Birth Roots

 
As your Doula I support  you on your amazing path towards birth, and beyond. I bring focused care and nurturing, paying attention to your needs as they emerge.
I am able to help you  plan for the birth you'd like, offer reassurance and practical tips for your birth partner while caring holistically for your family.

With full birth support, I'm able to provide
continuity of care throughout your pregnancy, labour, birth and into post-partum.
I will be available for phone and email contact from the time we decide to work together and I also attend appointments with you, as a support, listener and as an advocate, if needed.

Any information I gather for you will be balanced, well-researched and evidence based,
giving you the best chance of choosing what is right for you and your baby at all stages.

The best tool I bring to a birth space is one of faith and trust in each woman's ability to birth her baby well,
in the knowledge that she is capable, strong and supported by the conditions around her - an enabling environment, her care team,
and the feeling that her birth is unhurried and undisturbed.

You may also benefit from touch - reflexology, acupressure points, or massage.
Rebozo work uses a long piece of material, traditionally a Mexican shawl, to gently massage and
relax the broad round ligaments that support the pelvis, encouraging relaxation, while your body prepares for birth.

I'm able to use homeopathic remedies for birth, assessing your needs and choosing a compatible remedy to promote
your body's own ability to go with the flow of birth, and to aid subsequent healing.

Some of the things having a Doula can help with:

Shorter labour journey
Decrease the chance of Caesarean birth
Reduce epidural requests 
Reduce chances of instrumental delivery 
Decrease the need for pain medication or intervention
Support Fathers to be part of and enjoy their role within the shared birth experience
Increase maternal satisfaction
Initiate successful breastfeeding

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Mothermoon
A  baby is born. A new Mother is born too.

My role as a post partum Doula is primarily one of Mothering the Mother. Gently supporting the transition to parenthood, helping it to unfold smoothly in the days and weeks following birth, while responding to the changing needs within it.
Time taken here to rest recover and nourish oneself is always worthwhile, acknowledging and slowly adjusting, while the whole family  adapt to the new rhythm.

My care will include tending the physical healing that takes place following birth, enabling a nurturing space, while providing focused care, all of which will ease you gently into your Mothermoon.

This may encompass some restorative rest for you, help in preparing nutritious foods, light household duties, healing teas, foot soaks and taking away some responsibilities, enabling you to be with your baby while establishing your preferred feeding choice.
Breastfeeding support is available and signposting to support groups.

Massage may feature, either for relaxation or more specifically centred on the abdomen and womb area, using warming oils and belly wrapping to aid healing.

I carefully consider your emotional health, offering time and space for you to share your birth story, have chance to fully reflect, to process feelings and to be central to all care, knowing that a holistically cared for Mother is more solidly placed to flourish into her new role.

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Birth Doula Package
£750

Initial meeting
Includes 2 antenatal preparation sessions
Unlimited phone and email contact
Access to book library
Free TENS machine
Pregnancy Yoga DVD - BuddhaBellies
Hypnobirthing CDs - Natal Hypnotherapy (Maggie Howells) and Katherine Graves
Belly cast, can be done within an antenatal session, or as an extra
On call 24/7 from 38 weeks-42weeks, longer on call periods can be arranged
Labour and birth support
One postnatal visit
(additional AN and PN visits by arrangement, charger at £20ph)


Post-partum Doula
minimum 2 hours per visit
£20 ph 

For Mother, baby and family, supporting all needs
Mothering the Mother, in a holistic, nurturing and nourishing way

I offer time and focused care so that you are able rest and recover from birth,  giving all the support you need with your feeding method of choice and for you to feel really cared for and considered. This may include looking after baby/other children while you rest, preparing nourishing foods and herbal teas, light household duties or gathering in any shopping needs you may have. Therapeutic care, such as massage, reflexology and relaxation is something I offer too, while throughout all of these things being mindful to protect your emotional health as your hormones settle into this new phase.

You may also like to include belly binding , simple wrapping or more traditional methods, like Bengkung. Both offer physical support to the womb and pelvic area, encouraging blood flow here which promotes healing, encouraging your abdominal muscles back into alignment where it also acts as an emotional 'hold', soothing the now empty womb space where baby once was


Closing the Bones 
£80

Here, pregnancy, birth and Motherhood is deeply acknowledged and held, honouring the physical exchange and importantly her emotional journey too. From being 'open' on all levels, this special ceremony gives time and space for the woman to come back to herself, to draw her energy back inwards for the onwards journey of Mothering

Includes herbal foot soak, massage and closing/sealing of key areas from head to toe, with particular focus on the hip and womb area
Time taken here to integrate your experience, to be nurtured; can be beautifully healing

This can be shared between just the two of us, or may include significant people that are been connected to you and your birth journey


Antenatal One to One Sessions
suggested 2 hours
£40
~ for woman, or with birth partner too

How do you imagine your birth? This is where we begin. Meeting the Mother where she is offers the best beginnings.
Here is your opportunity and dedicated space to consider your journey thus far, this may involve reflecting on a previous birth/s and fully exploring what went well and what didn't, enabling a deep understanding. From here you can move forward with this birth, with full awareness of all the choices available to you and joyfully prepare for the birth you'd like.

These are very helpful for birth partners also, sharing all the ways that they can be connected to the labour and birth of their baby, within their own comfort levels, from practical help, advocacy and emotional reassurance; enabling the experience to be a shared and joyful one

From birthing environment, birth physiology, hormonal interplay, comfort measures, support team to active birth and how brilliantly we are designed to birth our babies; all this and more will help you to prepare for the transformational, sacred rite of passage, that is birth


Birth Art Session

Pregnancy and birth art is a creative and fun way to express feelings, consider your needs and connect with baby moving forwards. It can be a therapeutic tool to reflect on a previous birth that didn't go to plan and also wonderful relaxation as you move through your pregnancy journey.

Depict elements of a previous birth through art, drawing, painting ~ this can sometimes be easier than directly discussing experiences and allows processing to begin 
​Belly cast
Belly art - painting or henna
Labyrinth art

​to gather more information please be in touch
birthrootsuk@gmail.com
payment instalments are welcome, fostering accessible support for all
please note that mileage is charged at 40ppm