"I decided during my second
pregnancy that I would like to have a doula to help me. My first
pregnancy was obstetrician managed, and while I still had a
positive birth, there were a few things I thought could be
improved upon second time around - and I still wanted to achieve
that natural, drug free, joyous birth I had dreamed of.
I discovered Jen via an ad on the Bub Hub - having a due date
right next to Christmas, I was a bit worried about availability!
But I felt like I bonded with Jen right from that first phone
call, and was delighted that she said she would take me on (with
a backup doula for the days she would be away over Christmas).
Her down-to-earth and practical attitude really stood out, and
this is what really appealed to Andrew especially.
Having had a long labour first time round, I thought a doula
could be an extra pair of hands for Andrew, to give him a bit of
support & backup during another long labour. As it turned out,
my labour ended 30 mins after I reached the hospital - but where
Jen's help was so important was in the preparation for the
birth!
Jen was exactly what I needed at the birth - but even more
so during my late pregnancy. Having had my confidence eroded a
bit with my first birth, just having someone experienced in
birth telling me "you'll do great, you're so confident" and the
like was just invaluable. I wonder just how much of my wonderful
birth experience was due to the fact that this time round I had
no reason to doubt my body's ability to birth naturally - Jen
was always there to bolster my confidence and make me look
forward to the challenge of labour! She listened to my
background, wants and needs, and really shaped her services
around what I needed.
I've heard that being a doula is a calling rather than a career,
and I have no doubt that this applies to Jen. She has a real
gift for this, and will always be part of my cherished memories
of my pregnancy and the wonder of Rachael's birth."
~ Rebecca and Andrew
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A testimonial from the birth of Liam, born 28th November
2008.
"Wow! What an amazing birth
experience! Jen we can’t thank you enough for all your help in
making Liam’s arrival into this world so beautiful.
When I first got pregnant I was very anxious and extremely naive
about the birthing process and thought having a doula at the birth
sounded like a good idea. Little did I know having Jen’s help
throughout the pregnancy and labour would mean so much more than
just having someone else support me at birth. Jen provided me with
the information and resources that gave me the confidence and
knowledge to transform my attitude and thoughts about labour and my
body. By the time I hit the 36 week mark I truly felt empowered for
birth - I was confident, relaxed and ready to have the positive
birth experience I wanted.
In the days leading up to the birth, Jen was regularly in touch
sending me lovely encouraging and positive text messages and the
occasional phone call. I was able to call her anytime with
questions or just for a chat, she even offered to come round and
give me a foot massage! Small things like these , where Jen went
above and beyond, helped make our experience so beautiful and
special.
At the birth, Jen was invaluable for Pete and I. Within minutes of
Jen arriving, she started setting up to make the room as relaxing as
possible by dimming the lights, putting LED candles around the bath,
burning aromatherapy oils and playing relaxing music. Throughout the
labour, she talked to me and prepared me for what I could expect
next. She also massaged me when Pete needed to take a break.
Pete, who initially didn’t think a doula was necessary, said having
Jen there was fantastic and essential. He definitely wants her to be
there again for our next one. Without Jen’s assistance, we
can’t imagine Liam’s birth going so perfectly. I had such an amazing
birth experience allowing Liam to arrive in this world in a calm and
peaceful manner. We are both so pleased Jen was there for us and
hope she can be there for our next one.
Thanks again Jen!"
~ Ilsa and Pete
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A testimonial from the birth of Zander, 25th
September 2008.
"After meeting Jen I knew she was the doula for me - or should I
say, for my husband! I knew they would get along and he wouldn't
feel intimidated or
pushed aside during labour. Jen was ideal as I wanted a "sister"
figure,
rather than a "mother" doula. It was great to raid her valuable
resources
such as books and DVD's, and I knew the birth I wanted to strive for
after
having 2 births resulting in some form of intervention. My husband
was
reluctant at first but after meeting Jen he also said that if I
definitely
wanted a doula "well, she was alright wasn't she", which meant - he
liked her.
Jen was going away to a family wedding on a weekend 2 weeks out from
my due
date. I kept having this weird feeling that my baby would arrive at
that
time - I asked Jen about back-up, and met with Vickie - just in case
(wink,
wink). Well, lucky I did! I was so disappointed that I wouldn't
share the
experience with Jen, but pleased that Jen had arranged a meet and
greet with
Vickie. My waters broke the day Jen was leaving town.
After the birth, even though hundreds of kms away, Jen still sent me
a text
message congratulating us on the birth of our boy.
The weeks preceding labour I was very confident and felt so
supported in my
birth plan by my husband and Jen and I knew they would make a great
team. I
was not fearful at all, and I think all of these factors helped me
achieve
the drug and intervention free birth I had hoped for."
~ Sam and Paul
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A testimonial from the birth of Madeleine, born 16th July 2008.
"I first met Jen when I was only about 8 weeks pregnant, as I had
decided long before getting pregnant that I wanted a doula. We both
connected with her straight away and knew that she would be right
for us. The only thing I really knew though was that they were
birth partners, and I thought having one would be a great support
for my husband during labour, which we both wanted to help him get
through what we thought would be a very new and daunting
experience. I really underestimated just how good she would be for
me though. She was probably the main reason I had such an amazing
birth experience.
From the very beginning she was encouraging me in my beliefs that I
could have a natural birth without drugs or intervention. We had
several meetings where we talked through all of my questions and
concerns and she was so supportive and gave me a wealth of knowledge
from which to draw on, from herself, her experiences and all of the
great resources she provided.
I was almost two weeks overdue and was getting worried about
intervention, and she was there still encouraging and never letting
me lose faith. When I finally went into labour (naturally), she
helped me through the toughest parts and was a fantastic support for
both of us. Through her help and guidance I managed to do the
majority of my labour at home, progressing to 9cm before reaching
the Birth Centre (which was also amazing - I strongly recommend
it). With the help of my midwife, husband and Jen, I had the most
beautiful birth I could have ever wanted, I believed in my body and
what it could do, and our beautiful healthy daughter is a testament
to it all.
Thank you, I can never show you how grateful I am to you that you
allowed me to have everything I wanted for the best birth ever."
~ Kate and Pete
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Testimonials from the birth of Sarah, born 17th March 2008.
"I
first learned of doulas by searching on the web about childbirth.
After having read a bunch of books on childbirth I decided that they
were only good for one thing – making you scared of all the 101
things that could go wrong and didn’t put you in a good frame of
mind at all. So I decided to go searching for a doula, someone who
had experience - where we had none - and someone we felt
comfortable with. After interviewing a few doulas in Canberra we
decided Jen was right for us. I was keen to tap into her
experience and liked the idea of support for both of us, someone who
was there for us, amidst all the medical stuff and hospital staff.
Jen came for a few visits before the birth to our home. It was
really good to have someone to ask questions of (I don’t know about
others, but sometimes you don’t feel confident asking questions in
front of others at a big class) in the weeks leading up to the
birth. Discussing the stages of labour with Jen and the
different methods and tools available to you to work through the
stages of labour was excellent preparation for the event. It made me
feel more relaxed before the birth and during the birth thinking
through the different ways to relieve pain and stay focused. In the
weeks leading up to the birth I felt relaxed about it all and I
attribute this to the preparation with Jen.
On the day Jen was great! It was a long and difficult birth
with a range of complicating factors and I cannot speak highly
enough of the importance of having Jen in the room for both of
us. It was really invaluable to me to have her encouragement
throughout the whole time (and the massages!) and I felt reassured
by her presence – it was good to have someone who was there to
support us exclusively, encouraged us both, suggested different ways
of relieving the pain, discussed the options with us and who
respected our decisions.
Jen was also really good and understanding (throughout our
meetings and at the birth) in helping us both through the birth. I
think this is something really important – both my husband and I are
the parents, I just happen to be the one doing the hard physical
labour and we always wanted both of us to be actively involved.
Jen understood and supported us in that. At all times, she
supported both Jason and I . Jen also provided us with heaps
of resources like books and DVDs about childbirth but also about
babies – the latter of which were great in the first weeks at home
learning what to do! Thanks Jen, I’m truly not sure what we
would have done without you!"
~ Jennifer
"As a first-time Dad, I was very nervous about what my
wife would have to go through when giving birth. Jen was
extremely knowledgeable and supportive in the lead-up to the birth
and this helped my wife and myself become far more prepared and
in-control.
On the day, our labour was long and difficult. Having Jen with
us was a real blessing. She was a great comfort for my wife and was
also able to give us the knowledge we needed to make good decisions
despite being extremely tired and stressed.
Our main midwife was very negative about the role of dads and tried
to exclude me from decision-making. Jen was very supportive of
me and the role dads play in labour and really helped me support my
wife. I would strongly recommend Jen to any soon-to-be
father. She was truly wonderful."
~ Jason
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A testimonial from the birth of Imogen, born 17th January
2008.
"I first heard of Jen on the internet through my inquisitiveness of
what a doula actually does. Her beautiful website made me decide I
would like to meet her to see if she was what I was looking for in a
doula. My partner, Luke, was wary due to him never having heard of a
doula before, but he said he would give it a go.
Jen's first visit confirmed that we had done the right thing; Jen
was level-headed, easy going, informative and really listened to
what we had to say.
From then on Jen came over regularly every few weeks and we built up
not only a good understanding of birth but also a good friendship.
Jen's answers to our questions were always to let us know what she
knew and then would let us make our own decisions. She never thrust
on us her ideas on how birth should be but tried to help us work
towards the birth we wanted. By the end of our meetings I felt
confident about the coming birth and knew that I had a great support
in Jen.
During the birth Jen was a quiet help, being nearby and ready to
support whenever we needed her. Luke was my main support person and
was absolutely fantastic; Jen helped Luke to support me and he
commented later that during the birth he was never scared or
nervous. The best way I could describe the birth is us, myself,
Luke, our baby and Jen, working quietly and calmly as a team,
knowing what we all needed to do.
After Immy was born, Jen took some beautiful pictures, made sure we
were all ok and then left us to relax and be with family.
Jen was a blessing to us, having put in alot of effort, time and
thought. We have the utmost respect for her and on the day of Immy's
birth Luke decided he would like to have Jen back again for the next
baby! Jen's support allowed us to have a beautiful experience of
birth and a great start to Imogen's life."
~ Tivoli and Luke
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A testimonial from the birth of Raine, born 28th December
2007.
"Being a nurse, I thought I was pretty ready for labour. Boy,
was I wrong! During my pregnancy, Jen and I had spoken about what
type of birth I wanted and the pain relief I wanted to use; from the
start I had said that when the pain got too bad I wanted an
epidural. Jen was happy to go along with anything that I wanted; she
did not try and push her own values onto me.
I felt having Jen there throughout my labour helped keep me calm and
focused and helped me get through each contraction. It was also
lovely getting my back massaged through the strong contractions.
When the pain got too intense for me and I felt that I couldn't go
on, I said I wanted an epidural. I was having my baby in a hospital
that prides itself on natural birth, so I felt that I had to try and
really push to get the epidural I had asked for. Jen helped with
explaining to the nurse that this was something that we had spoken
about and that I had said I probably would want.
While waiting for the epidural I had had enough and wanted to go
home; having Jen there to help calm the situation was helpful not
just for me and my husband but I think the nurse was happy as well!
After having the epidural, I felt nothing - no pain and no
contractions. I was then able to start enjoying the
experience.
Jen took pictures throughout the labour which is something we will
always treasure. Thankyou, Jen, for being involved throughout our
pregnancy and labour. We would highly recommend you to anyone having
a baby! Good luck in the future."
~ Erin and Jay
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Testimonials from the birth of Eli, born 21st November 2007.
"I first met Jen 29 weeks into my pregnancy. I had
little knowledge about labour and birth and was feeling quite
apprehensive about the whole thing. Right from our first meeting, I
felt incredibly reassured by Jen's confidence in women's ability to
give birth calmly and naturally.
Over the following weeks of my pregnancy Jen met with me numerous
times. We quickly developed a bond and I knew that I wanted her to
be with me for the birth of my baby.
She provided me with resources about the birthing process, including
books and DVDs, which gave me the knowledge I needed to feel
prepared and empowered for birth.
She was always available for a chat if I needed to call her. I found
this especially important in the final weeks of my pregnancy.
When it came to the actual birth, Jen was an angel. She never left
my side from when I first started experiencing contractions to Eli's
arrival, more than 24 hours later.
There were many times during the labour when I didn't think I could
go on. Jen's gentle support and encouragement calmed and reassured
me. Her physical support was also fantastic, helping me to shower,
change and move about during labour.
I am so grateful to Jen for everything she did for me throughout the
last weeks of my pregnancy and especially during labour and Eli's
wonderful birth. She is an amazing doula and I wish her well as she
continues to offer wisdom, guidance and support to other expectant
mothers, fathers and families."
~ Emma
"We are deeply grateful for the wonderful encouragement, assistance
and personal attention Jen gave to Emma during her pregnancy, the
birth of Eli, and the days following this experience. Her care,
kindness and friendship mean such a lot to Emma. We wish her well.
Thankyou, Jen!"
~ Beth & Alf (Granny & Pa to Eli - Emma's parents)
