is there to support you and your birth partner with your choices. They will in no way take over and tell you what you should do; they provide non-biased and evidence-based information so that you can make informed decisions every step of the way
Often the woman’s birth partner will worry that if the couple hire a doula they will be left out. However, in our experience, doulas can be a fantastic resource for your birth partner as well. They can support and guide your partner offering them knowledge, information and tools to help you during your labour. They can also enable your partner to take a break - even just to go to the toilet or get some food.
“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.”
A doula can attend your birth in a hospital or home setting. Normally yourself and your birth partner will meet with your doula once or twice during your pregnancy to help you write up your birth plan, go over comfort techniques with you, or provide birth preparation - depending on your individual needs. With these visits, couples can chat about what their ideal birth would be or any fears they may have. These visits are also a chance to talk about the benefits and risks of different options that can be offered to a couple during the birth. When labour begins, while a doula cannot speak up for the couple, they are able to remind them of the discussions during pregnancy so that the couples can make an informed decision on the day.
From 37 weeks on, your doula will be on-call for you and when you go into labour is there to support you until your baby arrives. During this time the doula will be at the end of the phone day or night if needed. When labour begins the Mum usually calls the doula when she feels she needs that extra support - usually when labour is becoming more intense. A doula will reassure the Mum and her partner, remind her how great she is doing, offer physical comfort measures to Mum to help her manage her labour, remind her to eat and drink, help her partner to support her and a myriad of other supports. Often women think that since they are hoping for an epidural that they will not need a doula. However, a doula can be a great support with an epidural as well. They are there to keep Mum company if their partner needs to take a break or if Mum is feeling anxious, they also have tools such as the peanut ball which can help reduce the rate of Caesarean births that can increase with having an epidural. Depending on the package you choose, after your baby is born there will be postnatal visits offered by your doula, and some women choose to hire a post-partum doula to help them postnatally as well.
Contact us today and let us introduce you to your perfect doula and the perfect birth package for you: info@doulacare.ie