Doula Services

A doula is someone who provides emotional, practical and informative support for women and families in the lead up to, during and immediately after childbirth.

I have been working as a doula in Northumberland and the surrounding areas since 2009. I have attended many different births at home, in birthing centres and in hospitals as well as having three of my own babies!

Bringing a child into the world is probably the most important thing we will ever do. There is so much to navigate, both in terms of your own emotional and physical journey as well as learning about the medical care that is offered and understanding our health care system.

Postnatally, I can help with your recovery, offer massage, advice on feeding and caring for your newborn and processing the birth.

Read more about the benefits of having a doula and how the process works below.

Benefits of a doula

Having the care and support of a doula can bring a profound sense of security and safety to both pregnant women and their birth partners and has been proven to help in having a positive birth experience.

The continuity of care you experience with a doula allows you to build a trusting relationship where you can feel confident that you are understood and will always be listened to (with or without words!).

During pregnancy you can draw on as much support as you need with whatever issues might arise for you. For example, we might work with any anxieties, process past experiences, explore your birth preferences, learn about the physiology of birth, explore techniques to cope with labour and discuss ways to navigate the medical system.

I can also show you both birth positions, massage and acupressure techniques for labour and techniques to get the baby in an optimal position.

During your birth, I can provide as much support as you need, from just being a calming presence in the background to being really hands on and offering massage, suggestions for different positions, verbal encouragement, getting snacks, filling a birth pool, advocating for your wishes, helping you to reach decisions and navigate the health care system.

Evidence has shown if a woman can birth in a safe environment that is best for her and feels completely supported by all those around her, she will release all the right hormones helping to cope with labour and have a positive birth experience.

Birth partners can also feel hugely supported by having a doula. The pressure he or she might feel to ‘hold the space’ is shared and any emotional and practical needs can be met.

The presence of a doula can allow the birth partner to focus totally on the birthing woman and give the loving support she and the baby need. A doula takes on a role of empowering both the woman and her partner to fully participate in and to feel in control of their own birthing experience.

How it works

It is up to you how much antenatal support you feel you need, but I would advise at least three antenatal visits (obviously you can have less or more than three if you want, and many people do). These sessions are somewhere between 1-2 hours long. I would advise that at least one (if not all) of these meetings is with your birth partner as well.

I am always available at any time during pregnancy for phone or email support and can refer you to up-to-date research, books and other resources you might need.

I will be on call for you from 38-42 weeks (obviously if your baby wants to be born earlier or later than that I am flexible!). This involves a lot of commitment from me and my family and very occasionally (this has never happened to me yet) something unavoidable might come up like illness or an accident. In this case I usually have a back-up doula who you can meet too so you feel comfortable, safe and supported.

I will attend your birth. We can discuss in depth exactly what you would like from me and I am happy to be as hands on or as hands off as you both feel comfortable with.

I offer one postnatal visit in my basic package, but more are absolutely possible and probably advisable, especially if you are needing help with breastfeeding.

If you would like any massage during your pregnancy and postnatally you can add these on to your package.

Pregnancy massage can really help with birth preparation and relaxation, as well as ease any pregnancy/postnatal aches and pains.

It can be particularly useful if you would like massage during your labour if we have had at least one massage before hand so you have a body memory of the depth of relaxation you can reach in a treatment. Equally, postnatal massage can feel amazing after your body has been through such a huge adjustment and worked so hard.

Costs

Basic package:

3 antenatal and 1 postnatal visits - £60 each = £240
On call = £150
Birth = £450
Research / travel time / fuel / parking fees / admin = £100
Total = £940

Any extra antenatal or postnatal visits are £60 plus a bit extra for travel depending on where you live. (I charge 45p per mile for extra travel beyond Hexham.)

If you would like any pregnancy or postnatal massage, I charge £55 for 1 hour or £65 for a 1.5-hour treatment (plus travel beyond Hexham).

I ask that you pay half the sum when we choose to commit to each other just so I have some security and, if possible, I ask families to pay in full by 38 weeks.

If any of these prices feel unmanageable, I am open to payments in instalments and/or to working on a sliding scale that will fit in with your family. I am fully committed to making this service available to everyone. If you are paying in instalments, you can use your first instalment as your deposit.

If you would like to have an initial meeting to see if you would like me to support you, I can either come to your house or we can meet somewhere. This session is free of charge.

It is an honour to do this work and my commitment is to supporting families.

Client testimonial

"We had five antenatal meetings with Caroline during our first pregnancy in which we built up a lovely relationship and she taught us all about birth. I felt really informed and supported.
"When she arrived at my birth I was able to really let go and follow all her suggestions. She knew just what to do and what I needed. I couldn't have done it without the massage she gave me. It helped so much with the contractions. And when I felt like I couldn’t do it she guided me through with such patience and gentleness.
"She created such a beautiful space and communicated really well with the midwives so I felt we were all a team doing it together. After the birth we processed it all together and she gave us lots of feeding support. The whole experience was so positive and I feel so grateful for having such an experienced doula by our side."

MA, Durham