We will provide at least 2 antenatal visits for you to talk about your birth plan, the physiology of birth, what you want for you and your baby and discussion on issues such as relaxation techniques, pain relief, Vitamin K, positions for labour and much more.
The support is tailored precisely to your needs and wishes, with a non-judgemental approach working towards your special day.
We will be available on the phone or by text and email from the moment you hire us to help with any worries that you might come across, going on call 2 weeks before your due date and up until your new arrival makes its’ entrance.
Once your labour begins one of us will come to you (usually at your home, before you’re ready to go into hospital) and remain with you during the birth (however long or short) and afterwards until you are settled and comfortable. (We’ll even clean up before we leave if you choose a homebirth).
If you choose to have an induction we will be there as much as the hospital allows, but be assured, we will be with you every step of the way, even if it is remotely to begin with.
We’ll visit you once you’ve had your baby at home to debrief the birth or to help with feeding or other practical tasks.
If you chose an elective c section, either from the beginning of your planning or due to circumstances during your pregnancy we can still support you.
We still offer antenatal sessions, focusing on what will happen, how to best prepare, even what to pack and discuss what you can ‘choose’ and how to ensure a memorable, calm birth, even during a highly medicalised event! The day before your operation we will chat through any last-minute concerns. We will visit you in hospital as soon as you are back on the ward (visiting hours permitting) to help with feeding, handling the baby whilst you are still immobile and to discuss logistics of going home. We will then visit you once you are home.
If you are a lone parent, we can attend the caesarean from the time of admission to the time you are discharged (subject to hospital policy).
Our local hospitals are Stoke Mandeville (Aylesbury), The John Radcliffe (Oxford), Milton Keynes General, Wexham Park (Slough) and Watford General.
We have attended births at the QE2 in Welwyn, The Horton in Banbury and The Lister in Stevenage. There are also many birthing centres within Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire that we will go to, and will consider travelling anywhere especially if you require support for a home birth, please ask.
Postnatal support is available between 3- 8 hours a day, up to 5 times a week, for between 4 to 12 weeks after the birth (flexible to suit and can be much longer, especially with multiples). We are very flexible though, and as you may not know how much you need until you meet your little one, we keep things very open. You can book a chunk of postnatal hours in advance of your baby arriving if you would like to or you can pay a deposit and book postnatal hours on a rolling week by week basis.
We will be there to help the transition into parenthood, helping with jobs around the house, and letting parents get some much-needed rest. This can include anything from looking after siblings so parents can sleep, helping establish feeding and / or routines (breast or bottle) doing light housework, cooking, shopping, ironing, even walking the dog!
We are great listeners for ‘baby blues’ days and if needed can help signpost you to further help for postnatal depression or anxiety, recognising that having someone to talk to can make everything seem more manageable. We have twins experience and have supported over 50 sets.
Night Nannying / Night Support
We are also available as a ‘night nanny’ service. It’s amazing the difference it makes to get a good night’s sleep! We can help with getting the baby into a night-time routine too!
Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding we can work with you to maximise your opportunity to sleep. Before we leave in the morning we will wash and sterilise any feeding equipment.
Our service is for between 1–7 nights a week. It is a 10 hour booking (min) usually 9pm-7am or 10pm-8am.
Eleanor also teaches Hypnobirthing.
Having supported most of my birth clients to hypnobirth, I recently decided to become an instructor. I chose to train with The Calm Birth School as their approach and ethos appealed to me the most and closely aligned with my way of working. I can now provide Hypnobirthing classes alongside my birth preparation as a doula, dovetailing seamlessly into your preparation for birth your experience.
Or you can take the Hypnobirthing Classes without hiring me as a doula, but you will still benefit from all my years of experience, the 180+ births I have supported and thorough preparation I can provide.
This is not just for those wanting a homebirth or birth centre experience, this is for anyone who wants to learn the skills to calm themselves, understand the physiology and mechanism of birth, learn techniques to assist the body’s natural ability to birth a baby (or babies), understand how they can influence their own birth experience and even how to navigate the NHS.
For birth partners this will give you the confidence to support your birthing person, reduce stress and keep them calm in any situation and maximise the experience for you both.
I don’t offer stuff in gift boxes, and gimmicks, but I do offer to share my real life experience, practical information, proven relaxation methods and a selection of MP3s to assist your journey (including an MP3 specifically designed for BAME, BIPOC customers) plus a copy of The Calm Birth Method book, which every birthing person should have in their toolkit!
