I have confidence in the birthing process and believe that most women are capable of birthing their babies naturally and safely, given the right amount of education and support.

In Australia though birth continues to become even more medicalised and driven by a technical and clinical system. Caesarian rates are the highest they have ever been and the well known ‘cascade of intervention’ is proving common in many labours. Considering this birthing climate and the range of birthing options available, couples need to choose carefully where they plan to birth their babies if they wish to work towards a normal physiological birth.

Now, more than ever, women are experiencing a need for more support to ensure they feel ‘held’ during their labour, birth and post natal period. It is for this reason that women are choosing to employ a birth attendant/doula for not only private education (and ante-natal care in the case of a midwife), but also to ensure the continuous support of another woman during her birthing journey and into the post natal period.

Whilst I make myself available to support all couples regardless of your choices, I have an undeniable passion for supporting those couples who are willing to experience birth and who are open to exploring the deepest elements of their beings and what their life stories carry with them to their births, to bring forth their babies.

I encourage all couples that I work with to undertake a private childbirth education class with me (aside from their hospital classes), as I have seen firsthand the benefits of this. We are fortunate in Melbourne to have a wide variety of excellent classes to suit every couple and their varied needs, and I am very happy to make recommendations.

Whilst not all couples are working towards a natural and intervention free labour and birth, everyone benefits enormously from listening and learning to the wonderful childbirth and postnatal educators we have access to, for the snippets of information that are relevant to your situation. Gaining valuable information about the important post-natal, breastfeeding and early parenting period before one is in the depths of it, with a babe in arms, is also something that all parents agree is well worth the time to invest in during pregnancy.

As a birth attendant I offer my support so that the expectant family arrives at decisions that they feel comfortable with. My primary goal is to ‘mother the mother’ and in doing so I also quite often support her birth partner. During your birth I cannot speak ‘for you’ but I will do my best to ensure that your voice is heard and respected, and most of all that you feel safe. This is of utmost importance to a labouring woman. I feel that ensuring that a woman feels safe is my strongest calling to this work.

I can guarantee that as your birth attendant I will not impose my own personal choices and ideals onto you, as I am skilled in offering non-judgmental support, with no bias or motivation except to help you have the birth experience you desire, no matter what that entails. I do however usually attract clients who want to work through the full scope of what a normal physiological labour can bring to them as both a woman birthing and as a couple, and I am passionate about supporting clients through that experience. Birth is of course unpredictable in its nature though, and I take pride in my ability to be flexible and respectful to you and your decisions, and take any bends in the road with you that birthing and babies can bring.

I welcome the opportunity to support you and your partner as you embark on this new path to parenthood.