Services

Doulas support women and families in pregnancy, during birth and after babies are born. You can read more detail on what the doula role is and the evidence behind it in the About pages.

My Continuum Doula Birth Package includes:

Six antenatal visits

Being on-call from 37 weeks until the arrival of your baby (this means me staying within reach of you geographically at all times)

Attending your birth - wherever and however long it is - supporting you and your family for the duration of the birth

Six postnatal visits

Prices start at: $2400

This package is structured around the 'Continuum Doula' method of doula training, which focuses on continuity of care. Multiple antenatal and postnatal visits allow us to build a deep and trusting relationship and for me to become completely aligned with your needs and desires around the perinatal period. It includes elements of antenatal education, postnatal planning sessions and an introduction to infant massage. When I am on call for your birth, you can contact me at any time of day or night, as many times as you need. 

It results in a powerful relationship that often continues long after your baby has arrived!

I offer a few options for postnatal care:

1. The Continuum Postnatal Package: (one antenatal and six postnatal visits) prices start at: $680

2. Postnatal support 'hours' (blocks of two hour sessions) price for a two-hour block: $150 / or four blocks (8 hours) for $500

Both of these packages can be tailored if you have any specific needs or requirements for your family.

What's included in postnatal support?

Postnatal doula support can include a huge variety of skills and tasks, and we will agree these together what works best for your family before booking. The sort of things included in postnatal visits are:

Space and time to debrief your birth experiences and talk about the changes you're experiencing. 

Reassurance and pointers to support feeding (NB: I support breast and bottle/formula feeding and have experience and training relevant to both). 

Nourishing food (a light lunch and snacks brought to every postnatal visit in the Continuum package).

Looking after your baby while you sleep or have a shower/bath or do some exercise.

Light housework while I am in your home - washing up, putting washing on/putting it away, making beds, vacuuming, cleaning kitchen or bathroom sinks. 

Troubleshooting any concerns and/or challenges you might be facing with sleep, feeding, managing your routine and signposting to other services that might be helpful.

Accompanying you to appointments, baby groups, or other things you'd like to try with your baby like swimming, which can be daunting doing alone for the first time.

Helping look after older children (e.g. school pick ups, making tea, taking them out so you can rest).

I am a certified International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) instructor. The IAIM is the world-class standard of teaching baby massage to parents.

Class options

Community classes:

I run infant massage classes in my local community on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. You are welcome to join a class with your baby from birth until they are one year old. Check my social media for class details or register for a course via my Google Form. 

Private classes:

You can also purchase a private course of infant massage with me in your home. This makes a nice gift for new parents, and I offer gift vouchers that can be used for this.

Five-week infant massage course in your home = $400

Group classes in the home:

If you belong to an antenatal group or have friends or family with babies under one who are all interested in infant massage, I can run private courses and offer discount rates to groups like this.

Private group infant massage (you and a group of up to 5 other families e.g. friends/ your antenatal group) in your home = $80 per family taking part

The IAIM course is 5 weeks long and has been shown to:

-Relieve symptoms of colic, wind/gas and other gastrointestinal discomforts in babies

-Improve babies' sleep

-Enhance bonding and attachment between parent and baby

-Stimulate babies' physical (e.g. circulatory and respiratory) and emotional development

-Teach parents to recognise babies' cues and behavioural states

-Reduce the severity and impact of postnatal depression and anxiety.

Infant massage is an incredible bonding opportunity, especially if this isn't your first baby and you don't get much 1:1 time. My classes are safe, nurturing spaces where we talk openly about parenthood and all of it's joys and challenges. Plus I always bake and ensure you get the chance to enjoy a hot drink!

NB: I also run courses in other healthcare settings and in tandem with other postnatal (and antenatal) classes. Please contact me if you are interested in setting this up, or having me come and talk about infant massage and its benefits in your setting.

If you know of someone in the perinatal phase and would like to give them the gift of doula support or infant massage with me, you can purchase gift vouchers in increments of $50 with a minimum spend of $100.

Perhaps you have all of the birth support you need, but you know you will need support postnatally... Perhaps you are struggling to find good antenatal care or just want someone to talk through options with you... Perhaps you have all the antenatal education you need, all of the postnatal support you need, but you just want an empathetic, informed advocate with you at your birth to give power to your voice.

All of my services can be tailored to your specific needs - just get in touch.