Doula's

[BabyHaines]

Just to let you ladies know, that I have just started a Doula group, so for anyone considering a Doula, or if you have questions you'd like answered, pop in for a chat!!

Doula's & Birth Partners Group

 

[Rachel_C]

Thank you!

 

[Lu28]

I've passed the link on to a friend who's in training

 

[BabyHaines]

Cheers Lu xx

 

[sjbno1]

I could have done with a Doula - My OH wasnt a great birth partner - not bad but not great, ah well not sure I could afford one next time either

best of luck though BH

 

[Rachel_C]

Are you going to do the whole doula thing? Not sure what the different terms are... I think there are two types - one for during the birth and one who helps you out in the few weeks after you've given birth. Is that right? Will you be doing both?

I'm with Sarah on OH not being a great birth partner. He was so totally out of his depth and felt completely stuck in the middle of me and the midwife. He ended up not doing anything!

 

[BabyHaines]

I'm gonna do both eventually, but I will start with Postanatal Doulaing (the bit afterwards!!) This is for two reasons....
A) George is booby fed and is not yet sleeping through the night, so there's no way I could be called off to a birth and leave him....
B) I had a horrendous time on the recovery ward and immediately after George's birth. I experienced first hand how hard things can be, so would LOVE to help others avoid going through what I went through.

I will be a voluntary Doula to start with, through a local group I'm part of and through my local Children's Centre

 

[BabyHaines]

....and I know what you mean about OH's not being too great!!I was lucky to have my mum too, but next time round, I'd need her to have George and there's no way I could do it without female support - us women need each other....Men just don't get it, do they?! haha xxxx

 

[Rachel_C]

Sounds like a great plan. If I'd have had somebody around to help and to help me make decisons (well, not tell me what to do but to remind me what I'd chosen to do and why), I have no doubt that I'd still be BF now.

I love that you're starting off voluntarily. I can't think of a nicer thing to do for somebody!

 

[Blob]

I'm going on a course to do both bits too Then also doing a BF course and prob will end up as a MW somewhere along the lines

 

[BabyHaines]

Hi Blob that's fab.

Thanks - I am going to do the BFN breastfeeding training too.
I really believe it's important to support new mums. It took me 12 days for my milk to come in, and I nearly gave up sooooo many times. It was only down to the fact I had an awful birth and that I felt I 'had' to feed (to avoid PND IYKWIM) that I even managed to continue xx

 

[Blob]

Yea i had loads of problems at the start of BF and would just love to go into the hospital and help people and then do visits when ever they needed me. I thought that was the hardest thing going home and having no help except when the HV arrived and what good is that?? I want to be on call (when i can) to help out or just give advice over the phone

 

[BabyHaines]

That's the same as me. Sometimes I think you just need someone to tell you everything is ok IYKWIM?? You have so many emotions & hormones flying around, it makes things seem so much worse than they are, don't you think??xx

 

[Blob]

Yea Robin used to just take Tabs away when i was crying and then she was screaming cos she was starving I was just so lucky he was so good really...i was never going to give up but sometimes it was just so hard. But its funny that after a few months its so easy you could feed anywhere upside down anything

 

[Rachel_C]

I really needed somebody to tell me to GET HELP!!! My milk came in ok and Leyla's latch was good and I really liked BF, but she was quite jaundiced and the doctor in the hospital said we either had to supplement with formula or he would put a feeding tube in... I'd been awake for 4 days and nights by then and didn't have the awareness to ask why we couldn't cup or syringe feed her instead, so we started supplementing with a bottle and things went downhill from there. She just gradually took less and less from the breast and more from the bottle and I didn't know what to do, but I was too tired and too embarrassed to ask for help. Biggest regret of my life. If I'd have had somebody round to help I think things would have been a lot different.

 

[BabyHaines]

Oh Rachel *hugs*
We had exactly the same thing. I was just sooooo lucky that G man didn't mind bottle & breast at the time.
It could easily have been that he ended up on formula though. I find it frustrating that I didn't have jaundice explained to me and I had to take George back to the hospital feeling so, so guilty and that the jaundice was all my fault, etc. etc.
Now I know more, but it could easily have been too late xxxx

 

[Rachel_C]

The guilt is horrible! I suppose I should have read up on jaundice - Leyla's dad is Asian which makes it more likely to happen, and then it turned out that our blood is incompatible so my antibodies were breaking down her blood and making it worse. And they just put in Leyla's notes "not enough milk" like it was my fault.

Anyway, I'll know better for next time!

Are you still after books? Are you only after NP type books or all types? Cos I have two - Jo Frost's 'Confident Baby Care' and 'New Babycare' by Miriam Stoppard that you can have if you like?

 

[BabyHaines]

Oooh, yes please!! I'm collecting everything, as I'm sure there's a few mums out there that will benefit.

Thank you xxxx

 

[Blob]

Yea Tabs got Jaundiced but TBH they never even said much i got the oooh she may need to go under lights but that was it

There needs to be so much more help and i dont care if i do it on a voluntary basis i just think it would be great to help people

 

[Rachel_C]

Oooh, yes please!! I'm collecting everything, as I'm sure there's a few mums out there that will benefit.

Thank you xxxx

If you PM me your address, I should be able to post them tomorrow. They're not very NP but they do have some good photos on how to change a nappy etc!

Yea Tabs got Jaundiced but TBH they never even said much i got the oooh she may need to go under lights but that was it

There needs to be so much more help and i dont care if i do it on a voluntary basis i just think it would be great to help people

You're both very inspiring