Bigger, better, transformed!

Welcome to the ALL NEW A Rainbow Doula
You'll be seeing some big changes happening on the website over the next few weeks as I work with a design team to revamp my look as my focus shifts.

I feel it is only fair to explain why as a doula my focus is shifting away from births. There are a few reasons, I will begin with the most important;

My family - having a husband who works interstate makes it hard to commit to births, relying heavily on babysitters which we just do not have, once the kids are older I'd love to start supporting births again. Supporting births is a BIG passion of mine especially where families have had a previous loss, traumatic birth or circumstances such as teen pregnancy. I am still going to provide pregnancy support just not birth support for a little while but I do have a fantastic lady to refer clients on to.
Why am I telling you this? Because I believe in being honest to my clients, to my community, I am human after all, I cannot do it al. We all face challenges and right now my husband working away is one of those challenges.

By putting births aside for the meantime (mostly! I cannot shy away completely, I will still be able to support births where a caesarean date is scheduled to ensure I have childcare - yes you can still have a doula with a caesarean birth!) this means I can focus more on other aspects of birth work that I am passionate about.

Where will my focus be now and why?
Postpartum Support - When people think about a doula they think of pregnancy and birth but that's not all a doula can be used for. I am also a postpartum doula and offer support to families in those first few months post baby. Whether its your first baby or tenth there will be challenges, there will be times you'd love an extra set of hands, we are those hands!
Here is a post I made about how valuable a postpartum doula is.

Childbirth Education - Have you ever been to the hospital childbirth education classes? Classes ran by an independent educator are NOT like those! While some maybe happy with the information provided many are left feeling underwhelmed. Midwives are run off their feet and most dread being rostered on for the classes, the information tends to be dated and biased to hospital policy.
My classes whilst structured are client led, I

strive on keeping myself up to date with information and I am constantly learning to provide the best information possible.
Check out our calendar of events for our next group session OR book a private class.

Placenta Encapsulation - I could talk all day about the benefits of encapsulating! While I mainly service Ballarat I do extend services to most Melbourne hospitals.
To see more information about encapsulation please read here


Belly Casts - I love crafting, I love painting and creating so I have tied this hobby in with my work and offer belly casts to the community.

Saving the part of my work that owns a part of my soul to the very last is Parenting A Rainbow, my husband and I have experienced stillbirth and miscarriage together, after losing our daughter to a congenital diaphragmatic hernia I have been heavily invested in helping families with their grief and grief tends to get reopened or take another path when you have another baby and support is often needed in a way that differs from the other supports offered. This is why I started the Parenting A Rainbow packages for A Rainbow Doula, having a rainbow baby is a very emotional process.

So there is a little about the direction we are taking for a little while, my heart very much still lies in birth work and all elements of it. Changes are happening, as I grow as a person and as a parent my business is also growing from the seed it started at in 2012 it is now blossoming and transforming into a beautiful fruit.

Why should your placenta encapsulator be PSA recognised?

First of all  I'd  like to apologise for the plain blog post, it's 11pm kids are in bed so I'm hiding in the darkness! I'm tired but something is on my mind so here I am getting it out in the open. 

A wonderful parenting group exists on Facebook but conflict often arises when people have a difference of opinion and everybody is of course entitled to that opinion, it's what you do with the education and knowledge that is being given to you that is important. Do you grow and learn or stay close and often mislead people with ill advise? 

WHAT IS PSA? 

PSA stands for Placenta Services Australia. It is a fantastic directory for those seeking an encapsulator. All encapsulators must have shown proof of training as an encapsulator, food handling certificate and  blood borne pathogens, they must also be willing to learn more and continue learning as the industry grows. 

Placenta encapsulation has grown a lot over the years as people learn more about the benefits. It is an industry now, we have standards to uphold and so much more to learn. At PSA the opportunity is there to gain knowledge and wisdom from mentors and fellow encapsulators. 

PSA are strict, professional and ensure all encapsulators listed work to the highest standard.  

It is so much more than the directory it appears to be to those seeking an encapsulator, underneath there is a network of highly skilled encapsulators striving for the very best for their clients working hard to ensure the client can advocate to keep their placenta. Qualified encapsulators who learn more and more through each other and extensive research. 

If you're thinking about encapsulation please take a look at the list of encapsulators recommended by the PSA and have the confidence that your encapsulator has been background checked and strives for the best for you and your placenta. 

http://www.placentaservices.com.au/

Playgroup

A Rainbow Doula are launching a playgroup, I say playgroup its more of a meet up. It will be in a social setting such as fun bugs where kids can go off and play but are safe at the same time and mums and dads can get to know each other.

When I first became a parent I found it extremely lonely, I had my children younger than my friends, they were still busy partying and I was home with a baby. As the years went on I had more children, started studying and then set up A Rainbow Doula and being self employed you don't have any colleagues to mingle with.

Working with pregnant parents this is often a concern and often something postpartum parents bring up too. I know I need to push myself back into the social circles and from feedback I've received it seems it will help many others too. 

School holidays can be hectic which is why I've picked somewhere child friendly to encourage getting out of the house and even when the kids are back at school and you don't have little ones you're more than welcome to come along and get to know the adults, you ever know how many have children the same age. 

I strongly believe adults need interaction with other adults, there's only so many days we can stay cooped up singing the wiggles, am I right?! I'm planning on also having adult only events where we can go to the movies, have some drinks, let our hair down. There will also be family meal nights where we go out for dinner, venues will be child friendly. 

Our first playgroup session will be Tuesday 24th January at 2pm 

We will be at fun bugs and everyone is welcome you don't ever have to have been a client of A Rainbow Doula 

I look forward to meeting you!

PAR (aka Parenting A Rainbow) by A Rainbow Doula

PAR - Parenting A Rainbow
This program combines 2 of my qualifications. I am a trained postpartum doula and a trained bereavement doula, together with these skills I have created PAR.
PAR is different from my usual postpartum work because this focuses on pregnancy and/or bringing home a baby after loss.

I myself am a Rainbow Parent (I have living children after the death of a child) so I also have experience in some of the insecurities expecting rainbow parents can be feeling.

 PAR will be mainly be focusing on postpartum help within the home, helping parents adjust to a new baby. If you feel you would like extra support with your pregnancy and birth please discuss our birth packages which I can provide extra support for anyone who needs it.
We often feel guilt that a new baby is replacing a baby we have lost, this isn't true but is a common feeling.
We feel mixed emotions that the nursery is being used by a new baby.

Parenting a new baby after a loss can be an emotional time, the most common feelings reported by mums with a new baby after a previous loss are:
- insecurities about parenting
- fear (for baby, for the future)
- worry (about baby, parenting etc)
- guilt
- sadness (especially when new baby meets milestones)
- hurt (when others focus on new baby and "forget" the baby that was lost)
- physical/emotional discomfort

Having a rainbow baby can also be very overwhelming in general, not just emotionally, my job will be to help you through what can be difficult times, be a sounding board and willing ear for your feelings/emotions/fears, to help you physically with your new baby, assist in bonding with your new baby and help with the housework as well as you begin this new journey with your rainbow baby.

Our packages can be found on our website, PAR packages can be found below too, please note these may change in time as we adjust to the needs of Parenting who are raising rainbows.

Package #1
3 prenatal visits to discuss your needs/wants and for me to get a general idea of what support you will need or what could benefit you the most.
20 hours (these can be broken up into blocks of your choice) of postpartum visits
4 x homemade freezer meals
A gift basket
24 hour phone support
$420

Package #2
3 prenatal visits
30 hours postpartum visits
6 x freezer meals
1 x lactation cookies
A gift basket
24 hour phone support
$640

Package #3
4 prenatal visits
40 hours postpartum visits
7 x freezer meals
2 x lactation cookies
A gift basket
24 hour phone support
$880

Extras
Maternity photo shoot: $
Newborn photo shoot: $
Cleaner: $
Additional postpartum hours: $24 per hour

For more information on how a postpartum doula can help you please follow this link http://arainbowdoula.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/why-is-postpartum-doula-valuable.html?m=1

Our Cuddle Cot Mission

As a loss mama I cannot help but think about how our grieving process may have been made easier if we weren't on the clock, if we got to say goodbye in our own time. This is where cuddle cots come in to play. A cot with a built in cooling system that allows bereaved families more time with baby.
The problem however is that these cots are expensive (over $5000) and not every hospital has one. I want that to change, I want every family to be able to have access to a cuddle cot if they need or want one.

Willow's Touch Ballarat Doula is a branch of A Rainbow Doula and we are working together with Emerikus Land Foundation to raise the funds for at least one cuddle cot. On April 8th we are having a charity auction over at The Crafty Butterfly in an effort to raise a good chunk of the funds. Businesses are coming together to donate which is a fabulous thing to see. We still need more donations and more likers over at The Crafty Butterfly.

I really cannot express in words just how much a cuddle cot can change a families life. They get to create more memories with their precious angel. Maybe a heartfelt photographer is a couple of hours away, sometimes they may miss out on the opportunity or the photos need more editing, with a cuddle cot this helps to eliminate those issues that can occur.

Family may live a few hours away and want to meet baby, there are so many scenarios that a cuddle cot can make the world of difference.

Please head on over, please donate if you can, please bid, have fun, share and know you are helping a family say goodbye in their own time.

https://www.facebook.com/Lovethecraftybutterfly/

https://www.mycause.com.au/page/118147/willows-touch-helping-families-say-goodbye-in-their-own-time

Can I still encapsulate if we choose a lotus birth?

I will begin by explaining what a Lotus birth is just for those who have not heard of it before.
Lotus birth is the practice of leaving the cord and placenta attached to the baby until it naturally breaks away. This happens usually within 3-10 days and can be practiced in many different birthing situations such as a hospital birth, home birth, water birth even a cesarean section.
The name Lotus birth comes from the first recorded human, Clair Lotus Day, to have a Lotus birth in 1974, a practice before then only commonly known for by Chimpanzees.

What benefits does a lotus birth have?
The baby will receive all of the placental blood from the cord
Baby is less likely to be passed around in those first few days (this also helps baby in being more protected from illness in those first few days)
Parents who have had a lotus birth claim their baby was much calmer compared to babies who had not had a lotus birth
Some believe this helps baby transition into the world

So can you encapsulate and have a lotus birth?
Generally no, unfortunately because the placenta can only be refrigerated for 72 hour max before needing freezing, encapsulation generally happens withing the first 24 hours after birth, the sooner the better. However there may be a solution, though this would depend on how long the cord took to separate, if practiced properly and can still be a gamble. The solution can be found at Wise women way of birth



If you would like to share your lotus birth experiences to be featured in an upcoming article and on our website please email Nicole@arainbowdoula.com.au

APRIL spectacular. Installment number one

To celebrate my precious daughter turning the big 1-0 I am having a few giveaways, competitions and special offers throughout the month.
This is an early bird offer.

Can I just say I cannot believe my baby girl is turning 10 - when did that happen?! She's starting puberty and turning into a woman, as beautiful as it is I wish they could stay babies forever!

Now back to this early bird special.
As a qualified childbirth educator I pride myself on giving couples the most up to date and honest information regarding pregnancy, birth, postpartum and breastfeeding.
If you'd like to know why an independent childbirth educator is more beneficial than your hospital classes please browse my blog.

Classes are usually $180 per couple.
If you book in for our July class in this week running up to April or within April then you attend for only $60! That's half price.
Classes are 3 hours long and run twice a week for 4 weeks.
If you can't make the scheduled times then you can book private classes that are held in the comfort of your own home.

These classes include information about:
What to expect during pregnancy
How to tell you're in labour
How to cope with pain
Natural pain relief vs medication
The best positions for birth
Your birthing options
Breastfeeding information
What to expect in the postpartum period
Settling your baby
Plus MUCH more.

Take advantage of half price classes!
If you would like more information please call me on 0417072129 or email nicole@arainbowdoula.com.au