Testimonials - Postpartum

Read Birth Doula Testimonials

"I wanted to write and send feedback on my experience with [our doula] recently.

[Our doula] called me for an inital consultation and was very nice and kind on the phone.

I explained that this was my third baby and I needed support around batch cooking. She took it all in her stride and checked on any allergies or food distaste in the household and promised to send a shopping list on Friday as she was calling on Monday for the three hour shift.

The list came on Friday as promised and was created with care to split everything out by area in the shop, fruit and veg, dairy etc. so so handy!

Monday came and [our doula] arrived in the morning on time and followed all covid protocol, different shoes, washing hands, forms etc. (I had confirmed covid questions by text also prior to arrival). She is a lovely warm woman who listened attentively in our conversations even while cooking. Her style of cooking is very homely and natural. It was a pleasure to have her in my kitchen. She had brilliant idea of laminating her recipes so she could sanitise the pages and also wipe clean her marker as she crossed off the tasks. [She] is a wonderful cook and her food was beautiful. Warming postnatal mild curries, shepherd pie, stew, flapjacks. It was just what I needed. She is a very clean worker and gave me great tips for the kids food also.

[Our doula] told me that baby care would be her expertise over cooking. I can safely say her cooking was wonderful so her baby care would be fantastic!

I would highly recommend [her] as a postpartum doula and you are very lucky to have her in the organisation. I am so glad I was able to avail of the Irish life benefit."

Irish Life Health Policy Holder

I would like to leave some feedback on the service. Our doula was an amazing help! She was very good and clear with her initial communication. She always came right on time she was never late. She was a great person to speak to about my birth experience. She accompanied me to appointments and there were many and advocated for me when I needed some help. 

Around the house, she assisted with all the tasks I needed to. She supported me on the breastfeeding journey (it hard a rocky start). She was great for making food for us. I used to leave her a recipe and she would make that and her food was very nourishing and tasty. She also got me on oats cake that was literally a lifeline for me in the early days and till today :) 

Above all that, she was absolutely amazing with my little one! She helped her with wind and sleep and basically anything she needed. She helped me to find my feet in them early days and I'm very grateful for it. 

Thank you for the amazing service! 

Postpartum Doula Client

Just wanted to contact you in relation to our Doula that came to us last night. . She was wonderful. She gave us a wealth of information, from feeding to using the wrap, to adjusting the cot bed, the list was endless, we were at our wit's end before she came, she was so calming, supportive and she gave me confidence in my role as a new mum.

I'm a trained psychotherapist, and I noticed that the doula was highly skilled at deep listening and attuning to the needs of our family in a supportive a non-judgemental way, she created a permissive space where we could share everything that we were feeling. She is extremely skilled at what she does. Thank you

Irish Life Health Policy Holder

Just thought I'd give you an update on my pumping journey. Its going really well, my supply went up nicely after some power pumping days around 3 weeks. People keep telling me how hard it must be to exclusively pump, and I always tell them it's about educating yourself. Our zoom session and watching your videos, reading your blogs is what kept me going. All those tips helped a lot! Thank you

- Online Support Session

I choose DoulaCare as I liked that you are working together with many different Doulas across Ireland and it seemed to me that you are the biggest agency in Ireland. After doing some research in the internet I was reading some very good reviews. The initial interaction with DoulaCare Ireland was great. Mary took her time and provided all information required. Also during my pregnancy the support was great.the Doula as well as the owner of DoulaCare were available for any questions and support.As a first time mum without any experience with babies my biggest concern was not knowING how to take care of the baby and having lots of questions. The doula helped me to gain confidence with the baby by answering all my questions and giving me great information. Anita was a great support in taking care of the household as I was not able to look after simple things like making a breakfast for myself or having a shower. It was also a big help that she took care of Alice while I was having a nap. Jenny provided great advice regarding baby wearing and showed us how to use the baby wrap. It was great to see how confident she was with the baby. She gave us lots of useful tips. I didn't expected that a newborn would need 24 hour attention and I would not be able to do little things around the household. It was such a great support to have someone who could help.

- First Time Parent, Dublin

Louise made sure I got the rest I needed while she was taking care of my son. She also cooked meals for us, changed and fed Hani, played with him and even ironed some clothes for us. I was able to sleep, shower, rest, which are priceless at that time. I was afraid I might not trust my doula with my baby but Louise was so reassuring, confident and caring that I learned so much from her. She was like a mother to me, and it was exactly what I needed. I would definitely recommend any pregnant woman to consider having a postpartum doula. The physical, mental and family support they give is invaluable! Louise was simply amazing. She helped us so much and we will never forget it. Thank you!

- First Time Mum, Dublin

I found having the support of a doula brilliant. On the day of my partner’s Caesarean and for those few days she was in hospital, having that additional layer of support for her was a real weight off my mind, as I juggled looking after older kids too. And the experience and support / advocacy of our doula was really helpful for us in terms of surviving hospital!! Once we came home, that support continued. The older kids were crazy about our team of doulas, which was ace. And it made things easier. Obviously things were still challenging, with twins + two other kids. But our doula support took the edge off that challenge and helped us enjoy things. Knowing that there was someone to help my partner was a huge help to me. Everything wasn’t on me & on my shoulders. And the practical support which the doulas were able to offer - especially during night shifts - was wonderful!!

It was me who had pushed the idea of having a Doula; my partner wasn’t sure. So I was relieved and delighted when she had such a good experience even just speaking to our potential on the phone that first day. And the practical assistance, meeting us where we were was brilliant. Our team of doulas got to know us and vice versa. Which was ace.

Would 100% recommend a doula as support for birthing-mummy and also for whole family

- Partner Feedback, Postpartum Support, Dublin

I think what my friend did was fantastic. It's a great gift to get from a group of friends, especially if they're not around/emigrated. And it was the most useful gift obviously."

- Laura, Curracloe, Co. Wexford

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I chose to hire a doula for postpartum support because I was afraid I would struggle to cope with just looking after my son on my own,  the first night after having a caesarean. After my first child I was so exhausted and in so much pain that it was one of the hardest nights of my life. I was terrified that something would happen to her if I fell asleep as I was so wrecked, and the nurses were so busy that it wasn’t enough help at all.

I had my doula helping me in the hospital on my first night after the birth of my son. She was just wonderful, and I am so glad I chose to avail of the service. She helped me in lots of different ways - was excellent around breastfeeding support which was a huge help as I was struggling a bit, she showed me different positions and had other little handy tips, she was great just to talk to about lots of aspects of motherhood; she watched James while I slept, helped me change him etc... Also, her own personality and manner was so relaxed that it really took pressure of me and helped me to relax about not doing everything perfectly! Having her there was wonderful, I felt supported rather than alone.

- Aine, Second Time Mum. CUMH, Cork

I was really struggling trying to exclusively pump with a reflux baby with other tummy issues who basically couldn’t be put down. I was getting almost no sleep as we had to keep her upright for 2 hours and pump after every bottle. Being an extra pair of hands was amazing and letting me pump or nap. But also the bit of company was really helpful and to just have someone to bounce things off as we were struggling with our new baby. There were such lovely women who came into our lives at a very low point and really helped improve the mood in the house. I was also surprised by how much household assistance they were willing to do.

Having a postpartum doula is basically like renting a sister or mother to help you get through it all and to do it! It made a difficult time so much easier and I feel I had a very positive impact on my marriage also as it took a potential major conflict out of the equation. I was getting the support I needed and my husband was able to go into work confident that we would get through the day. 

You were an enormous help and worth every penny.

- Second Time Mum, Blackrock, Dublin 4

I found having Cat as our Doula to be very helpful. I was skeptical with regard to the benefit of having a Doula but when labour started I was delighted to have the extra support. To have someone there that has been through child birth that can maintain a calm & cool presence throughout a big and potentially very stressful life event was invaluable. My wife's labour was long and somewhat complicated and having a Doula there to provide reassurance and support meant a lot.

- First Time Dad, Dublin

Clare and Zoe have been a huge help, great support and company. I did so much preparation for pregnancy and labour but none really for after the birth, which is the toughest part. I hadn’t realized how tired or how much in a haze I’d be when I’d get home from the hospital. I found it hard to function. It has been great to be able to get advice on questions as they have arisen and to be able to discuss any concerns over my baby with someone. I’ve recommended your service to others.

- First Time Mum, Cork City