Maddy the Doula

12/03/2026

How I, as an experienced birth doula, support women through the intensity of labour and navigate the request for pain relief when it was previously established as an absolute last resort 🌸 there’s a lot to this convo and super nuanced, here’s a few thoughts on how I might navigate the situation. Would love to hear how you felt if you experienced this - were you supported through it, were you denied pain relief when you actually wanted it, were you not given enough support and know you could have done it with a bit more support. Pain relief isn’t right or wrong of course, it’s just that the majority of my clients will plan not to have it and ask me to guide them through this time if it arises 💕 as with all interventions, weigh up the pros and cons specific to you and your babe xx

10/03/2026

We finally got the girls weekend out of the group chat 💅 🌸 take this as your sign to do the same!

We spent two nights on Bruny Island in the most gorgeous Airbnb overlooking The Neck, we went to every eatery we could find, went for beach walks, lots of chats and spent the time just slowing down and relaxing together. I snuck in a few videos of what we got up to but mostly I kept my phone tucked away to focus on being *present* 🥰

The three of us have been friends since Year 1, which means we have seen each other through all the stages of life so far.. and now we are somehow mums with three kids each. Absolutely Wild.
It was so nice to spend time together and actually finish our sentences and hear about what’s been happening in each other’s lives and our dreams for the future.
Feeling so grateful for these girls who I can be myself with and share the ups and downs of life 🩷
And we were even away on international women’s day which added a special layer to the weekend!

28/02/2026

When people imagine labour they often picture breathing techniques, birth plans, hospital bags and a bit of encouragement thrown in to get you through.

What they don’t picture is the moment where things get intense and you turn to your partner needing something… but you can’t quite explain what. And you feel completely blindsided by the intensity of labour and birth being nothing like what you saw on Instagram.

I hear this kind of thing a lot.

Birth partners want to be supportive.

But without realistic preparation, they don’t always know how to be helpful in the way you need and they can be shocked and overwhelmed by the experience and freeze instead of having real strategies to support you when the gentle words and breathing isn’t enough.

When you’re in labour, you won’t have the energy or brain power to explain what you want.

That’s why these conversations need to be had before labour starts.

Feeling understood and supported by a competent and prepared partner means you can feel safe and supported in the intensity of labour.

You deserve a partner who knows what helps you when you’re overwhelmed, what kind of touch grounds you and the words you love or definitely don’t want to hear.

Save this post, go through the questions together and start working through the important conversations together.

If your partner wants to feel calm, confident, and ready with heaps of tools to support you on the day, I’ve put my very best tips and guidance for birth into my Birth Partner Guide. It’s practical and realistic, designed for navigating labours twists and turns with a number of tools. So you can focus on labouring knowing your support person has got you.

Link is in my bio 🤰

21/02/2026

Pregnant mamas.. Send this to the incredibly special person (or team of people!) you’re planning to have beside you for labour and birth ✨

I want you to have someone next to you in birth who knows how to protect the space around you and keep things calm when you start to go somewhere deep and instinctive.

Birth changes depending on who is in the room and how prepared they are. The person beside you can help you feel safe enough to soften into it, or they can unintentionally make everything feel harder just by not knowing what you need in the moment. You can sense their overwhelm even in labour.

Most partners care so much and want to be helpful, they just haven’t been shown what labour really looks like or how to support you when you can’t explain yourself anymore. No one tells them how powerful their presence is or how much you will lean on them practically and emotionally.

The person beside you in birth and the support they provide shapes how safe you feel. Safety is so important for labour hormones to flow and for birth to unfold.

That’s why I created the Birth Partner Guide, something they can read beforehand so they be present in the room feeling steady and prepared instead of unsure or overwhelmed. It gives them simple ways to support you so you can stay focused on the work your body already knows how to do.

You deserve to feel held and protected while you bring your baby into the world.

You can find the guide in my bio if you want grab it yourself to send to them, or you can send this post and ask them to purchase it to read when they’re ready 🩷✨

17/02/2026

I had such a beautiful postpartum visit today, it’s always such a joy to see families with their new bay. I shared a few little snippets on my stories of what I took along, but it was just so nice to sit with this family and hear how they’ve been going, especially chatting about the toddler side of things too.
I always bring meals with me so there’s something nourishing ready to go (I don’t cook in your kitchen, I just bring it along so it’s one less thing to think about), and while we talked I folded washing, stripped the bed and hung the sheets out, reset the kitchen, emptied the bins, served lunch and helped with the newborn bath. Just all the normal life things that feel huge when you’re tired and recovering.

If this is the kind of postpartum support you would love, you can absolutely book visits with me, just head to my website and have a look through my investment guide to see what support can look like for your family 🩷

13/02/2026

Love this energy - the ones who come prepared and know what they want, have thought through the investment into themselves and family and are ready to get started with our journey one they’ve double checked that we click ✨

11/02/2026

I was messaging my gorgeous client Ash today and scrolled back through our chat when this little memory popped up that she shared from her postpartum visit. I thought it needs a spot on the grid!

It took me right back to the intensity of her labour, the emotion and the strength and the way women stretch in birth and then soften into motherhood.

It reminded me what an honour it is to be invited into both birth and postpartum, to witness women in those raw and powerful moments and to see the journey that motherhood takes them on. Always a privilege to be alongside women and families 🌸✨ shared with permission

09/02/2026

🩷🩷

A 2023 meta-analysis showed how doula support improves maternal health and birth outcomes.

This comprehensive review of data from 16 peer-reviewed studies confirmed what many of us have long observed: doula support matters and it is associated with improved maternal and infant health outcomes.

These studies found that doula support was associated with:

✅️ Reduced Cesarean and Premature Birth Rates
✅️ More Positive Lactation Outcomes
✅️ Shorter Labor and Less Pain Medication Use
✅️ Improved Emotional Well-Being

Doula care isn’t just “nice.” Doula support is evidence-based care associated with better health and emotional wellness outcomes.

Read more about the meta-analysis here:
https://internationaldoulainstitute.com/2026/02/how-doula-support-improves-maternal-health-and-birth-outcomes-insights-from-a-meta-analysis/

03/02/2026

This incredible painting of this moment in labour is such a special gift to receive, and being included in this memory by her side is a true honour. What a beautiful way to remember this mama’s strength, the intensity of her labour, the incredible support from her partner and everything she moved through to meet her precious baby 🥹🩷✨ i spend many quiet hours right by the side of women in the depths of transformation and having this to keep to remember the moment is just so special ✨ what a clever mama birthing her baby with such power and then painting this masterpiece a few short weeks later! “A doula weaves calm into chaos, and turns fear into confidence” 🎨

30/01/2026

The Birth Partner Guide is something I made for women who are doing birth with a partner and want to feel properly supported, not just emotionally, but in really practical ways too.

It walks through what actually helps in labour, how partners can support without hovering or freezing, what to say, what not to say, how to advocate, how to read the room, and how to stay grounded when things get intense.

I want you to feel like you’re in it together as a team to enter parenthood feeling united and supported.

Link in bio 🤍