Doula Service
Pregnancy is a wonderful time where the divine is made flesh within us. We grow round and ripe like fruit of the vine. Pregnancy is the creation of a new life path, that of motherhood. A new life is created within and an old life falls away. This is often not acknowledged. As the door closes on 'maiden' life the door to the motherland opens. It has to be that way. We do not get to stay the same when we experience a pregnancy and child birth. We are changed forever as we 'die' to our former selves and become mothers.
Pregnancy also changes a relationship between two people from that as lovers or friends or partners to relating as parents. Together we become guardians of a new soul and govern all of this young one's experiences for many years to follow.
Pregnancy is the doorway between the life of the maiden and the life of the mother. It is a time of preparation, letting go and planning for a whole new person to enter yourself, your life and your relationship. It is also the end of the single and carefree autonomous lifestyle. After a child is born a woman and her partner will focus on the care of their new infant with intense love and devotion. The cares of life pre baby can later appear superficial and even self absorbed. The birth of a child often brings a profound awareness of our essential nature and fragility, our interconnectedness with all of life itself.
In pregnancy we grow new aspects of ourselves. We grow round, full and ripe. In labour we face letting go of who we have been and perhaps ways of being that do not serve our children nor us as mothers. What we do not give up willingly....what we clutch onto....what we fail to release....in childbirth will be taken away in the tide of motherhood. Labour demands surrender. Mother nature encourages us to trust and let go of our ego (who we think we are) so we can see clearly who we are (love light) and be awake for mothering.
Many of us are 'asleep at the wheel'....labour and birth can be the 'wake up call'. Mothering certainly woke me up to myself, to my life and to what is important and what isn't.
To give birth we have to let go. Maybe our fears, maybe our identity, maybe
our control, maybe even our dreams. To labour well we have to surrender
to nature. To her waves and ways. We have to find trust where we have not
been before and courage within darkness, mystery and pain. We have to let
go of life as we have known it to be. We step into a new way of being. When
we give birth we become new women and new men. Giving birth can transform
a couple into a family....it has the power to make us wake up and grow up.
Mother nature demands we listen to her. Listening, surrendering and trusting
intuition are well rewarded.
A conscious loving birth transforms life on earth. A gentle birth gives
the baby the imprint that violence is not only unnecessary it is not the
way of nature or love. He or she is born with the imprint that it is safe
to 'be here' and it is safe to 'trust nature' and love. A child born without
drugs feels he can meet challenges without the need for anasthesia. As one
woman and one man experience the sacredness of woman and life, we are creating
a new world. A world where woman is returned to her natural function, where
she can birth with dignity in her own time, in her own way, wherever she
chooses to birth.
Sometimes along the way fear can overtake us. It can cause our babies to 'get stuck' and make birthing painful. It can have us trust information that comes from outside of our own innate wisdom. It can lead us far from our senses. It can also inform us....this person or place is safe and that person or place is not. Fear can make us stronger or it can engulf us bones and all. We have to decide how we will travel with the beast.....we have to eat it or have it eat us. Love can dissolve fear. Love is bigger than fear. Love grew our baby, love too can birth it.
When a child is born a family is created. When a child is born our life
is radically altered. Birth has the potential to transform us. Through the
miracle of birth we are changed forever. Hopefully we are humbled, hopefully
we are softened, hopefully we are also inspired and overjoyed at what somehow
mysteriously grew within our wombs and emerged from our vaginas. Hopefully
we experience the miraculous in this great act of love, childbirth.
Childbirth is a mysterious journey that women have been voyaging since the
beginning of time. It is the oldest of rite, the bravest and holiest sacrifices.
May the sisterhood awaken now so all women birth with loving, kind support.
May all birthing women now feel loved and held by the great mother in us,
the great mother of us all. May we remember to respect her and support her.
May all women be nurtured and loved now on earth. May we birth a kinder
gentler world, where human life is honoured and never hurt. May our pregnant
women be well cared for, well fed and well loved. May they be happy.
Why have a Doula?
Having a baby is a major life transition and requires loving support. A doula supports women and their families through pregnancy and child birth. A doula provides continuous care at the birth of your child.
A doula supports a woman on an emotional, physical and spiritual level.
Labour is the bridge between pregnancy and motherhood. As a doula I walk with you over the bridge into motherhood. Having a doula at your birth can significantly reduce the chance of unnecessary interventions. A doula can help you achieve the birth you want.
Many of us have never seen a baby being born and we can be unprepared for the enormous power of childbirth. I was! Although I had a safe and natural homebirth I wish I had a doula at the birth of my daughter. I needed someone who could communicate with me in labour, who could reach me and guide me through my birth and who would support me afterwards.
Many men feel uncertain supporting their partners in labour. Your doula helps your partner to support you.
It is wise to have a doula by your side, someone who has walked the path and can help you when you find yourself lost in a sea of unchartered waters. A doula travels with you into the unknown. A doula believes in the power of women to birth naturally.
As you labour and birth your baby your doula will go with you. You will be supported all the way as you find the courage and endurance to birth your baby the way you want. A doula will chart your course and guide you to your new home, the motherland.
Your Doula Package includes:
A free session to get to know one another
A session to decide what matters to you and beginning your birth plan
A session to address fears and concerns
A session to recap your needs and wishes for your birth
One and a half hour pregnancy massage
Continuous care at the birth of your child
2 post-natal sessions
On Call 24/7 two weeks either side of your due date
Investment: $800
Your doula package can be tailored to meet your unique requirements. Extra Aromatherapy Massage, Bellydance for Birth and Visualization Sessions are available for you.
"Wow! What a journey we've just done together. I know very much that the whole birth went the way it did due to your presence Angela. I didn't have the confidence, trust and know-how until I met and trained with you to birth completely naturally. I'm blessed I was able to have you with us at Hannah's birth. Every time I looked at you I felt 'Ok. I can do this'. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for making my dream happen with so much love and appreciation. Thank you for being the sun revolving around us for months."
Clare Lynch (and baby Hannah), Sydney, AUSTRALIA
"Angela was our Doula for the birth of our beautiful daughter
I feel that her work was immeasurable
Pregnancy and the birth of a child is such a journey
You need a special person to join you.
I chose Angela as our Doula because she has many special qualities.
She is..
Grounded and clear
Intuitive and sensitive
Compassionate and supportive
Open hearted and generous of spirit.
She has integrity and honesty. Her generosity of self is unique.
The time she spent listening and talking with me before the birth helped me get rid of any fears around the birth and prepare to become a better mother. The glorious massage before the birth was a real treat.
If you are about to go through the journey of birth I highly recommend Angela as your Doula. Just having her presence and support there for the birth made all the difference. I hope these words do her credit for how much support she provided us before, during and after the birth."
Kate Armstrong, Sydney, Australia
"Kate and I were blessed to have Angela as our Doula.
She was able to help me keep it all in perspective helping me manage my emotions and expectations. I wanted to believe that I was able to handle it all on my own but soon realised the reason that Angela had been sent to us.
It took me a little time to recognise God's wonderful gift but I am so humbled and grateful that someone could be so giving so caring and understanding of both points of view (female and male) was there for us unconditionally.
I could not have managed without her strength, presence, calming confident reassuring essence. During the birth I was honestly comforted knowing she was the Angel sent to watch over us."
David Armstrong, Sydney
"Angela was our doula for the birth of our little boy. Her total commitment to us having our dream birth made a profound difference to the birth experience for both myself and my husband. From our first meeting and decision to have her as our doula, Angela met with me each week. During those meetings she was totally present to me and my needs, and gave of herself with such generosity it astounded me. During these weekly meetings we would talk about how I felt about the birth, process any fears that myself or Mike had.
"Angela also guided me through body movement and breath work and she would give me beautiful calming massages. Angela totally supported myself and my husband in preparing ourselves for the change that lay ahead so much so that I am clear we had the labour we had because of her.
"Mike and I dreamt of having a labour and birth experience in the space of our connection and love and that is what we had. Angela had helped us so much that when the birth came, Mike and I had everything we needed to labour together. At the labour we decided not to have Angela in the room because we had such a beautiful rhythm with just the two of us that anyone else in the space seemed unnecessary.
Angela's dedication has continued after the birth with follow up visits and phone calls. I have developed a deep care and respect for Angela during this process and I would highly recommend Angela as a doula. She is generous, passionate about supporting someone in birth, skillful and gives of herself fully. A real treasure and asset to her profession".
Jo Britton, Sydney
"Who Angela was for me in this process as her name suggests was an Angel. This was Jo's first child but my second. I have a five year old from another relationship. Angela was extraordinary in that she really explored that birth with me and the implications of it. It was her wisdom that showed me what I was bringing from the birth into the birth process with Jo. We had an extraordinary conversation in the week leading toward the birth of our son Rohan. That conversation completely transformed the way I entered into the labour and birth experience with Jo.
During labour I found Angela a complete support. She allowed Jo and I to create the space and do what ever we needed to do without intruding in any way. She was there as support and advisor from beginning to end. We were blessed to have a totally amazing birth that played itself out almost exactly to Jo's birth plan - a rare gift. I have no doubt that Angela was fundamental to that happening.
Post birth Angela has made herself completely available to us and has been as supportive as she was pre-birth.
As Jo said, she is an asset to her profession."
Mike Britton
Evolution to Wellbeing, Sydney, Australia
Pregnancy Massage
This treatment floods you with nurturing and relaxing energy for the new path ahead and the newlife within. Connect with your baby in the sacred cycle that is pregnancy. Begin a relationship of tenderness and respect. Envelop your souls in swirls of love and connection. Melt into the music of love's oneness.
"Angela was a great help to me from when I first moved to Australia from the U.S. seven months pregnant through after my third child was born. She helped relieve much of the anxiety I had about having my baby alone in a new country. My husband travels frequently and I kept having early labor contractions for about a month before the birth. Angela helped me with meditative visualization sessions, yoga, prenatal massage and heaps of support. She helped me see and utilize the strength within me. I felt an instant connection with her. She is very intuitive and can sense insecurities and help with managing them." Liz Rutledge, Colorado, USA
