DOULA SERVICES

Birth Support

Birth Mapping

Tailored in person/virtual support for your pregnancy and birth. This support can be tailored to what fits best for you. We can focus on learning: - birth physiology, - labour and birth practices, - the role of the birth partner and - what you might expect after bub's arrival. We can also hold space for the all the feelings around: - birth or parenting, - birthing after trauma, - pregnancy loss, stillbirth or loss of an infant, - concerns around discrimination, - preparing for a birth different than the one you hoped for, and - providing support to other children who are becoming siblings... In the busyness of life, this is an intentional space centering you. I'll also be on call for two weeks either side of when bub is expected to arrive for phone support and to attend and support you physically and emotionally during your labour and birth. And I'll visit you twice more after baby has arrived to provide support with birth recovery, debriefing and newborn care. Available in person to those birthing in Adelaide, or virtually for folks in other places.

Birth Debriefing

A chance to make sense of your birth experience (including for partners) At any point following your birth or your partner's birth I can provide a face to face or virtual space for re-telling the story of birth, making meaning, reclaiming your agency, attending to trauma and unpacking the social expectations around birth and parenting which might be getting in the way for you. This may be in a single session or across multiple conversations. This service is also available for birth practitioners supporting others' births.

Conception and fertility Support

Virtual or in person support for your infertility or conception journey For many of us, conceiving a baby is not a straightforward project. If you know that natural conception is not an option for you, I can support you to plan for conception, unpack concerns or dilemmas, and talk through pathways (at home insemination, assisted reproduction technology, surrogacy...). I can also provide support throughout your journey, be alongside you for the highs and lows, debriefing, rallying professional and community support. You do not have to go it alone.

Support to talk through and get clear about your birth plan At any point during your pregnancy, we can talk through your concerns and hopes for birth, help you clarify your decisions and options for birth preparation, and foster strong, supportive, communicative relationships with those supporting you. Using Catherine Bell's Birth Mapping framework I can support you to create a comprehensive outline, beyond the traditional birth plan, of what you will need from your care team under any of the possible pathways your birth journey could take. This could be over one or more sessions, in person or virtually via video chat.

Not sure what kind of support you want? No problem. Let's chat!
Get in touch to book a free consultation

CONTACT

WHAT IS A DOULA?

I am a non-medical support person. My role is to provide social, emotional, practical and informational support to families navigating the major transitions of conception, pregnancy, birth and parenting.

Having the support of a doula before or during labour has been proven to

decrease the risk of caesarean section
increase the likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth
reduce the need for medical pain relief
reduce the risk of trauma and dissatisfaction

I will not tell you what you should do, but support you in making the choices that fit best for you and your family.

I will be a sounding board, a safe space for the questions, fears, excitements, and uncertainties. I will be alongside you for the highs and the lows and always believing in you. I am here to support birth partners, siblings and help you rally support in your community. It takes a village.

My practice as a doula is guided by the following values:

Intersectional feminism: acknowledging and attending to the interrelated and overlapping effects of racism, colonisation, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, abelism, ageism, classism and misogyny in reproductive healthcare.

Reproductive justice: supporting everyone's right to choose to not have children (and to access abortion), to have children (and to access equitable, respectful healthcare) and to parent children in a safe and healthy environment.

Respecting the autonomy and expertise of birthing people: you know what's best for your body, baby and family.

Supporting the family as a whole: the wellbeing of the baby or birthing person is interdependent on the wellbeing of all members of the family and everyone deserves to be well supported as they undergo family transitions.

Everyone deserves the right to evidenced based reproductive care and informed decision making.

TESTIMONIALS

Dương Đặng

Honestly, I am not sure how I would have gotten through my pregnancy and birth of my second bub in 2023 without the unwavering support of Zan. I asked Zan to be my doula because I needed a doula who had the skills, ethics and analysis to help me, as a racialised, queer refugee-settler, to navigate the public health systems. They guided me with such care, love and attention during my rollercoaster pregnancy and birth journey. Because we live in seperate cities, I had all of my doula sessions with Zan online. This worked really well - which speaks to Zan’s warmth, relational ways of being, and creative energy. There were so many insights and offerings from Zan that I found useful like their: advice to connect to a student midwife; respect for my agency, advocacy and understandings of hospital systems, skills in helping me through uncertainty and BIG decisions, and audio meditation recording that I listened to during labour and birth! Deep respect and love for Zan’s work.