Meet Anna June
Born 18 January 2012
By Danelle & Pete
A note from Dad:
Having a doula is a great thing to do, I found her presence to be calming and reassuring throughout the birth. When Cherie came in she took control of the situation, she was efficient and business like, she brought in relaxation music which was excellent. She is a lovely person who is genuinely concerned about the needs of the birthing mother and expectant father. We were very fortunate to have her with us at this special moment.
Pete
A story from mum:
I was 32 when I found out I was pregnant, which had given me plenty of time to hear the birth horror stories of others. In essence I was scared of childbirth, the pain, the unknown, the endless hours of contractions, episiotomies, stitches, to name but a few. Childbirth was something ‘natural mothers’ talked about over morning tea, not something I could ever imagine myself doing.
In order to prepare myself I read a few books about childbirth, and I kept coming across doula’s, and their role in the childbirth process. I had never heard of a doula before, but the more I read about them, the more essential I came to see of their role in the childbirth process. Someone who was there solely to focus on me, my needs, my comfort, my wellbeing. Not a midwife or obstetrician who focus on delivering the baby (and rightly so), but someone entirely dedicated to taking care of me. Research had also indicated that having a doula present at childbirth decreased the incidence of caesareans, epidurals, forceps and vacuum assistance, and reduced the average time of labour.
After reading and finding out about doula’s, the question was not ‘Did I want a doula present at childbirth’ but rather ‘Who wouldn’t want a doula present at childbirth?’
I came across Cherie via the Launceston Birth Centre website (I had my baby at the LGH). After I contacted her via email we met for lunch and I ‘hired’ her! We met three or four times prior to birth, and one of those visits was at home with my husband. Cherie was a fountain of knowledge regarding every aspect of childbirth, as well as having a broad collection of books and DVD’s which were handy to borrow. Knowing she would be present at childbirth certainly provided a comfort to me, and over the sessions with Cherie I began to realise that childbirth might not be the horror I was expecting.
When I finally went into labour and started having contractions in the evening, I rang Cherie a couple of times over the course of a few hours, and she was calm and reassuring. We finally ended up meeting up at the hospital after midnight! Cherie was fantastic from that point forward. She set herself up having brought some music and gentle lighting, and was incredibly supportive. Just her presence in the room was like having a guardian angel watch over events to make sure they were going OK. I felt like I could just go with the flow and didn’t have to be ‘with it’ to answer to anyone, as Cherie had my interests in hand when it came to the hospital staff and my birth plan. Cherie worked wonders for my husband as well. He was away from home and had to drive for two hours to meet me at the hospital, and he was quite anxious and stressed when he arrived, however having Cherie present calmed him down, as well as relieving him from being the primary support person. Cherie not only supported me, but also my husband, with gentle suggestions about what I might like (eg. glass of water) so that he felt he was being of some value. With my husband taken care of I could just get on with childbirth without worrying about how he was coping!
As it turned out, childbirth was not the horror I was expecting. Yes it was painful but not unbearable, as I felt well prepared about what to expect. Cherie certainly had a big role to play in that regard. As for the advantages of having a doula present at childbirth, I didn’t have an epidural or caesarean, didn’t require forceps or vacuum assistance, and ended up pushing her out the old fashioned way with a relatively short labour for my first baby (about 8-9 hours)! Yes I acknowledge that all these things may have occurred whether I had Cherie present or not, but I felt it was more than luck that it turned out that way. Having Cherie present was certainly an advantage, and I recommend anyone who is remotely interested in having a doula present at childbirth should contact Cherie and find out for themselves.
Danelle