Doula Services

On 11 December 2010 our 4th baby was born. His name is Rory and he was born at home in our birth pool, surrounded by his family including three big sisters. We're so blessed to have him!

During 2011, I am available only to attend homebirths within an hour's drive of my home in Warburton. So if you are planning a local-area homebirth, please do contact me.

If you are seeking birth support further afield, for your planned home, birth centre or hospital birth, please scroll down the right-hand side column to find "Seeking a Midwife" and "Seeking a Doula". These private midwives and doulas are wonderful women who are an asset to your birth team. I suggest you chat with several and choose the person you feel most comfortable with.

Please feel free to email  or phone me if you are having any problems finding someone to support you through your pregnancy, birth and post-natal time. I have an email list of midwives and doulas who I recommend and who are available to take clients.

I would also like to introduce to you my new venture:

Blissful Herbs - nurturing herbs for body & soul.

This is a range of herbal bath sachets and herbal teas to add nurture and specialness to every phase of a woman's life cycle, from menarche to the child-bearing years to menopause.

The Post Natal Bliss bath herbs are especially awesome, I used them myself after Rory's birth, they speed the healing, feel so good and smell divine.

Please come and browse!

Also on this site are all kinds of articles and links to inform and support your child-bearing journey, which are free for you to access, print out, and share.

You can find me on Facebook here and here

Details about my doula services here

What does a doula actually do?

Here one of my clients answers the question

Mother Blessing Gift Packs

Do you have someone special in your life who is pregnant and soon to give birth?

Blissful Herbs now offers these beautiful  

'Mother Blessing' Gift Packs.

You can choose which teas and bath herbs you think would suit best.

The $30.00 kit contains:
- 150g of any Blissful Herbs teas or bath herbs
- a bamboo strainer
- a perineal cleansing 'squeezy' bottle
- a motherway card by Carys Press with envelope

(This kit is $38.00 value for $30.00)

The $65.00 kit contains:
- 350g of any Blissful Herbs teas or bath herbs
- bamboo tea strainer
- wood stirrer spoon
- re-usable muslin tea-bag
- perineal cleansing 'squeezy' bottle
- mother blessing card by Carys Press with envelope

(This kit is $78.50 value, for $65.00)

All the herbs come in 50g, 100g and 200g packets - and I can make 25g packets for herbs you don't use so much of, like the After Birth Bliss and the Lotus Birth Bliss.

The beauty of the Mother Blessing packages is that you get to choose which teas, and what amounts, you'd like to make up either 150g ($30 package) or 300g ($65 package) worth.

Examples of teas/bath herbs to make up the 150g or 350g are:

* Mum's Tum - ideal for nausea or heartburn

* Pregnancy Bliss tea - a tonic for throughout the pregnancy

* Pregnancy Bliss bath - a herbal bath for relaxation (comes with an organic, unbleached muslin bag)

* Blessingway Bliss - beautiful petals and herbs for a fragrant foot bath. Contains Calendula, Chamomile, Epsom's Salts, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose Petals & Rose Buds.

* Birth Vibes tea - for the last few weeks of pregnancy, toning and preparing your body for birth

* Birthing Bliss tea - to drink during labour

* After Birth tea - to support a safe Third Stage

* Post Natal Bliss - healing bath herbs - wonderful during post natal healing and safe to take baby in the bath with you (comes with an organic, unbleached muslin bag)

* Lotus Birth Bliss - Herbs & salt for curing the placenta. Contains Lavender, Rosemary, Rose Petals, Sage & Thyme.

* Breastfeeding Bliss tea - to support healthy lactation

An example of the $30 Kit:

50g Post Natal Bliss
50g Breastfeeding Bliss
25g After Birth Bliss
25g Placenta Bliss
= 150g total, plus:
Strainer
Peri Bottle
Mother Blessing card with envelope

An example of the $65 kit:
100g Post Natal Bliss
50g Birthing Bliss
50g Birth Vibes
25g After Birth
25g Placenta Bliss
100g Breastfeeding Bliss
= 350g total, plus:
Strainer
Spoon
Muslin teabag
Peri Bottle
Mother Blessing card with envelope

Plus postage.

*Now these are just examples! Remember: you can choose whichever teas and bath herbs you'd like, to make up 150g or 350g, so have fun choosing your favourites!*

 To order, please email melbournedoula@bigpond.com and provide a postal address.

Miranda's review

This was sent to me by one of the beautiful women I have been honoured to serve during birth. She has given me permission to share it here:

"When I first contacted Julie I was looking for a way to make my upcoming birth easier, less painful and scary. Basically, I saw a Doula as a way to make an unpleasant experience somewhat more tolerable. What I didn't know when I met Julie, was that I wasn't just signing up for a better birth experience, my whole view on birth would change! Julie taught me to view birth as an empowering and special moment that doesn't need to be scary or painful, as well as teaching me about the physical mechanics of birth and labour far more in depth than your usual hospital ante natal classes. I've been able to use that information and changed mindset positively in my own births, and as a friend of other mums-to-be. 

I went into my birth experience with a wealth of knowledge thanks to Julie and knew how I was going to manage my labour. The support when we called Julie to come was amazing too, I was supported and helped to stay on track with my plan, and my husband was given the tools he needed to help me. Julie managed to, as well remind Ryan and I despite the nervous tension and discomfort what a special occasion it was. I will never forget that moment in the hallway when I was leaning on Ryan, rocking gently through a contraction with Julie's voice saying "this is your labour waltz." 

Julie's dedication was amazing as she stayed through the whole night with us, continuing in her support and comfort as the progress of my labour changed from my birth plan to far more medically managed, at no point did Julie feel her job was 'done' because I'd accepted medical pain relief, she stayed providing emotional and mental support, making sure the progress of interventions were informed decisions on my behalf, and that I still retained control of my labour. Unfortunately my birth plan would fully laid aside in favour of a surgical birth (due to a medical condition in my son that we had not known about) but even that potentially traumatic situation was lessened with Julie's wise words, calm energy and big hugs. 

After the birth Julie made sure I still felt proud and accomplished for my beautiful boy, and for the hours and hard work I had put in myself, and helped me to process, without feeling like a failure, what had happened. Come baby number 2, Julie was cheering me on again, with even more information, support and contacts as she helped me track down the information and strength I needed to achieve my VBAC, and my second son was born gently as I planned.

But it's not just been the support during my births that I gained from Julie, it's changed so much in my life. I think about and view birth differently, I talk about it differently with my friends, and I see it as special, exciting and sacred, that birth itself is awesome, not just the new little life afterward. Just recently, I instinctively dropped to my knees in front of a pregnant friend, showing her a deep squat and explaining how her pelvis would move and allow her baby to pass through, as she looked both a little surprised and completely understanding, I understood too. I remembered Julie doing the exact same thing on my lounge room floor during one of our first meetings, and I realised I'm not going to be just that slightly nutty birth crazy friend who uses real terminology relating to birth as casually as I'd run off a shopping list, I'm going to help other women achieve their ideal birth too, the same way Julie helped me achieve mine. 

While I'm not yet a trained Doula, I'm involved with my friends' pregnancies, sharing, listening, teaching where I can, supporting and celebrating. I've recently had the honour of being asked to attend as a support person for my closest friend, something I never would have dreamed of doing, much less being excited about before I met Julie.

Julie's doula services may only number a few days during your pregnancy and birth ... but the blessings and wisdom will last a lifetime. I cannot recommend or thank her enough." 

Sometimes when you are doula you don't always know if your work is having the desired effect, especially if the birth unfolds in a way that is different to what everyone had hoped, and especially if you are concerned that your client might be feeling any degree of trauma. These words help me realise that even when this happens, the continuity of support and care really makes all the difference to the woman and her partner, and the positive effects may even continue on into the next birth. That is tremendously encouraging.

It is wonderful to see that Miranda is really 'paying it forward' by sharing her confidence, experience and knowledge with other women, as well as beginning a doula journey of her own.

Miranda I am so honoured to be your doula - and your friend.

Unassisted Childbirth / Freebirth

Unassisted Birth Explained and why I chose it

The Unassisted Birth / Freebirth page on Facebook 

Stacey's Story - unassisted birth after 5 caesareans - and the baby weighed 10 and a half pounds too.

How to deliver a baby at home - emergency situation
"Try to get her up in a squatting position. This will shorten the birth canal and gravity will work in her favor." 
- Actually I would suggest a kneeling or hands & knees position. Squatting is not always a very easy comfortable position for most women to adopt, though some do take to it. On hands & knees the woman feels grounded and anchored, the pelvis is opened, the tailbone and sacrum can lift and there is least stress on the stretching perineum.
Otherwise this article contains sensible, practical advice. 

Basic Instructions for a Quick or Unassisted Birth by Jenny Blyth 

Letters from Laura - thoughts on unassisted childbirth  - Laura Shanley's blog

Sarah's freebirth with Eleanor