Introducing some of the newest members of our Ideal Birth family ...
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Our overwhelming memories of the birth of our son are magical. There is no doubt in our minds, that without Cheryl, the outcome would have been very different. Cheryl worked incredibly hard with us from the outset, to support the birth we desired. We were very keen to try for a vaginal birth as our daughter was delivered by c-section as she was breech. I had a lot of complex health issues to take into account. In addition to this, due to COVID, the hospital enforced a 1 support person only rule in the birth suite. Cheryl was completely un-phased by all these factors! In fact she thrives when challenges are presented. She fought the hospital stipulation and quite remarkably, overturned it and was given special dispensation to attend our birth. It was always very clear to us how passionate and determined Cheryl is about supporting and empowering not only women, but their partners, but this was on a different level - Cheryl for PM!!! Her support and guidance on the run up to the birth was invaluable and without it, I would potentially have been induced, had an epidural and without doubt, would have had another c-section.
Cheryl gave us:
• the confidence to stick to our intended plan, safe in the knowledge that we weren't taking unnecessary risks
• provided a wealth of knowledge on pain relief, in order to focus our efforts on those that were most effective and would assist our birth plan
• kept us in the moment and gave us the best emotional support possible
• worked seamlessly with hospital staff to provide a calm and relaxed environment
• worked with staff to give us the best opportunity to deliver unassisted.
I think it’s very telling how much respect the hospital staff had for Cheryl. She knows her stuff inside out, she’s caring, compassionate and on top of this she made me laugh a lot! Personally I think it’s unfair to expect a partner to take on a role they have no training in - it’s a huge event for them too - and because of that my husband and I are in complete agreement that we absolutely could not have had the birth we wanted without Cheryl.
The after care has been outstanding too. Cheryl has linked us up with industry experts and has been a phone call away for any questions.
Cheryl you’re formidable and amazing. THANK YOU xx
We first reached out to Cheryl because we had a challenging start to our pregnancy journey after a period of uncertainty about the health of our baby. After confirmation that everything was ok, we were left with a large amount of fear about labour and birth. We had a need for a Doula who could provide us tailored care, understanding and support and help prepare us for the birth of our son. Cheryl delivered on all of these points and more.
Her sessions pre- birth were empowering and insightful and prepped us well for the big event. Cheryl was always available for any questions both pre and post birth, especially beneficial as we got closer to our due date. On the day Cheryl was a major support for our family and it made us feel more at ease knowing we had an extra member of our team with a huge wealth of knowledge. None of us could have imagined we would be giving birth in the middle of a pandemic, with restrictions ramping up prior to delivery adding more anxiety to our journey.
Cheryl helped us adapt to this new situation and our birth plan as well as execute this on the day and was a great liaison with the hospital staff. We had a wonderful and positive birth experience and delivered a beautiful healthy baby boy.
I couldn't recommend Cheryl enough and cannot imagine what our journey would have looked like without her. Thank you Cheryl!
Being a first time mum I was nervous about pregnancy, birth and postpartum and I wanted to surround myself with support, I didn't want my needs to be put aside or not focused on until the last minute. Having Cheryl as our Doula meant that I had peace of mind that I had put myself first and that I had support at my fingertips.
Cheryl's visit were a great opportunity to get my partner involved and well informed with everything, they were a great time to check in.
One of the main reasons we hired Cheryl was for natural labour support but like so many births things didn't go to plan. At 36 weeks we were told that a natural birth would put me and bub at risk, we were in a bit of shock and our obstetrician was wanting to do a c-section the following week. We were definitely not ready for it to be so soon and I had just finished work. Cheryl provided great support and helped us feel comfortable with our birth decision and gave us confidence that it was our decision and that timing wise we could regain some control. She never pushed certain views on to us and we felt supported in our decision.
We had our beautiful baby boy via c-section at 38 weeks and we feel and felt great about our decision.
Cheryl meet us at the hospital prior to the birth and helped ease our minds and create a bit of excitement in what can feel a surreal time. She was also in recovery with us and helped guide feeding and was quick with congratulations. She also stayed with us for an hour or so once we got back to our room, which for first time parents you are left with a bit of a "what now" feeling, so she really helped with that transition.
Post support, Cheryl makes some mean lactation cookies! and it was great to have her visit and also to check in regularly and ask all those "is this normal" questions.
All in all we loved having Cheryl as our Doula and believe she was instrumental in a positive birth outcome.
My husband and I are new to QLD with no local family support. Cheryl brought with her not only great knowledge but a genuine invested interest into our lives and approach to birth. We had very clear objectives in mind of how we wanted the birth and postnatal path to go, which was to be as natural as possible.
Cheryl not only held the same values but gave us such great tools, that our birth plan came to the fore. We’ve come to see her not just as a doula but as a very important part of our family! She was instrumental in bringing our beautiful daughter to us and for that we’re forever grateful.
Thank you Cheryl,
Olivia, Ben and Esmae February 2020
When pregnant with my second child, my husband and I decided we wanted a VBAC after a traumatic birth with my first child. VBAC means vaginal birth after caesarean.
To give ourselves the best chance of success, we decided to hire a doula. Cheryl was an easy choice with her qualifications and decades of experience, as well as her familiarity with the Brisbane hospitals and her genuine caring manner.
I experienced a great deal of anxiety about birth in third trimester. My baby was tracking as quite large and there was a lot of pressure from the obstetrician to either induce early or, preferably, have an elective Caesarean. I would have caved to the pressure if I didn't have Cheryl. She stayed in daily contact as I approached my due date, and dealt with many panicked texts and phone calls. She was the voice of calm and reason when I needed it most.
When I went into labour, Cheryl beat us to the hospital and provided invaluable practical support. She worked seamlessly in the background to provide my husband and I the privacy "bubble" we desired. My second child was born vaginally with no epidural and no interventions, weighing 4.77kg, with a head circumference of 37.4cm. I have no doubt that it would have been a different outcome without Cheryl. She really did help us to achieve our ideal birth.
Someone asked me if having Cheryl was worth it. My response was, "you would have a hard time convincing me to go through childbirth again without her." Her knowledge and contacts were invaluable in the months leading up to the big day but when we got to the hospital she gave me the confidence to be able to focus on my wife and know that if I had forgotten some small detail, she would take care of it. I have no doubt that had we not secured Cheryl's services we would not have had the birth experience my wife so badly wanted. Thanks to her it could not have gone me better. In my opinion, everyone needs an Ideal Birth.
“ I am so proud of the work I did to birth our children and I fully credit Cheryl's support for ensuring that these births were all that I wanted them to be. ”
Bronwyn
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.
