What is a doula?

A doula is a professional who is trained in childbirth and provides continuous support to a mother before, during and just after birth. Doula comes from a Greek word that means" a woman who serves."

What do doulas actually do?
  • Doulas "mother the mother"
  • Provide emotional support
  • Reassure and comfort the mother continuously
  • Offer evidence based information 
  • Make use of comfort measures: relaxation, breathing, movement, positioning
  • Support a mother and father in becoming informed about various birth choices
  • Help to facilitate communication between the mother and father and their care provider

What do doulas not do?
  • Do not make decisions or advocate for you
  • Do not perform clinical tasks, such as  checking the dilation of the cervix, blood pressure, foetal monitoring, etc.
  • Do not provide medical advice or make any diagnosis
  • They do not speak to the medical staff on your behalf
  • They do not deliver or catch your baby
  • They do not judge you or let their own biases get in the way of caring for you.
  • They do not take over the role of your partner or husband

My Services

What I offer is to first meet with you and discuss your upcoming birth and get to know what kind of support you are looking for. Typically I like to know how you are feeling about your pregnancy, your birth preferences and your caregiver support. This is really a chance to see if we are a good fit and get to know each other a bit . As always, you may ask me any questions about how I support women and their families and any concerns or questions you have about my services, my training, experience in Singapore, and how I support your partner as well. I welcome any questions you or your partner may have. This meeting is without cost and no obligation. 

When we decide to work together we then discuss in more detail how you would like me to best support you both. We can discuss birth plan options, caregiver support, emotional or physical challenges and help support you in finding additional information you may require. I am happy to be there for you thought the duration of the pregnancy and for the 2 weeks before labour begins I am on 24 hour call for you. When labor begins I am available whenever you feel you need me and will stay with you throughout your labor, birth and until you feel settled in with your baby.

My Doula package includes: 
  • ​Two prenatal visits
  • Support for the full duration of your birth, which means from the time you request me to be with you once labor has begun, the duration of the birth and one to two hours after your baby is born.
  • Two postpartum visits
  • I am on call for you 24 hours a day beginning two weeks before the estimated due date and up until the labor begins

​Upon signing the contract for labour support there will be a deposit to hold the date so I can reserve this time for you.
My personal philosophy and how I work as a doula

Pregnancy and birth are a profound rite of passage, not a medical event.

There is no right or wrong way to birth. My goal is to always support the mother and father in the choices they make that are right for them, and with no judgement. I encourage them to make informed choices and ask questions of their care providers, partners and themselves. I like to facilitate discussion and offer handouts with up-to-date research to help them to find out all of their options.

Using the "informed choice" versus "informed consent" model, I hope to open them up to finding their own voice and advocate and empower themselves. In birth, the best person to truly listen to is yourself.
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I encourage women to give birth in awareness and not to achieve a specific birth outcome. This doesn't mean that pregnancy and birth may not have any medical intervention, but that women have the information and support they need to feel they have made the right decisions along the way.
Women and their bodies are strong

I encourage women to listen and trust their bodies and their own intuition. I support them to trust in their bodies ability to birth naturally. If pregnancy is healthy, all women should have the opportunity to discover their inner strength and resources during active birth. If we allow ourselves to experience the strength of our bodies during labour, we can move through the sensations, fears, joys and worries of this rite of passage. Through being present with the experience of birth, rather than looking for a way out we are faced with our deepest selves, powerful, vulnerable and beautiful.

Childbirth and pregnancy is a spiritual process of self-discovery

Pregnancy is lived interconnectedness, an experience of "the oneness of two". Women during pregnancy embody this oneness, though cultivating another life within them. The fear of the unknown, uncertainty, and lack of control are some common concerns for pregnant women. I believe this is a time to connect with our bodies our breath and our thoughts without judgement.
We now need to look deep inside at our core beliefs about birth and challenge our fears so we can move past them and move through this discomfort by just being present.