My name is Kathryn and I am a mum to two beautiful girls. I am a birth and postnatal doula working in and around Swindon. I host a free antenatal support group, called 'Optimums-To-Be', as well as hiring out slings, TENS machines, a trial reusable nappy kit and a birthpool.
Kathryn Beale - Doula
As your birth doula I will support you during your pregnancy, labour and birth as well as the first few weeks after your baby is born. I will assist you and your partner in achieving your desired birth experience and prepare you for your new arrival.
I am there to make you aware of the options available and create your own informed birth choices, listen to your concerns, as well as providing a calm and reassuring presence for you and your partner during labour.
As your postnatal doula I will offer both practical and emotional support, as well as advice on caring for your new baby.
If you want to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am happy to discuss my services in more detail, answer any questions you may have or to set up a free, no-obligation, face-to-face meeting.
What is a Doula?
Doula (pronounced doola) is a Greek word meaning ‘woman servant or caregiver’. It now refers to a woman, very knowledgeable about and usually experienced in childbirth, who offers emotional and practical support to a woman (and her partner) before, during and after childbirth.
Doulas believe in enabling a woman to have the most satisfying and empowered time that she can during pregnancy, birth and the early days as a new mum by ‘mothering the mother’. This type of support also helps the whole family to relax and enjoy the experience.
A doula is not a doctor, a midwife or a nurse. Her job is not to make medical decisions. However, she is very knowledgeable of the natural birth process as well as medical procedures, enabling her to explain them to parents.
Birth doulas provide continuous support and reassurance throughout labour, helping the mother have the birth she wants. In an NHS hospital it is extremely unlikely that a nurse or midwife will be able to remain with a woman throughout her entire labour. However a doula can be with the woman from before she even goes into hospital and remain with her until her baby is born. If attending a homebirth, a doula will arrive before a midwife would consider it nesessary to be there and can remain as long as the family want her to.
A doula does not replace a woman’s partner. In fact she can help the woman’s partner to participate more fully in the birthing process by offering reassurance and suggesting ways in which they can help. The presence of a doula also allows partners to take short breaks, from what can be a physically and emotionally draining task, knowing that the woman will not be left alone. Doulas can also take on the practical tasks, such as providing refreshments for both the woman and her partner, taking photographs or video, adjusting heating or making phonecalls, that would normally take the partner away from the labouring woman.
"Improved obstetric outcomes are associated with continuous support, especially the support of a doula. A ‘doula’ labour support companion has the strongest impact on health and safety during labour and birth, compared with women who have no support in labour, or support from a member of the hospital staff, friend or family member.
Women with continuous support from a doula or other independent person were:
•28% less likely to have a caesarean section
•31% less likely to use synthetic oxytocin to speed labour
•9% less likely to use any pain medication
•34% less like to rate their childbirth experience negatively
Continuous support from a person who is present solely to provide support, is not a member of the woman’s social network, is experienced in providing labour support, and has at least a modest amount of training, appears to be most beneficial."
'Continuous support for women during childbirth (Review) - The Cochrane Collaboration' Hodnett, Gates, Hofmeyr, Sakala and Weston (2011)
Postnatal doulas work flexible hours to suit the family, offering practical and emotional support to parents following the birth of their baby. Doulas usually work for 3 or 4 hours per day, for between six and eight weeks after the birth. This may be as frequently as every day or just once or twice a week.
Doulas can provide emotional and practical support. They may help with light household duties and with looking after older siblings, allowing the mother to spend time bonding with her new baby. Doulas support breastfeeding and offer advice on many aspects of caring for a newborn as well as allowing and encouraging mothers to rest by offering to look after the baby.
Too often nowadays, mothers are rushed back into normal day-to-day activities. In many cultures women are confined to bed and rest for a period of up to 40 days. This may be impossible in our society but with the help of a postnatal doula, a mother can enjoy some of the benefits of a prolonged ‘babymoon’.
Services and Fees
I offer an 'antenatal package', a 'birth package', a 'postnatal package' and a 'birth and postnatal package'. However, if none of these is quite what you are after, or you wish to have extra antenatal or postnatal visits, I will work on an hourly basis, for £8 per hour.
My 'antenatal package' costs £40 and includes:
• two visits to your home
• the option to have me accompany you to medical appointments (this may incur a small additional fee)
• the option to telephone, text or email me at anytime
• the option to borrow one of my birth balls
• the option to borrow one of my TENS machines*
• the option to borrow my 'birth-pool-in-a-box' and accessories*
• the option to borrow any of my books or DVDs
My 'birth package' costs £200 and includes:
• two antenatal visits to your home
• the option to have me accompany you to medical appointments (this may incur a small additional fee)
• being on call 24 hours a day, once you reach 37 weeks
• labour support - from as soon as you want me for as long as you need me
• two postnatal visits to your home, during the first 6 weeks after the birth
• the option to telephone, text or email me at anytime
• the option to borrow one of my birth balls
• the option to borrow one of my TENS machines*
• the option to borrow my 'birth-pool-in-a-box' and accessories*
• the option to borrow any of my books or DVDs
• the option to borrow a selection of 'tiny baby' clothes, should your baby be born smaller than you expect
• the option to borrow from my sling library
• the option to borrow my trial reusable nappy kit
My 'postnatal package' costs £150 and includes:
• 20 hours of visits, made up of any combination of visits of between 2 and 4 hours each
• the option to telephone, text or email me at anytime
• the option to borrow any of my books or DVDs
• the option to borrow a selection of 'tiny baby' clothes, should your baby be born smaller than you expect
• the option to borrow from my sling library
• the option to borrow my trial reusable nappy kit
My 'birth and postnatal package' costs £300 and includes:
• two antenatal visits to your home
• the option to have me accompany you to medical appointments (this may incur a small additional fee)
• being on call 24 hours a day, once you reach 37 weeks
• labour support - from as soon as you want me for as long as you need me
• 20 hours of visits, made up of any combination of visits of between 2 and 4 hours each, during the first 6 weeks after the birth
• the option to telephone, text or email me at anytime
• the option to borrow one of my birth balls
• the option to borrow one of my TENS machines*
• the option to borrow my ‘birth-pool-in-a-box’ and accessories*
• the option to borrow any of my books, DVDs
• the option to borrow a selection of ‘tiny baby’ clothes, should your baby be born smaller than you expect
• the option to borrow from my sling library
• the option to borrow my trial reusable nappy kit
Whether your postnatal visits are as part of a package or stand-alone visits, you may choose what they entail. You may wish to discuss your birth, go through your hospital notes or just take advantage of the practical support I offer, such as:
• looking after the baby while you rest/take a bath/spend time with your other children
• doing light housework, including cooking
• taking care of your other children
• walking your dog
• doing your shopping
I am also able to offer advice on caring for your newborn, including breastfeeding.
The following offers and discounts are included in all of my packages:
• £5 off the purchase or hire of any TENS machine from 'www.mama-tens.info'
• 10% discount on pools and accessories ordered from 'www.thegoodbirth.co.uk'
• 10% off slings purchased from ‘www.pouchlings.com’
• 10% discount and free P&P on anything ordered from 'www.cheekyrascals.co.uk'
• 10% off AquaBabies courses
Optimums-To-Be
'Optimums-To-Be' is the free antenatal support group, that I host for women in Swindon.
If you are pregnant and in Swindon then 'Optimums-To-Be' will give you the opportunity to:
• meet other mums-to-be living in Swindon
• share any worries or concerns you may have regarding your pregnancy and upcoming birth, with either myself or with the other mums-to-be
• swap tips on coping with all those pregnancy niggles
• find out what to expect, from those who are further along in their pregnancies or who are pregnant for a second or third time
• access an extensive collection of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding books and DVDs
• hire from my sling library
• hire my trial reusuable nappy kit
• hire one of my TENS machines or my birth pool*
• buy pre-loved baby clothes at bargin prices
• meet 'special guests'
Although it is free to attend Optimums-To-Be meetings, you may choose to become a member for a one-off fee of £10. The extra benefits of membership are:
• the option to borrow any of my books or DVDs
• the option to borrow one of my birth balls
• half price hire of my slings and reusable nappy kit
• £5 off the hire of my TENS machines*
• £5 off the purchase or hire of any TENS machine from 'www.mama-tens.info'
• 10% discount on pools and accessories ordered from 'www.thegoodbirth.co.uk'
• 10% discount and free P&P on anything ordered from 'www.cheekyrascals.co.uk'
• 10% off slings purchased from 'www.pouchlings.com'
The meetings are from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on a Thursday and every week we have a different theme or special guest. You can choose to come every week or just to the meetings that are of particular interest to you.
Upcoming Themes and Special Guests:
3rd November - Buggy Bee
10th November - waterbirths
17th November - Baby Bump Massage and Fitness
24th November - The Birthing Shirt Company
1st December - slings
8th December - breastfeeding
12th January - homebirth
19th January - Baby Sensory
26th January - doulas
For more information please visit our 'Optimums-To-Be' Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/optimumstobe
Service Categories
Doulas
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