Cheryl was an incredible support to have through my first pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. I can honestly say that I don't think I would have had such an empowering birth without her there. To be honest, I didn’t even know what a doula did at the start of my pregnancy, but after reading a few pregnancy books, I realised that the type of emotional support and advocacy provided by a doula was exactly what I was looking for. I found Cheryl online, and after meeting her in person and reading her book Stork Talk, I knew I wanted to have her on my team.
Leading up to birth, our bub was breech and Cheryl recommended an excellent acupuncturist and physio to help my pelvic alignment. Although bub didn’t flip on her own, I had a successful ECV at 37 weeks which I largely credit to the help I received from Cheryl and the practitioners. For birth, bub decided she wanted to stay posterior, which led to a long and challenging labour. I was really keen to have a physiological birth with no intervention or pain relief, and Cheryl was absolutely instrumental in helping us achieve that. Our baby Sloane was born vaginally despite her posterior presentation after a few hours of pushing.
For anyone who is thinking they may benefit from a doula but aren't sure, I would urge you to reach out to Cheryl. My husband and I both felt that having her present at our first baby's birth made all the difference, and allowed us to navigate the challenges of labour with confidence. Having Cheryl’s support there allowed not just me, but my husband to feel supported through the ups and downs of labour. He even commented afterwards that he felt it was the best thing that we did for the whole pregnancy. I’m so grateful for all that Cheryl did for us, and would absolutely use her again!
Give yourself the best chance of a positive birth in a hospital setting. A new book by one of Australias leading doulas, Cheryl Sheriff.
Sharing wisdom from her 30 years experience as a midwife and doula, and her presence at over 1000 hospital births.
After reading this book you will have more direction, and feel confident, excited and less daunted by the experiences to come.
