Postnatal SUPPORT
ANTENATAL PLANNING FOR LIFE WITH A NEWBORN
BENEFITS
Planning for your postnatal period is as important as birth planning
It gives you the opportunity to discuss the physical and emotional impact a newborn will have on you and your family, and the impact on baby coming from the womb to the world
This is equally valuable for those who are already parents, as it allows you to reflect on things you might want to change or introduce based on your previous experiences and the support you might need to adjust to your expanding family
Your food and nutrition intake; infant feeding; your household environment and roles; your couple relationship; your mental well being - these are just some of the elements to consider and explore before your baby arrives
You will be better prepared for the more challenging times, making way for a smoother postnatal recovery and more bonding time with your baby
POSTNATAL SUPPORT
BENEFITS
As a postnatal doula I provide the emotional, physical, practical and informational support you need after welcoming a newborn into your family
I will come alongside you, champion you and foster your recovery, confidence and independence
My role is not to give advice or opinions, you will get plenty of that from others. Support is tailored to your needs so may differ with each session, but focuses on:
- Debriefing your birth experience and, if applicable, previous birth and infant feeding experiences, with uninterrupted listening, allowing you time and space to process these
- Breastfeeding and bottle feeding support; helping you to set up your feeding sanctuary and feeding survival kit; making sure you’re comfortable, hydrated and have eaten; discussing and working together on latch, skin to skin, breastfeeding positions, paced bottle feeding, night-time feeding and more
- Discussing and supporting you with your newborn’s development and how to care for your baby such as bath times, sleeping arrangements and the home environment; caring for your baby while you catch up on some sleep or have a shower; attending appointments with you
- Signposting you to local services, professionals and groups, such as breastfeeding cafes, lactation consultants, parent and baby classes
- Nurturing and checking in on your mental and emotional health by encouraging you to talk, actively listening to whatever is on your mind, and reminding and supporting you to prioritise yourself, for both you and your baby’s well being
ENABLING YOU TO RELEASE, REST AND RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF, AND FOCUS ON BONDING WITH YOUR BABY WHILE ADJUSTING TO YOUR CHANGING FAMILY UNIT
TESTIMONIALS
“Absolutely beautiful experience!
Hannah thank you so much for your wonderful support. We appreciate it so much! 💗
Hannah made our postnatal period so much easier and manageable. Her warm, loving and positive support was really reassuring and helpful for my recovery, right after giving a birth. Hannah gave us all the mental and physical support that was relevant to the baby, including listening my thoughts and sharing her knowledge on baby care and our local community. She also helped us with physical baby caring, how to hold the baby and supporting the baby while I spent sometime for myself Hannah helped by doing some baby laundry and offering amazingly relaxing massages which helped me to relax and sleep well.
Not only postnatal care, you kindly visited us before the birth, offering antenatal cares which was also very helpful to know what to expect in labour and after the birth.
We highly recommend Hannah for the postnatal support!” - Yooyeon
“The best postnatal doula you could ever wish for!
Hannah supported us for the birth of our second child (after a 7 year gap!) until he was 10 weeks old. I wasn't sure what support I would need second time round but having struggled a lot following my first birth and not having a lot of family nearby I felt I needed a 'safety net' and I am so glad Hannah agreed to support us.
Our initial session with Hannah before the birth was invaluable as she took the time to carefully listen to our individual needs and help us plan our support. I had a lot of worries about how my daughter would manage with a new baby in the house, as she had been used to our undivided attention for 7 years. Hannah's expertise in this area helped us prepare our child as much as we possibly could for the transition and we were so grateful for her guidance and creative ideas for supporting our daughter.
Hannah remained in touch by WhatsApp prior to the birth and regularly throughout the support period, it was lovely knowing I had someone supporting me, who could guide me if I needed help. Every home visit Hannah brought a feeling of calm and ease into our chaos! Always taking time to listen to me, asking what we needed as a family and supporting us in a myriad of ways over the weeks.
When my feeding journey ended up being very challenging, Hannah was there, supporting and encouraging me every step of the way as I navigated different stages - bottle feeding, triple feeding, power pumping and eventually meeting my goal of exclusively breastfeeding. Hannah is so knowledgeable in the area of infant feeding and as well as all of the information I really benefited from the emotional support every week. Hannah is very caring and made me feel listened to, calmed me down when I was overwhelmed and her encouragement boosted my confidence over the weeks.
Hannah is kind, warm, extremely knowledgeable in all things baby and postnatal and very professional. I will always be grateful to her for supporting us and for making this postnatal period less stressful and more enjoyable. I wholeheartedly recommend Hannah if you are considering a postnatal doula, she's the very best.” - Rachel
“Amazing support from Hannah!
Hannah provided postnatal doula services to us from the week after our daughter was born up until she was around 10 weeks old and we may well some more. Hannah was like a breath of fresh air, bringing her experience and aura of capability into the house. Hannah covered with my partner and I sometimes together and separately bathing (she helped with our daughter’s first bath), breastfeeding, baby wearing, bottle prep dos and don’t, sterilising bottles, postpartum recovery including c-section healing and simply a pair of hands to hold the baby while we did something else in the house.
Hannah researched options in between sessions for issues we were seeking a solution to and sent over the information gathered. Such as we have an unusual situation with me (the mother having to leave the baby at 10 weeks for a 5 day trip) and still wanting to provide breast milk while away and the baby to accept the breast upon return. Usually Hannah had the answers of all routine questions to hand.
We ended up having a very chilled baby so we’ve perhaps not needed Hannah as much as we’d initially thought, Hannah was very flexible with the time we needed and that was so very much appreciated. However, we knew that should she throw us a curve ball we had someone who we could call upon for advice and time to sleep or whatever we’d need. When you don’t have family nearby that is appreciated even more.
Thank you Hannah, you have been amazing!” - Sally
PRICES
ANTENATAL PLANNING SESSION - £100 FACE TO FACE, £80 ONLINE
A session lasts up to 2 hours and takes place during your third trimester, generally around 35-36 weeks
This is offered at the above price as a stand alone session (which can be beneficial if you’re undecided about having postnatal doula support) or is included in the below postnatal support packages
IN-HOME Postnatal support
An initial free of charge meeting (preferably face to face) to determine if I am the right doula for you
Postnatal support package - RELEASE
£700
- An antenatal planning session
- 20 hours of postnatal support usually for the first few weeks after your baby is born
- Text/whatsapp/email and phone support available between visits for the duration of my time with you
(A deposit of £300 is required to secure booking)
Postnatal support package - REST
£1400
- An antenatal planning session
- 40 hours of postnatal support between the first week after your baby is born and up to around 8 weeks postpartum
- A postnatal massage (after your 6-8 week GP check)
- Text/whatsapp/email and phone support available between visits for the duration of my time with you
(A deposit of £600 is required to secure the booking)
Each support session is 2-4 hours long and between the hours of 10am-2pm
Ad hoc/one-off sessions - £40/hour
If you’re unsure about booking a block of sessions, or would like some one-off or less regular support I can provide ad hoc sessions. This might be a good idea if there are some particular days when your close support network is unavailable, if you just need someone to talk to and who can be a soundboard for what you’re experiencing, if you need some signposting to other support, but aren’t sure where to look, or if you need some practical support with specific things, such as bathing baby
I generally work within a 10 mile radius of postcode DA7. Travel is included in my prices with the exception of parking costs.
VIRTUAL Postnatal support
An initial free of charge meeting to determine if I am the right person to support you emotionally through your postnatal time
One hour sessions via Zoom - £40
I am there to be your listening ear without judgement, your emotional support, and your soundboard for everything you are feeling and experiencing, because so often just being heard is what we most need as mums. Where appropriate I will guide you towards answering your own questions, because as a mum, your instinct is usually the right answer for your unique family unit, we just need the support to trust and have confidence in ourselves.
I HAVE ALL THE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND INSURANCE TO ENSURE YOU HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE DURING YOUR POSTNATAL SUPPORT
Postnatal Doula Preparation Course provided by Younique Postnatal - November 2021
Postnatal Planning Workshop provided by Younique Postnatal - February 2022
Blended Paediatric First Aid Training provided by Busy Bees - March 2022
Level 2 Food Hygiene Course provided by Morton Michel insurance - March 2022
Twins Workshop provided by Younique Postnatal - May 2022
Comprehensive Online Baby Loss Training for Healthcare Professional provided by BeyondBea - May 2022
SIDS and Safer Sleep for Babies Training provided by The Lullaby Trust - June 2022
Intuitive Breast and Body Feeding provided by Younique Postnatal - June 2022
Baby Wearing in Your Role as a Doula Training provided by The Sling Consultancy - July 2022
Starting Solids Training provided by Younique Postnatal - November 2022
Understanding Newborns Workshop provided by Younique Postnatal - November 2022
Reflux Workshop provided by Younique Postnatal - November 2022
Breastfeeding Course London provided by Centre for Breastfeeding Education and Research - November 2023
Insured with Morton Michel Childcare Insurance
Member of Doula UK
Member of Find My Doula
DBS checked