Continuum Birth Doula
Continuum Birth Doula are people specially trained to give emotional and practical support during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal period, supporting the whole family, leading to more satisfying and empowered experiences.
Working with Doulas often leads to a decrease in interventions, caesareans, postnatal depression and birth trauma, whilst supporting all round greater satisfaction from the whole family. Mothers experience more spontaneous, shorter labours and an increase in breastfeeding rates.
Continuum Birth Doula are non medical professionals – they do not advise, but can support families to find the balanced information relative to their care, supporting informed decision making and informed consent.
More and more women and couples in the UK are choosing to have Doula support
Read to find out the Continuum Birth Doula Movement!
Working with Doulas often leads to a decrease in interventions, caesareans, postnatal depression and birth trauma
Continuum Doulas work to a new model of Doulaing.
Traditional Doulas will meet with you 2 or 3 times before the birth and once or twice afterwards.
Continuum Doulas are committed to offering around 6 antenatal visits, attendance of the client’s birth and 6 postnatal visits.
During the pregnancy, a Continuum Doula may support parents during the birth by:
- Getting to know the families well, including siblings & pets! Making sure everyone is valued. They commit to building a close, trusting relationship
- Sharing lots of food, drinking tea and cake
- Looking at what labour and birth might look like for the families individual circumstances
- Exploring birthing preferences – explaining terminology
- Creating positive birth affirmation flags/images
- Attending midwifery or hospital appointments with clients
- Listening to hopes and fears – having dedicated, unrushed time for the clients
- Supporting families to create a postnatal wellness plan, where everyone is important
- Signposting them to up to date, evidence based information
These meetings are normally spaced out throughout the pregnancy with meetings that are allocated before and on the client’s estimated due date. Continuum Doulas also have meetings in the post dates period offering reassurance, guidance and signposting.
During the birth, a Continuum Doula may support parents by: offering continuity of care and trusted reliability – staying with clients throughout their birth (including transfer if required). This may include:
- Ensuring the birth partner is involved to their personal level of preference
- Taking care of the birth partner, siblings and family members if required
- Attending in early labour if required
- Supporting the partner/family to feel involved or to rest
- Being an extra set of hands, ears and eyes
- Setting up and keeping the birth space calm, serving food and drinks
- Helping to support dialogue between families and health care providers
- Using lots of ‘tricks’ from their Doula Bag!
- Staying with the family until they are showered, all tucked up and fed
- A Continuum Doula may support parents in the postnatal period by:
- Coming for a short visit within 24-hours of the birth for feeding support and reassurance
- Coming for a short visit again on day 3 or 4
- Coming then more regularly (with flexibility) for around the first six weeks
- Listening without bias or judgement and supporting the client’s unique parenting style
- Light housework
- Accompanying families on their first outings
- Bringing or preparing lunch in the client’s home
- Holding the baby whilst the client showers, eats or rests
- Supporting the back to work and/or sibling transitions
- Signposting families to local health care professionals, groups and support networks
- Supporting families to have the healthiest possible transition to parenthood in body and mind
