La Luna Doula

12/09/2024

Birthing at home with a privately practicing midwife is under threat. The government is proposing an insurance product for private midwives to support “low risk” births at home only. This means mothers could be risked out for:

🌸 previously having has a caesarean
🌸 advanced maternal age
🌸 high BMI
🌸 previously having had a postpartum haemorrhage
🌸 gestational diabetes
🌸 and much more!

It means I wouldn’t have had access to this care and been able to birth my baby boy at home with the support of a midwife earlier this year. It means along with many other mothers, I may be risked out of any of my future births at home with a midwife. It’s taking way our fundamental right to choose. It means we may not emerge from our future births feeling physically and emotionally safe and supported. It’s basic human rights, and it’s not okay.

Everyone deserves freedom of choice. Women making an informed decision to birth at home should be supported to do so as safely as possible.

has done all the hard work for us and made it super easy to have our say on the matter with a templated letter you can personalise and send directly to your local MP. Please head over to their page and take a few minutes to help protect our options for birthing at home.

This treasured photo by .photography is taken moments after I quickly birthed my healthy 4.04 kg boy at home with a gestational diabetes diagnosis. I would have been risked out of this option if these changes go ahead.

Biggest love to my treasured midwives and ❤️‍🔥 Thank you for helping us emerge from our birth feeling empowered, safe and supported as possible.

05/05/2024

Celebrating all of the incredible midwives on , especially those I’m lucky enough to call my own ❤️‍🔥 I will be forever in awe and in constant gratitude of you.

16/04/2024

The birth of Oscar Sol 🌞

🍀 15 March 2024
🌙 8.22 pm
♓️ Pisces
⚖️ 4.04 kgs

I had had a backache all morning, so when India woke up from her lunch nap we jumped in a magnesium bath together. It was not the relaxing bath I had imagined and I had a feeling this was the start of something, so we called Daddy to come home from work a bit earlier so I could have a rest. Joel came home about 3 pm and took India to the shops to get some supplies, putting the TENS on me before he left in case things kicked off. Soon after I started having some mild contractions, so I tidied the house a bit and started setting up the birth space, before laying down for a nap. When I couldn’t sleep, I listened to Jodi’s beautiful yoga nidra meditation from the Birth Class, which I had really enjoyed drifting off to sleep to during pregnancy. My contractions were still fairly mild, but they continued to come every 1.5 to 2 minutes from the get go, and were only lasting about 45 seconds. At about 5 pm I was wondering where Joel and India were so I called them to come home, which they did soon after baring all of my favourite snacks for labour, including my special request of Loco Love choccies! The next hour or so was a bit hectic as Joel ran around the house like a headless chook trying to set up the birth pool, keep India out of the birth pool and eating her sushi dinner 😂 all while loving on me and making sure I was okay, fed and hydrated. I watched Toy Story with India while leaning over the birth ball as my contractions grew more intense and I started really having to concentrate on breathing through them. Joel had called our beautiful midwife Leisa at some stage to let her know things had kicked off, and she was nearby on standby.

Continued in comments x

08/12/2023

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Barwon Health is launching the region’s first publicly funded homebirth program.

23/03/2023

Beth McDonald’s own experience with the hospital system inspired her to become a doula.

03/03/2023

So grateful to have been able to celebrate the beautiful book (baby) shower of The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth 🌸 The room was FILLED with oxytocin and knowledge from some incredible people in the birthing world!

This book is essential for anyone in their pre-conception or pregnancy journey, and will help you prepare for an informed, empowered and positive pregnancy and birth experience, however you choose to birth.

Sophie, I’ve been an avid listener of your podcast since 2019 and it’s been so wonderful to watch you grow through the show, all of your incredible programs which were such a help during my own pregnancy and postpartum and now a book! I’ve got you to thank for igniting such a passion for positive birth in me and putting me on the path to becoming a Doula. And you have this positive impact on SO many people in so many different ways and I can’t thank you enough

Jodi, I could listen to you talk all day! You have such a beautiful way with words, both written and spoken, so eloquent, mindfully chosen and impactful and I was just so grateful to be in your presence, soaking in your words and wisdom!

Together you two are an absolute powerhouse, thank you so much for such a beautiful morning. I’m still buzzing!

28/02/2023

Doulas come from ancient Greek, translating to a woman who serves 🧿

We’re trained to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the expectant mother and partner during labour, birth and in the immediate postpartum period.

The wisdom and emotional support of experienced women at birth is an ancient tradition, and studies show that when Doulas are present at birth, mothers have shorter labours, fewer medical interventions and healthier babies.

Recent evidence suggests when a Doula provides labour support, mothers are more satisfied with their experience and the mother-infant interaction is enhanced as long as two months after the birth!

With both a partner and Doula at her birth, a mother can have the best of birth worlds. Her partner’s love, care and attention, and her Doula’s expertise and guidance.

My own journey to becoming a Mama ignited a passion for all things birth and beyond. But it wasn’t until I went through matrescence and experienced the birth and postpartum period for myself that I felt called to be of service and do this incredible “work” to support, nurture and nourish families at the most vulnerable time of their lives.

Did you know that the World Health Organisation recommends the use of a Doula/birth companion? Swipe across to learn more about what a Doula actually does throughout one of the biggest of life’s transitions 🌛🌝🌜

I’ll be taking on three pregnant mamas to hold and support as part of my training with the Australian Doula College this year, so please reach out if you’re located within an hour of Geelong and the services above sound like something you would love x

28/02/2023

For I thought that I was growing you, when you were growing me too ✨