Where to find a postnatal doula

[Billy11]

A bit of a last min decison ...i am 28 weeks now and realsied i wouldnt mind a post natal doula comin in twice a week helpin out bathin baby etc while i recover from my c section ....i remember seein a list lon time back...but can't find the website with the list of local doulas...
can anyone help out please...or recommend someone ...i live in richmond and only need her post natally
havin baby at chelsea and westminster

doula.org.uk you can search by postcode.

thanks...
seems they only want to work minimum of 16 hours a week...I can't afford that much and also dont need that many hours....hope i find one that can do twice a week for a few hours each time

What about getting a nanny for few hours every week ?

yeah a nanny sounds better...wouldnt know where to start

try on gumtree?

Where did you get 16 hours from? I don't know any PN doulas who are that prescriptive. Is that from a particular doula, because it is not a general guideline.

I am a doula and I do whatever postnatal hours work for the family and I. Sometimes that is a couple of hours a week, sometimes it is 20 hours a week or more, but the whole point is to be flexible. I do know some that have a minimum session time (usually 2/3 hours) but not hours per week. Some (myself included) also do a package where the hours are cheaper if you prepay for 20 hours or so, but I would expect this to be spread across a month (so one or 2 visits a week) unless the family needed a lot of intense support.

Yes a particular doula. Said she only works in blocks of five hours 3 days a week minimum. That was the first one i spoke to

Spoken to sum others but they are traveling 20 miles and that makes 12 pounds for her petrol fee each day. Im changing my mind this may be too expensive for me.

see if you can find a mentored/trainee doula who might be cheaper, or more flexible.

nurturingbirth.co.uk also have a registry of doulas

Thanks lulu mama....I will have mum there for 6 weeks and hubby there for 2 but they are both too scared to bathe little baby...so im thiknin if hubby just does a crash course in it we be able to cope without one...

Thanks future nanny thats very helpful...
ive only spoken to a few .. i suppose august is a hard month to find someone for...lets see i was hopin to spend 200 pounds a month for about 18 hours that month ...already payin a bomb for dd nursery which is private...
i wish i was one of those fab mums who jump out of bed day two after a c section and runnin a houseold and raisin 4 kids ...

I'm inclined to say that DH is going to have to learn. My DH didn't want to handle DS at first because he was scared he would drop him, but necessity meant that he learned pretty quickly after I had my emcs. Another alternative is getting someone else to fill the baby bath and put it on a table for you, so you can bath baby without any heavy lifting, you might even manage sitting down at a low table. What you need really is not someone to take care of the newborn, but someone to do stuff around the house and help you with your DD, so you can spend the time cuddling your baby and resting. When I am working with a postnatal client, I try to avoid taking over with baby stuff, because it's more important the mother gets time to get to know her baby, and I will deal with laundry, cleaning, food, nappy changes if they are a struggle but generally support in a "hands off the baby" way.

Just wanted to say that I had a post-natal doula after DC1 was born (we had no family help, and I had a traumatic delivery and immediate post-natal period) and she was a lifesaver. Helped with practical stuff as well as just generally reassuring me that I wasn't the world's most incompetent mother! Found her via the doula.org.uk website. Am having her for DC2's birth and post-natal period in a few weeks time!

fishandjam...if you dont mind me askin how much did you pay?

I am a bit cluless to how bad c section recoveries can be...im a bit of a wimp as well ...i will have my mum full time for 8 weeks and hubby forf 2

althouh can't really count on hubby to do much ..he didnt last time..

billy, I'm trying to remember - I think she was £12 an hour, and I had her for 3-4 hours per day (not every day though!) We were supposed to have her for the delivery but circumstances conspired against us :(

When you say your DH didn't do much last time, what do you mean? Was he just scared to get involved, or did he end up just leaving it all to you/your mum?

well mum and dad stayed with us for two months then his mum for a month...he used to travel for work as he worked as a consultant so would only come home friday nite and fly out sunday mornin and sometimes sat nite dependin on what country he had to fly to for work
So he wasnt involved at all...when home he was too tired ...
also we lived in dubai so we have live in help...bless her i miss her so ...lovely lady ..
but now we are back in london its back to reality ...and both me and hub will have a shock...
help sorted the house out and cookin and also let me have a nap once baby was over a few months...''
it may be a blessin in disquise for hubby to have to be more involved...mind you he is only off for two weeks..
mum is fab but she wont bathe the a newborn ...just has a fobia of droppin them or slippin them as she is older now as well'

im ready to jump in to the deep end ...just dont wanna mess up my c section in the first few weeks...

Its the time of year as well ..august...summer holidays and olympics so not many doulas are around...there is a lovey one chargin ten pounds an hour ...but shes chargin 60 p her mile for petrol ...and for one visit return that comes jup to 22 pounds ...all our moneys is already in to private nursery for our two year old...have to sensible with the economy bein so unstable....
all in all 12.50 an hour would be my limit but then only for 4 to 5 hours a week..
i think im ready to give up..