I am an American who has lived in the Czech Republic since 1999, and all four of my children were birthed here. I fell into doula work quite by accident when I agreed to help with translation during a friend’s delivery in 2011. Overwhelmed and scared, she ended up needing a bit more than just translation, and I ended up being captivated by the experience of supporting and coaching a woman as she gave birth. At that point, however, I didn’t even know the word „doula“! When describing the experience to another friend, however, she said, „So basically you were her doula.“
That discovery started me on my journey of becoming a Czech certified doula. Currently I provide services primarily to women who need or want an English-speaking doula, although I have had a few Czech clients.
My approach is to help each woman to have the type of birth that she desires, and to support the couple as a whole — never to usurp the role of her partner. As a birth doula, I provide:
- pre-birth preparation in the form of 2 meetings
- continuous support during labor from the time the mother calls me until 2 hours after delivery
- post-delivery hospital visit
- lactation instruction and advice as needed
- doprovod k porodu
- individuální předporodní příprava
- podpora a pomoc v šestinedělí
- podpora kojení a laktační poradenství