A gentle postpartum

Becoming a parent and welcoming your child is a big transition. As a postpartum doula, I offer my help to prepare and guide new parents and their birthing companions the weeks after birth. Each parent deserves support, regardless of the way in which the new baby arrives.

My doula services are holistic – integrating all layers of existence. This means, the support will meet needs on different levels. A newborn mother might need help in the form of natural remedies for her post birth body, or tips on how to breastfeed. Sometimes emotional support is wished for, or freshly made food in another moment (or all day long).

I will be supporting you on a practical, emotional, physical and spiritual level in your postpartum period.

Sometimes a mother just needs peace, while the partner bonds with the child and a doula communicates with friends and family about the family´s wellbeing. Other mothers are helped with support in form of a ritual or sharing that helps them to understand their birthing experience or their transformation into motherhood within a more spiritual frame. Sometimes it is important for the mother to connect with older siblings and someone takes care of the baby. Always, a mother deserves moments of deep relaxation to find back her strenght after giving birth.

My attitude is non-judgemental and non-generalizing. This work is inclusive and compassionate by nature and offers what is needed for all family members to enjoy their first weeks together as much as possible. Each person is different, each birth is different, each baby is different, each process is different. I am here to hold space and support. It is all possible and it´s all right.

Open and realistic exchange

I realize the impact of the way childbirth is portrayed in the media and cultural expectations. The reality can definitely turn out to be different, in my opinion often also way more intense, beautiful and empowering than I have ever seen in a movie. There are so many layers of becoming a parent that you will not learn to know through mainstream sources or stories, for example because of taboo´s and shame. I aim for an honest representation of birth, which complements the (sometimes overrepresented) medical knowledge, media images and cultural representation of birth and postpartum. With this work I hope to weave a web of community support, for a growing awareness of everyone´s unique birthing experiences.

Postpartum care options explained:

Postpartum care per hour or day in which we see, hour by hour, what you need most to feel comfortable.This will be a combination of the key ingredients of my services as explained above.

Belly binding ritual: an ancient practice to `close the womb´ after birth. It supports your back, brings the hips back together, improves the posture and helps to restore the abdominal region. We will use a long piece of fabric to wrap or knot around the whole waist region. During the session, the mother will be explained how to bind her own belly as well, so she can wear her bind for 40 days postpartum. The ritual and wearing the bind, can be especially helpful for women who feel empty (physically or emotionally) after giving birth. This makes it a valued symbolic practice to ease the transition from pregnancy into motherhood.

The ritual can be planned from 24 hours after birth, but sometimes feels needed weeks or months later. In case of a C-section the ritual is only advised after several weeks, depending on the healing of the incision. If this is the case for you, get in touch so we will find the right moment for you to benefit of this ritual. Feel free to choose the moment that feels right for you. Personally speaking, I see the benefits of it 17 months postpartum again, because I feel a new chapter of motherhood has begun.

There is the choice of a belly binding ritual on its own, or a combination with the application of a home made Ayurvedic rub, or the use of a selection of warming stones that will help the mother post-birth.

For the Sacral energy Womb ritual I will be using little gemstones to strengthen the sacral chakra, warmed up in oil. They are chosen to release and calm emotions, restore womb health, awaken personal strength and stability. We will thank and bless the womb with this warming set of stones and use a light wrap as a first simple bind to keep the stones in position on the womb. After this, we will proceed with the belly bind ritual using the long cotton fabric and traditional wrapping techniques. The following days, you can warm the stones again before you bind your belly with the fabrics yourself. Alternatively, you can use the stones as a souvenir of your transition into motherhood and when you feel your second chakra needs attention.

The ritual takes approximately an hour. Extra sessions can be arranged if you wish help with your bind on following days as well. The costs found below are divided into the price of the different options to perform the ritual and the belly bind that you will purchase for you to keep. I will explain you how to bind yourself, as the benefits of using the belly bind will be optimal if you use the bind for a whole month postpartum.

It´s important to realize that I will not perform clinical and medical tasks or make decisions for you. I can provide information for you to make your own.

For more seperate services, have a look here at my Placenta services & Postpartum meal services