Introducing some of the newest members of our Ideal Birth family ...
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Cheryl is an amazing doula!
I've benefited from her services for all 3 of my pregnancies and births.
She's professional, incredibly knowledgeable and provides emotional and physical support along the whole journey.... From antenatal education, to working closely with your treating team and encouraging them to follow your birth plan and advocating for your choices, to gently offering water to sip in between surges, providing (the all to often ignored) Dad support, helping you to dress after you're exhausted from labour or giving you a lasagne after your home!
Cheryl's known in the field as one of, if not the best doulas in Brisbane, with Obstetricians and midwives happy to work alongside her.
I would highly recommend Cheryl Sheriff to any soon-to-be parents seeking their ideal birth!
Cheryl provided us with the knowledge and information to make us feel confident and excited for the birth of our baby. We had planned for a calm water birth, but events took an unplanned change of direction! Instead of being stressed about this, with Cheryl's assistance I was able to remain calm and positive - resulting in a birth which although wasn't as planned, was just as wonderful. A few days after the birth I felt disappointed and worried that I had let down my baby by not achieving the birth we had planned for. Cheryl's postnatal care was just as valuable and we talked through the birth. I now realise that this was a ridiculous thought, and whilst things did not go to plan, that our beautiful, healthy baby boy Chester is all we could have wished for and I'm proud of myself. If (hopefully when) we have another baby, I would love for Cheryl to be there again to empower me with the confidence to achieve another amazing birth.
Don't give birth without Cheryl! As said below, after having Cheryl as my doula I couldn't agree more. Her care and support throughout my pregnancy 100% contributed to my amazing, positive first birth. I was confident and in control, had a natural, unassisted Hypnobirth. I am an emotional person and the extra support really helped me. Cheryl and Selena were in tune with my needs. Cheryl's back up doulas are wonderful and she has truly picked women who embody her vision of positive and supportive birthing.
Thank you Cheryl for helping me achieve a wonderful experience- 7 weeks pp and I still feel so empowered. You are amazing and a true inspiration.
“When I remember the birth of my baby boy, Liam, I continue to find myself still in the moment with an overwhelming feeling of awe. The phrases that come to mind are respected, undisturbed, quiet, calm, extremely intense, in the present moment, positive, educated, informed supported, deeply cared for, confidence in my body... and I can go on and on. In summary, I will forever remember my birthing experience as one of the most awe-inspiring and positive experiences of my life. I know that this is sadly not common and that the majority of woman giving birth in our risk-adverse healthcare system of today are left feeling less than positive and frequently emotions and memories quite opposite to mine.
I attribute 100% of our experience to having Cheryl by our side during my pregnancy, birth and early days of Liam's life. Cheryl's caring nature and wealth of experience provided us with the information we needed to make educated decisions about my healthcare and birthing options and rights about accepting or declining certain medical options or interventions offered. In addition, Cheryl's guidance of my husband's role in the whole process was invaluable. Not only did he feel much more included in the process, being informed meant he was calmer and prepared for the whole experience (as much as one can ever be of course!).
Once we got home with Liam, as new parents we definitely had that "dear in the headlights" look and we cannot thank Cheryl enough for being there for us from helping us with Liam's first bath to the kind reassuring words that we were doing all the right things and that all the things we were freaking out about were normal (yes, I have learnt MOST things are in fact normal when it comes to newborn babies!). And if that was not enough, Cheryl's kindness also included a nourishing meal of the yummiest lasagne and a gift to top everything off!
I don't know (and certainly don't want to find out) how I would ever have done this without Cheryl as part of our team.”
"If someone had said to me at the start of my pregnancy that I would be having a natural birth experience, I never would have believed them. But with Cheryl's support, resources and guidance I went from thinking I might be able to do this naturally, to bring it on - I've got this. I also felt completely confident that if things didn't go as planned (because you can really only plan so much) I would be able to handle it calmly. On the day I was very fortunate to have everything go as I had imagined, a quick (but strong), spontaneous and smooth delivery. Whenever I think back on my labour I smile and I feel proud of what my body did and how well I mentally dealt with it, as well as proud of my husband who was so supportive. None of this happened by chance; it was months of preparation and 100% due to Cheryl being part of my team. I never felt like this was a one woman show, and that counts for everything. Leading up to the birth of a baby we can spend so much money on material things; I'm glad we didn't and instead invested in Cheryl's service to help us have an amazing start for our little family - because really what's more important than that. Xavier, Marcus and I will be forever grateful"
"Cheryl was amazing. She came to our house while I was in active labour and helped me with different positions, breathing techniques and massage. Cheryl's light massage was so wonderful and calming - her hands are worth her fee alone! With Cheryl's help, we were able to stay home much longer and I was already 7cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital. Cheryl was also of invaluable assistance when we were at the hospital - she was able to do various practical things like opening doors and communicating with hospital staff, while I held onto my husband and just breathed through each contraction. In the birth suite, I was unlucky with the midwife allocated to me but Cheryl was fantastic. I was able to just listen to her and ignore the midwife. In the end I had the exact birth I had hoped for - a natural vaginal delivery with no epidural. I have no doubt my birth outcome would have been very different if Cheryl had not been there.
Cheryl also gave us wonderful pre- and postpartum care. While I was pregnant she met with us several times and gave us very helpful advice on various things including baby positioning. I followed her advice and my baby stayed in an ideal position. She also visited us after the birth and it was lovely seeing her again.
I wouldn't give birth in a hospital without Cheryl and will definitely be contacting her when we (hopefully!) have Baby Number Two. Cheryl is a credit to her profession and really will give you the "Ideal Birth".
“ Cheryl, thank you so much for listening, preparing, and providing Bec and I with the strength to birth naturally. What an amazing experience. ”
Daniel, Bec, and ... of course Charley
Give yourself the best chance of a positive birth in a hospital setting. A new book by one of Australias leading doulas, Cheryl Sheriff.
Sharing wisdom from her 30 years experience as a midwife and doula, and her presence at over 1000 hospital births.
After reading this book you will have more direction, and feel confident, excited and less daunted by the experiences to come.
