“The labour was calm and ran its course. Having Erika there during the active labour stage was excellent as she made sure I stayed hydrated and mixed up the coping techniques I was using as the contractions strengthened. As well as this she maintained positive about the progress when the Dr did an internal check and when I felt a little disheartened that labour had not progressed as quickly as I had hoped.

The actual birth and final stage of transition was personally a challenge as I had decided to have an unmedicated birth. However, she remained by my side during this time and maintained her positive and calm composure while making sure I was as comfortable and focused as I could be.

Things like initially calling the Dr when I felt ready to push, checking if I wanted to change position, directing the nurse to the leg cramp, applying a wet cool towel to my head and positive reinforcement that everything was progressing well. All of this made the entire birth manageable and made me feel confident about the whole process.”

“Erika helped me to feel empowered and confident that I could have a beautiful birth experience. I think this is one of the most important things that she did and suggest that this is a key aspect for all births.

Erika helped me understand why the first birth felt traumatic for me and also helped me to better understand what happens during contractions, eg the uterine muscles contracting and how visualising this can help manage the pain. She encouraged me to read and watch examples of women labouring with control, and helped to equip me with pain management and relaxation techniques to use during labour.”

“Erika was an incredible resource particularly as this was my first baby in a foreign country. She was able to provide valuable evidence based information for me as well as recommendations when it came to hospitals, doctors, specialists, breech babies, spinning babies, c sections, breastfeeding etc. She has been a fantastic help postpartum particularly with breastfeeding and providing the opportunity for me to speak to a lactation consultant. Erika was a huge emotional support for me and given the fact that the baby was breech and I had a planned c section, she helped to break down the day of operation into a step by step process. She was helpful in preparing me to utilise visualisations and affirmations and also helping me visualise the end goal during the operation. These strategies and the preparation helped me to remain calm and confident during my c section.”

“Erika was a huge support during the birth of my second child in Bangkok. I had really hoped for the natural birth experience and prepared for a VBAC but in the end I had another caesarean section. I am so grateful to Erika for helping me and Nir make an informed decision this time around.

Erika was able to share many resources to help me prepare for this birth. I particularly found the Spinning Babies Daily Exercises very helpful during my pregnancy. It was also very helpful to use the breathing techniques I had practiced during pregnancy on the day of the birth. The aromatherapy also helped me when I was in the operating room. 

I would 100% recommend Erika to anyone looking for a doula. Every single woman should invest and treat herself to a doula!”

I can not more highly recommend the support and services of Erika at Maenam Doula based on my experience of her pre-natal and in-labour care. She was a critical and wonderful part of the support I needed on my journey to an empowered vaginal birth after caesarean, in the public hospital system. I knew even before this pregnancy with my second daughter that I wanted to pursue a VBAC. My circumstances meant that I wasn’t able to access the ‘gold standard’ of continuity of care with a midwifery group practice or private midwife and home birth, so it was extremely important to me to find the best possible alternative support. 

I met with several doulas in my region, and knew straight away that Erika was a wonderful fit for me. For the whole journey, she listened, intuited my fears and worries and showed a huge willingness to go the extra mile for me; even attending some of my more ‘high-stakes’ antenatal appointments with me. She understood what a ‘mental game’ a VBAC labour in particular would be, as well as supporting me to be as physically prepared as possible. She gently assisted my partner to expand his knowledge and really step into an empowered place from which to support me. We came to work as a really comfortable team. 

When it came to my experience birthing my daughter, Erika used beautiful encouragement, humour, massage, reassurance and an unshakeable calmness to support me and protect the oxytocin levels! She helped me to overcome my last ‘mental obstacle’ before embracing the full intensity of labour, and supported me to perfectly time my decision to head into hospital. From there, she continued to protect my space, assist me to find comfort and safety in my new environment, and encourage me to keep going. She worked in beautifully with my husband and a wonderful student midwife, who cumulatively created a ‘super birth support squad’.

Because of Erika’s reassurance and her knowledgeable advice, I never experienced a ‘crisis’ in my drug-free labour that couldn’t be surmounted. When my daughter was born, Erika celebrated with my husband and I not just as a doula, but as someone now enmeshed in a landmark moment for our family. It was a special, determined and well-supported journey I undertook with Erika, and one I have found transformative.

I am so proud of what I was able to achieve with her help, and grateful for her company and care in the weeks after birth. Erika helped me to debrief, reminisce and enjoy all the details of my birth experience while bringing us beautiful food to make the early days with a newborn easier. Her home-made peri spray also came in handy for my stitches after a small tear. I cannot thank Erika enough for the path she walked with me, or recommend her services highly enough to any pregnant and birthing women and their families. It’s a powerful thing to have a doula like this by your side, especially when navigating the busy and sometimes strained environment of the public hospital system in pursuit of a mode of birth which sadly, isn’t always met with the support a woman needs to receive the best chance of success.

“We hired Erika as our Doula to help us with mostly postpartum help. She also however helped to prepare both my husband and I for a C-Section birth which I was very anxious about. She was incredibly knowledgeable and helped teach me techniques to calm my nerves.

We loved that she seamlessly just became part of the family. Each day she came she would surprise me with special treats, coffee, nourishing homemade granola, homemade scar oil to name a few things. She was a massive help to have around the house, doing anything that needed to be done without even being asked. She was wonderful playing with our son who has ASD. She was kind, patient and fun and he really enjoyed her company.

She was also a great help when I had problems that needed solving. She has great knowledge and a network of people who can help, i.e. lactation consultants, etc. And would quickly book me into appointments that I needed. Erika was such an amazing help and we are thrilled that we hired her. We miss her!”

“I highly recommend Erika to any new mother looking to engage a Postpartum Doula. She understands the delicate nature of those early weeks with a new baby and her gentle, calm demeanour was just what my family needed. She is reliable, insightful and really supportive, which gave me much needed confidence in her support, but also in myself as a new first time mum.

Thank you so much Erika. You have been such an important part of my transition into motherhood and Jack’s start in life.”

“Before working with Erika I felt anxious about giving birth. Her support and education leading up to the birth made me feel empowered and confident in not only natural pain management techniques but also understanding the various scenarios and what our choices would be. As a result, I went into the birth feeling confident, brave, strong and most of all calm. I experienced the most beautiful water birth that was beyond my wildest dreams.

Erika’s postnatal support helped me ease into motherhood and allowed me to focus on bonding with my baby, have time to myself or just take a shower…whatever I needed! Not having to do house chores thanks to her help really eased the physical and mental load in those crucial early weeks.

We are so thankful to Erika and would absolutely recommend others to work with her as both a birth and postnatal doula, it really will make a huge difference!”

“Erika, we adore you! We both feel so lucky that we had you as our Doula during this monumental time in our lives!

We would absolutely recommend you to an expectant couple. You can’t really anticipate ahead of time what kind of support you’re going to need, but Erika was capable, knowledgeable and compassionate throughout the antenatal, birth, and postnatal period. During birth, Erika struck the perfect balance between actively helping (like providing calm encouragement, information, or a necessary sip of water or snack) and passively being present with me and my spouse during the highs and lows of birth. Having that kind of support was especially important to my spouse and I given that our families live abroad and wouldn’t be attending the birth. In retrospect, I thought that having a Doula would be purely beneficial for me (the birthing person) but we learned how important it was also for my spouse to have someone alongside him, too.

After birth, I underestimated how important those two postnatal visits were going to be…it was great to feel like someone was checking in on us! Thank you again for all of your support.”

“I felt more in control this time around (compared to my first birth experience) and confident in myself and our decisions/choices for the labour and birth. This was due in large part to the preparation work with Erika and her presence and support on the day itself. I felt more relaxed and at ease during my labour as a result, which made the overall experience positive and affirming.

Working through the Birth Map together was probably the most helpful, including playing the Birth Map game. It was really helpful to mentally walk down the different paths and consider the things I cared (and didn’t care) about for my labour and birth.

Overall, we both felt more prepared mentally this time and confident in our choices and decisions for labour and birth, having had the opportunity to test and discuss them with Erika in the lead up. Thank you for all of your support!”

“Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience of birth with us. Having worked in emergency services where both Jason and I have only experienced negative outcomes of birth, you helped us completely shift our mindset and welcome our own birth experience.

Before we met, I was afraid of birth, expecting the worst and open to any interventions to make birth ‘safer’ and give me ‘control’, I was a victim of societal birth norms exacerbated by my negative experiences at work. After our meetings and when it came time for us to write a birth map, I am so proud to say that with your help, I had shifted my perspective and was excited to create a positive birth experience with the hope of no intervention. Although things didn’t go to ‘plan’ (like you had prepared us for), I still felt like I was in control of my induction and the choices I was required to make during birth.

You not only supported me and my choices without judgement, but you helped Jason through the whole experience as well. Having you with us during my pregnancy and Archer’s birth was invaluable and I’m so glad we chose to have you with us!”

“When my wife first mentioned that she wanted a Doula to support her in the birth of our second child, I was skeptical. While the birth of our first child through the private health system had been relatively straightforward from a clinical perspective, we had both found it an impersonal and largely frightening experience. Personally, I worried that introducing another stranger into the process would only make matters worse the second time around.

After our first meeting with Erika, it became apparent very quickly that I had nothing to be worried about. Erika is extremely personable and supportive. Over the course of the pregnancy, she helped my wife develop a strong meditation and breathing practice, as well as confidence in her innate capacity and strength to deliver our child.

Erika also took the time to speak with me about my own concerns and fears relating to the birthing process, which were based on my experience trying to support my wife through the birth of our first child. Her support and encouragement helped me re-frame my perception of child birth, from one of fear to one of awe, respect and love.

On the night my wife went into labour, Erika was responsive and at the hospital to support us with less than 15 minutes notice. Within two hours of our arrival, our daughter was born. Throughout the labour Erika was a calming and supportive presence. She tended to my wife’s needs with exceptional steadiness and presence of mind, while also supporting us to navigate the particular model of care being offered by the hospital.

Having Erika’s steady guidance and support throughout the pregnancy and birth of our second child was transformative. Thank you Erika!” - Julian, husband to Constance

“From the moment Erika entered our lives, she exuded the warmth and familiarity of an old friend. Her genuine care not only eased the overwhelming early days of motherhood but also played a pivotal role in guiding my husband and me through birth planning and preferences.

Not only is Erika a fantastic cook, whipping up delicious treats that provided much-needed comfort during those sleep-deprived days and nights, but she's also the embodiment of calmness and positivity. Her uplifting presence was so appreciated during some of my most exhausted and frustrated moments.

Erika seamlessly transitions between roles, effortlessly embodying the roles of friend, counsellor, baby whisperer, vacuum whiz, and house organiser. No task is too daunting for her; she approaches each challenge with grace, efficiency, and, most importantly, without judgement.

I wish every new mum could experience the support and guidance of someone like Erika. She made those first six weeks of postpartum not only bearable but enjoyable, allowing me to navigate motherhood on my own terms with her unwavering support by my side.

I cannot recommend Erika enough. If you're lucky enough to have Erika by your side, cherish every moment because she truly is a gem!”

“Erika is your new best friend once you welcome your Bub into the world. She shows up when you need her, comes with a sense of calm and care, often brings snacks, and leaves you feeling far better than when she arrived.

I met with a few doulas before choosing Erika, choosing her because her life philosophy, way of caring for her own children, and her beautiful nature was something I wanted in my life. 10/10 recommend for any families.

Doulas may seem like a luxury, but the care for the Mum during this time is something more important than we realise.”