Emma and Jack: Why we chose a doula for our first birth
Siobhan Ridley
“You can’t get too much support, care and love when it comes to birth.”
GUEST POST from Emma and Jack
It’s day 4 of World Doula Week and to celebrate, first time parents Emma and Jack share why they chose to a doula and what that extra support brought to their birthing experience.
As Phoebe was our first child, we just assumed that a home birth couldn’t possibly be an option. After meeting our wonderful hypnobirthing instructor, Siobhán, she made us aware of our options and gave us the confidence to birth from home.
My environment is so important to me, so the idea that we would be able to birth at home using the hypnobirthing skills we had learnt was amazing. We formed a very close attachment to Siobhan through the hypnobirthing sessions and when we found out that she also offered doula services, we couldn’t believe our luck!
“She was there every time we needed her but was never over-bearing”
Having Siobhán at the birth was amazing. She was the perfect blend between an experienced birthing professional and a caring, calming friend. She was there every time we needed her but was never over-bearing. She was brilliant at ensuring our birth plan was followed, creating a calm space and letting us know important information from the midwives in a way that we felt was gentle.
At the start of our pregnancy, we never thought it would be possible to have such a wonderful home birth but we know that we couldn’t have done it without our amazing doula. Having Siobhán there to look after whatever we needed whilst Jack focussed on supporting me was absolutely invaluable. No job was too big or too small for her and it just felt like having a friend or family member there who you trusted implicitly but without the emotional distraction.
We wouldn’t hesitate to use a doula again and would strongly recommend anyone who is thinking about using one. You can’t get too much support, care and love when it comes to birth.
To find out more about my doula services click here: PREGNANCY DOULA, BIRTH DOULA
Visit my profile on Doula UK HERE
Check out NORFOLK DOULAS to meet the cuddle of local doulas