What is a birth doula?

A birth doula is someone who is there to offer you emotional and physical support and encouragement throughout your labour, to enable you to focus on the job of birthing your baby.

We believe that the majority of women are able and capable of birthing their baby without the need of additional medical support. However, in order to achieve this, they need to feel well supported by their birthing partners, so that they can relax, let go, trust in their body and their instincts, and feel safe. Having people around them who they already know and have built a trusting relationship with, who know their hopes, fears and needs, and who will act as an advocate for them if necessary, can go a long way to enabling women to feel confident to birth their baby in the way that is right for them.

What does a birth doula do?

A doula is there in a supportive capacity. She is not medically trained, and is not there in place of a midwife, but rather works alongside the midwife.
Having a doula present can help the dad or other birth partner to feel more confident to support the mum in a way that most helps her. This can in turn make the partner's experience of the birth more positive. A doula is not there to replace the dad/partner, unless they are not able to be at the birth.
A doula "mothers the mother". She can provide empathy and compassion, having experienced childbirth herself.
A doula can help to explain things that are being suggested by the midwife, if you are not sure what they mean or what the implications are. She does not offer advice, but supports whatever choices you make, having made sure you fully understand your options.
When necessary, a doula can act as your advocate.

What difference can a doula make?

Research has shown that having a birth doula can:

shorten the labour of a first time mother by an average of 2 hours
reduce the need for a Caesarean by 50%
reduce the use of forceps by 40%
decrease the need for pain relief
help new fathers to participate with confidence
increase rates of breastfeeding success

Ref: Mothering the Mother by Klaus, Kennell and Klaus 1993

Having a doula present at your birth can give you peace of mind that someone is there for you, who knows you, your hopes and fears, who can advocate for you and support you, who believes in your ability to birth your baby and who can act as a bridge between you and your medical caregivers if necessary.

What do we offer you?

Within the Birth Baby Balance team, Sarah is the birth doula. We have a range of birth doula packages, depending on what you feel you need. All include meetings before and after the birth, as well as being on call from 37-42 weeks, and being present at the birth itself. During the labour, Sarah is there to provide continuous emotional and physical support for you. There are no shift changes for a doula - she will be there for as long as you need her! Examples of this support include:

Acting as your advocate
Massaging you
Cooling you down with a cold flannel
Helping you to change positions, and suggesting positions and techniques which may help to progress a slow or stalled labour
Using the rebozo scarf either as a comfort measure or as a tool to help a labour to progress
Giving you a hand to hold
Reassuring that all is going well and you are doing great
Explaining any processes that are being suggested/offered and the implications of them
Empowering you and your partner to work effectively together as a team
Providing support for your partner as necessary. Sarah’s presence can allow your partner to take guilt-free breaks when necessary, knowing that you are still being supported.

In 2023 Sarah completed a five month training in bio-mechanics for birth, called the Body Ready Method®. Using these techniques to provide you with a comprehensive assessment in your pregnancy, we can work together to help your body be as well aligned as possible, to give you the best chance of avoiding physical complications in labour. Sarah can also offer you a discount on the online Body Ready Method® exercise programme, if you want to follow that through your pregnancy and/or postnatal recovery.

As an experienced doula who has supported at over 100 births, Sarah is well placed to help you to have a positive birth experience, whatever happens during the labour. Please drop her an email to sarah@birthbabybalance.co.uk if you would like to have a chat to discuss your needs, and decide which package works best for you.

FAQs about having a doula.

What if I don't feel comfortable being naked in front of my doula?

Nobody has to strip off in labour - whether you have a doula or not, you can stay as dressed as you want to. You will have got to know your doula over a number of weeks beforehand, building up trust and understanding, and having a chance to discuss any worries or concerns like this one that you may have. A doula wants to help you to feel at ease and comfortable, so that you can relax and labour well, and she will be sensitive to any feelings of embarrassment you may have.

Will the hospital allow a doula in the room?

All the births I have supported have been very positive about having me there as a doula. Often, in the big hospitals where the staff are very busy, they find it helpful to have someone supporting the mum who has a deep knowledge of the birth process. That way, if the midwife has to leave the room to care for another woman, she knows that the couple won't feel alone, as they have their doula with them.

Can I have a doula at a Caesarean birth?

If the Caesarean is planned, it is worth talking to the hospital in advance to see if they would be happy to have two birth supporters in theatre. Some are, some less so. As this is not an emergency situation, they may be more amenable to the idea than for an unplanned Caesarean.

If a Caesarean becomes necessary during labour, the doula may not be able to join the parents in theatre, as there is not much space. If this happens, she will wait for the parents in the recovery area, and will be there for them when they come out of theatre.

Are doulas medically trained?

Some doulas are also midwives, or retired midwives, but on the whole they are not medically trained. A doula's role is supportive, not clinical. She is not there to offer advice, or make medical decisions, she is there to help the parents understand what their choices and options are, so that they feel well informed. Within the team at Birth Baby Balance, Sarah has no additional medical training, Charlotte is a qualified nurse, and Lucy is a qualified Maternity Care Assistant. Of the three, Sarah has attended the most births as a doula (over 100), so is the most experienced.

Can I have a doula at my home birth?

Yes! Doulas are happy to work wherever the mother wants to have her baby - at home, at a birth centre or in a hospital.

How long will the doula stay with me if I have a protracted labour?

For as long as you want her. Doulas are there to offer continuity of care, and know that birth takes as long as it takes. The shortest time I have supported a mum was two hours, the longest was three days.

Can a doula help during an induction?

Yes! Doulas can help and support whether the labour starts by itself, or requires medical assistance to get it going. Inductions can be challenging, so often a doula's presence is particularly appreciated if the labour is tough.

What happens if I change my mind and decide not to have a doula there on the day?

That's your choice, and the doula will respect it. For me, I require payment in advance to secure the booking, and if someone chooses not to call me after all, I do not offer a refund. This has never happened, though - I think that if a mum wants a doula, then she wants a doula.

What does it cost?

Our prices start at £1500.00. We have three different packages, depending on what you are looking for in terms of support. Please contact me directly, and we can talk through what you are looking for, to help you find the package that best meets your needs: sarah@birthbabybalance.co.uk