“I just wanted to say thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart for all the incredible love, care and kindness you provided in the lead up to my birth, the during and the after the arrival of Ned. From helping me ground and centre with meditation, to support with boundaries, to looking after our dog. Keeping me so well nourished and constantly checking in with such care to all the encouraging and nurturing words. I felt entirely held and nourished in what was indescribably the most crazy, wonderful, whirlwind moments of my life. Words cannot describe just how much we appreciated everything you did for us. There was no way we could have comprehended just how incredible the support would be and how much we would need it - but somehow amongst your magic you intuitively just seem to know, with grace, exactly what a new mother needs during this life changing time. ”
— Anita, Cody and Ned.
“I thought a lot about having a doula for my first birth or not. My belly said, “yes, absolutely”, my brain wasn’t that convinced. I knew about Our Mothership for quite a while and discovered that Laura also works as a doula. I instantly thought that’s her, I want her for my birth. The very first call on the phone convinced my brain right away. Whenever we chatted I felt understood and already so cared for. I looked forward to every visit or meeting we planned. I felt like I couldn’t have chosen better. She was so heart warming, understanding, caring and amazingly supportive. The best part about Laura was, she has this beautiful gift of knowing what I need, creating space, creating sacredness, worshipping every moment of womanhood, making memories that last. It was the little things that meant a lot to me. Making me feel special. Guiding me through this amazing, tiring and life changing journey, supporting me in every aspect, especially the very tiring early stages of labour. Making me understand that all of this is happening as it is supposed to be and not to fight it. Always offering chats or calls on the phone, picking up things on her way before meeting me, bringing me food, gifts, making delicious rice pudding for me to have right after birth is the thing I will always remember. Her beautiful smile when I just couldn’t keep going. I looked at her and said “I can’t do this anymore“ and she just smiled and said “you are already doing it mama.” During the surges, the intensity, the strong contractions, she was there witnessing me and really feeling out what I would need or what could be helping - and it would have been a completely different experience without her. Harder, much much harder and lonelier. The best thing for me was, she didn’t try to stop me doing my thing, she was just there and was breathing with me, massaging me, offering me fluids all 9 hours long. She created my birthing suit with fairy lights and a diffuser and offered different things that could help with pain, like laughing, dancing, being upright and so on. I experienced my birth as quite intense, but having her there makes me think back at a very beautiful sacred event that will change my perspective and life forever. At first I was wondering what I would need a doula for, but it is not only the little things like getting me a drink, opening the window, bringing me food for my postpartum period. No, it was her whole being, her kind heart and her beautiful way of making room for what was to come, that I needed at that time of my life. And I will be forever grateful for it.”
— Teresa, William and Theodore.
I knew we would click when she inquired about what my love languages were before we met, and came to my house with flowers and chocolate! My partner, four-year-old son and I felt so comfortable with Laura by the time it came to birth. We never felt just like clients; we felt our connection with Laura ran much deeper and was a genuine result of Laura following her skillset and passion for 'holding the mother'. I so appreciated smaller details: finding a bunch of flowers at my doorstep during a challenging time in my pregnancy; the fact that she always arrived bearing delicious treats to accompany our meet-ups; her natural inclination towards quality food and health in all her offerings. I adore that Laura had perfected the art of tapering her support to our family and my specific needs, while also imparting her own brand of support in ways I hadn't known to ask for.
I was deeply held by Laura during my lengthy second labour. I laboured for over twenty-eight hours, healthily, at home during my planned home birth. One of the cornerstones of how I mentally and physically coped during this long labour was Laura's intuitive support. Despite it being her first time attending a birth, Laura clearly felt comfortable in this sacred arena. She was present with me during each and every contraction, intuiting my needs, and providing food and beverages to keep up my energy. I was aware of her presence in the sense that I felt her support, and equally I was able to let go of my awareness, in her company. She flowed, seamlessly effortlessly, between providing physical and emotional support to me directly, preparing food and drinks, taking lovely photos, being with my older son, supporting my partner to rest when he needed, and imparting an energy of gentle patience and firm belief in the exquisite unfolding of my daughter's birth. I adored her faith and patience. I never felt rushed or forced, or that something was awry. She was never instructional, and got on beautifully with the wider birth team. I could feel her calm and awe of birth, her overriding trust that all was as it should be. Everything that we had planned for during our labour and birth planning sessions was heard and upheld so I could focus on my great task. Laura was a key member of our birth team, holding space for me, gently trusting in the perfection of what was unfolding, feeling into when and if I needed hip squeezes, a drink, or someone to accompany me into the cosmic space I was entering as I transitioned my daughter earthside. I loved how much innate faith she has in women and their babies and the uniqueness of their dual journey of labour and birth.
Beyond providing practical support, hiring Laura as my birth and postpartum doula helped me to mark this period as a significant rite of passage in my life, acknowledging its sacredness and significance with her expertise and presence. She offers non judgemental support with an emphasis on gently hallmarking the spiritual and emotional upheaval and transition that is bringing life into the world. She truly holds the mother, not the baby.
— Freya, Nelson, Romilly & Ellis.
I’ve always been a pretty anxious person, so it was no surprise that during pregnancy I had a lot apprehension about postpartum. Getting Laura on board as my doula was an absolute game changer. I honestly can’t wait to try again for another baby, because we will be 100 percent getting her back! I have felt so loved and understood in my first few months as a mother. She was the perfect fit for our family, and I felt so comfortable with her in our home. She helped me navigate my new world better than I could have ever imagined. At our planning session, we talked through exactly what I wanted things to look and feel like for me after birth, what my boundaries were and what type of space I wanted to create for myself and my family. She took so much time to get to know me personally and this made such a difference in the support she was able to offer me. She made me so much amazing food, plus brought me flowers and my favourite magazines.
My favourite part about working with Laura was having someone to talk to that wasn't my husband or my family. Everyone wants to talk about the baby, and yeah that is amazing, but sometimes I just wanted to talk about myself or other things and Laura created a beautiful space for me to come back to myself. When Lily visited she was amazing, being able to rest and have someone hold the baby in those early days was priceless. Lily helped me navigate breastfeeding issues and was such a warming presence in our home.
— Jess, Hamish and Ada.