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.
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.
