A Doula Testimonial
We decided to look into options for a private midwife or doula after having a difficult experience with our private obstetrician. At the time we felt confused and out of our depth after this experience, being very new to the world of pregnancy and childbirth avenues!
Contacting Kelly was the first step in gaining our footing and feeling like we could be in control of our birth experience again, as she helped us understand and navigate the world of choices open to us for our birth, despite what medical professionals had told us about our 'limitations'! There was no obligation with this phone call, and I really felt how caring, helpful and knowledgable Kelly is. What was different about Kelly was this depth of knowledge and experience, her ability to really listen and affirm us in our experiences and desires for our birth, and her calm and caring presence. The time spent with her was so helpful for our mental preparation, feeling of control and enjoyment of the process. In our birth she immediately brought such a profound calm and helped me find a rhythm with the contractions. She knew what I needed before I did, appearing with water or lip balm before I had a chance to ask. She helped my husband and I work as a team, caring for us both and figure out how to articulate the affirmations that made us feel calm and in control. Even though our birth experience didn't end the way we would have chosen, I really treasure the natural part of our birth experience we had with Kelly by our side. It was so empowering and special. The education we had with Kelly leading up to the day was also so valuable for making decisions that popped up before and throughout the birth. This allowed us to make informed decisions in the moment, and meant that even though things occurred that others have called 'traumatic', we feel content about how we handled it and feel we were able to do what we could to the best of our own ability, and surrender when we had to. It was absolutely transformational. We feel we could not have had so much peace in those moments without the knowledge and preparation Kelly provided in the lead up. Now we have our beautiful baby and I'm so glad we found Kelly to help us enter this amazing time of being born as parents. Sarah & Sam 
Thank you so much to Sarah & Sam for sharing their family's journey with us all.
About KellyKelly is a dedicated birth and postnatal doula based in South Australia, also specialising in family sleep education and placenta encapsulation. With a passion for supporting parents through knowledge and compassion, Kelly has helped numerous families calmly navigate the beautiful yet sometimes challenging journey of childbirth and early parenthood.
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A little feedback from some |
AuthorHello there! I'm Kelly, a seasoned postnatal doula with 12 years of experience supporting families through the beautiful chaos of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. As a trained infant and family sleep educator, I've extended my passion for holistic care into the realm of baby sleep consulting. With four kids of my own, I intimately understand the challenges of parenthood. My goal is to be your ally in creating sustainable sleep solutions that feel right for your unique family. |  |
When you don't know a lot about birth except for what you've seen in the media or heard from well-meaning friends and relatives, it can seem big and scary at first.
I love working with clients who are keen to explore what a positive birth means for them, what the hurdles along the way might look like and how we can work through them together.
Even when Covid stopped me from being present in person to support clients in labour, Meg's story shows how the work we do together during pregnancy is invaluable. It is not just the pain coping strategies but also the more profound work of knowing what is important to you and advocating for it.
I value Meg's strength and determination and the support from her partner to get the information they needed to make decisions as individuals in the face of typical systemic behaviour.
I love working with clients who are keen to explore what a positive birth means for them, what the hurdles along the way might look like and how we can work through them together.
Even when Covid stopped me from being present in person to support clients in labour, Meg's story shows how the work we do together during pregnancy is invaluable. It is not just the pain coping strategies but also the more profound work of knowing what is important to you and advocating for it.
I value Meg's strength and determination and the support from her partner to get the information they needed to make decisions as individuals in the face of typical systemic behaviour.
Meg's Birth Story
When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to soak in as much information as possible. I'm a control freak by nature and from what little I already knew, pregnancy and birth were so unpredictable.
My partner and I decided to hire Kelly as our doula to help me with the pregnancy and birth and make the experience as positive and rewarding as possible. Early pregnancy was filled with intense morning sickness for me. I had a hard time dealing with it, especially while working full time.
During the first trimester, Kelly worked with us to create a mind map of what preconceptions we had about pregnancy and birth and what I hoped to achieve from our sessions and ultimately, my birth.
At first, I was very inclined to take a "do what I'm told and take all pain relief offered" approach. However, Kelly helped build up my confidence to where I felt I was a strong enough woman to try an unmedicated birth, which had always seemed impossible for me.
During my pregnancy, Covid-19 hit the world. This really threw a spanner in the works for me. Anxious by nature already, coronavirus made things much more intense. All of our hospital classes were cancelled with no online alternative offered, and the number of support people allowed at my birth was rapidly declining. Kelly was a godsend during this time. We dedicated our sessions to practising advocating for what we truly wanted out of our hospital visits and care.
In my third trimester, I started presenting with high blood pressure during my hospital appointments. I had always been very anxious during them and coronavirus had only increased my anxiety levels.
The first time it happened, the midwife said, "last time this happened, the lady had to be induced immediately." Talk about stressful!
This appointment was the first time we experienced what it was like to be given a worst-case scenario straight away.
In the end, I think I had a total of 5 four-hour day stays to monitor my blood pressure. All of my test results were normal and my baby was completely healthy but the doctors were only concerned with what "could happen".
It "could" get worse
It "could" develop into pre-eclampsia
My baby "could" die.
The idea that I might kill my baby became somewhat of a common threat from the doctors, which was so difficult to deal with. One particular doctor noted in my files, "she believes she is not causing harm to her child." It was infuriating. I tried my best to stay calm and advocate for myself. With Kelly's guidance, I became better and better at it. I was speaking up, asking for clarification and demanding test results be given with evidence. I won't lie. It was the hardest thing I've ever been through. Once you start making decisions that are "against medical advice", you become the enemy, and we noticed an immediate change in the level of care we received.
I am forever grateful to Kelly for arming me with the tools to advocate for myself and speak up with confidence. In the end, I didn't develop pre-eclampsia, my baby was healthy, and I went into spontaneous labour at 39 weeks. I had a very quick labour and gave birth with no pain relief. It was the most intense experience of my life.
I am in awe of what my body did. My birth experience was amazing and the team of midwives were incredible. They were understanding and respectful of my birth plan. It was exactly what I needed after so many negative experiences.
I am so proud of myself because I worked so hard to have the birth I did.
I listened to my body and it rewarded me with the natural birth I'd always dreamed of.
I cannot thank Kelly enough for every bit of support and advice we received. I couldn't have done it without her.
Thank you so much to Meg and her family for sharing their story.
If heading into your birth confidently knowing how to advocate for yourself sounds like your jam, send me a message and we can get started with a package of prenatal sessions.
Free resources to get you on your way to a better birth:
10 Questions to Ask Your Care Provider
What is Informed Consent?
5 Birth Planning Tips
If heading into your birth confidently knowing how to advocate for yourself sounds like your jam, send me a message and we can get started with a package of prenatal sessions.
Free resources to get you on your way to a better birth:
10 Questions to Ask Your Care Provider
What is Informed Consent?
5 Birth Planning Tips
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Prepare for an easier fourth trimester with these 25 Secrets From A Postnatal Doula!
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About Me
Kelly Harper is the owner of Elemental Beginnings Doula & Placenta Services in Adelaide. She provides sleep consultancy, placenta encapsulation and doula services to families during pregnancy, birth and in their fourth trimester.
