Doula

Hi doulas are great for navigating the nhs systems, advocating for you in a vulnerable time and are a great support for continuity of care a minefield tiered maternity system. They support women through home births, midwifery led unit births and consultant lead care. Positive birth experiences are higher when using a doula. They provide up to date information on your care and tailor their approach to meet your needs. Good luck deciding. I'm happy to chat about it, if you need more information send me a DM x

I used one on my first pregnancy and it made all the difference. The midwife team was understaffed and she ensured I got care when I needed it. She was also the main person by my side during each contraction. Her presence seemed to stave off the midwives who were a bit nervous about a few minor things (babies heartbeat was “a bit high” at one point). Baby came quickly and all was well. I definitely recommend if you’re keen for an uninterrupted, unmedicated birth in a birth centre or home.

What a coincidence to see this post while I was about to ask the same thing! I have been looking into some recently since I really felt like it would be worth it, but to be honest, their prices are outrageous and it’s just too much. I would say if you have good earnings, then go for it, I heard many positive stories. Although there are also many stories where some said that it wasn’t worth the money because it didn’t change much for them. I think it’s incredibly hard to say, because it will all depend on who you are, what you want, who the doula is etc.

However the most important thing for me to realise was the reason why exactly I seeked one in the first place. I realised it stemmed from anxiety, from not trusting myself enough. I realised that isn’t a good enough reason for me personally, to spend that much money on it and I would rather spend my time elsewhere, learning about birth to be well educated myself, and working on my mindset. Not saying this is the case with everyone, this is just my personal situation. We all have different reasons for considering one, and if we know what they are and decide that this is the right thing to do, then that is absolutely valid.