Maria the Doula
Birth and Postnatal Doula
Hi I am Maria the Doula
I am a mum of two grown up children and live in Westbourne (Bournemouth) with my husband and little mini–Dachshund Percy. I have over 20 + years’ experience supporting families with new babies, and I am passionate about delivering a high level of emotional, physical, and practical support. I understand and respect that every woman’s birth, parenting and feeding journey is unique, and life changing. I will put you and your families’ experiences of pregnancy, labour, birth, feeding and postnatal journey at the heart of everything I do.
I look to provide evidence-base, un-biased information so that you can make your own informed decisions and am passionate that all should feel that they have autonomy over their birth and postnatal period, support you and ensure your voice is heard and will help you and your partner to advocate for yourselves to be able achieve this.
By guiding you when formulating your birth preferences, we can make your birth as empowering and fulfilling as it can be. I offer sessions in body preparation work and biomechanics for birth and support during labour with massage, encourage different positions, breath work, transforming your birth space with soft lighting and many other measures to encourage comfort and calmness throughout labour so together we can create a safe and protected environment.
Once your new baby has arrived, I will be there to ensure that you feel settled and comfortable, be on hand to help with achieving skin to skin, the first feed and provide any information on taking care of yourself and your baby as your postnatal journey into parenthood begins.
I offer postnatal and night doula packages and support so that you can recover well from your birth. I support your transition to parenthood, offer up to date information on how to navigate the many parental decisions that seem to need to be made and support your decisions that you feel are right for you and your new family, along with breastfeeding counselling and support for all aspects of how you wish to feed your baby.
Qualifications:
- NNEB nursery Nurse
- Foundation Degree in Birth and Beyond
- NCT Antenatal practitioner
- NCT Breastfeeding counsellor
- NCT Birth Doula Certified in Birth Practices with Spinning Babies, 2022
- Certified in Pregnancy, birth and postnatal Rebozo with Sophie Messager, 2022
- Advanced Certified in the Biomechanics for Birth with Optimal Birth, 2024
Services
I offer two Birth Doula packages, three postnatal, one night doula packages, infant feeding support along with Biomechanics for Birth, Prep for Breastfeeding and power hour sessions. I am always happy to design a bespoke package just for you from the many offerings I have.
The Birth Essentials Package
3 x antenatal session
On call to support your birth from 10 days before your guess date and until your baby is born
Stay with you for up to 3 hours post birth and support with the babies first feed and ensure skin to skin and support for you and your family
One postnatal visit
Continuous support via WhatsApp from the moment you book my services until 6 weeks postnatally.
Access to my Padlet for information sharing and more.
The Birth Elite Package
All the above plus
1 Biomechanics for Birth session including an exercise schedule and regular checkins
1 x accompany you to an antenatal appointment
2 x 45 minute either looking after your newborn zoom sessions either before or after your baby has been born or 2 x 45 minute zoom session to support feeding your baby.
The Biomechanics session
This can either be in person or online. A session to discuss how Biomechcanics for Birth can support a more straight forward birth. An exercise programme to do antenatally to prep the body for birth and to use during birth. We form a WhatsApp chat for continuious support in your Biomechanics journey.
Postnatal day Doula packages (Adhoc days can be arranged if you would prefer to take it slower or you feel that you don’t require as much support from the packages or I can bespoke a package for you).
Newborn Bronze Package
1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
2 x 4 hour session per week for 4 weeks
WhatsApp chat between sessions.
Access to my postnatal Padlet.
Newborn Silver Package
1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
2 x 4 hour session per week for 6 weeks
1 x 2 hour infant feeding session within the 8 week period.
WhatsApp chat between sessions.
Access to my postnatal Padlet.
Newborn Gold Package
1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
2 x 4 hour session per week for 12 weeks
1 x 2 hour infant feeding session within the 12 week period.
WhatsApp chat between sessions.
Access to my postnatal Padlet.
Night Doula Support and Package
I offer individually booked night shifts of 10 hours starting no later than 8pm.
Minimum of 1 night/maximum 3 nights per week (not consecutive).
Night Doula Support Package
6 nights within a three week period.
Prep for Breastfeeding online or face to face session
A two hour session covering aspects of Breastfeeding and formula feeding your baby from a qualified infant feeding practitioner.
One hour Power Hour online session
Book a Power Hour support chat with and we can explore the following:
Your hopes and fears about birth unpacked.
Support for your decisions and how to speak about them with your HCP.
Talk through how to orchestrate out of guidelines birth preferences.
Share information and research to help you make informed decisions.
How you as a birth partner can best support.
Common newborn behaviour and concerns.
Discuss babies sleep and your wellbeing.
Contact
Email: info@mariathedoula.co.uk
Phone: 07500776632
Website: https://mariathedoula.co.uk/
Social Media: @maria_the doula on Instagram Maria The Doula on Facebook
Hampshire Doulas 