Elemental Beginnings Adelaide Doula
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educate ~ inspire

The Power of Doula Support: A First-Time Mum’s Journey with Elemental Beginnings

19/12/2024

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Pregnancy and birth are life-changing experiences, and every family deserves to feel supported, informed, and cared for during this special time. Recently, I had the privilege of working with a lovely first-time family here in Adelaide. Her story beautifully illustrates why having a doula by your side can make all the difference.

Here’s what she had to say about her experience with Elemental Beginnings:
​I can't express enough gratitude for our doula, Kelly from Elemental Beginnings. She was our unicorn, and anyone fortunate enough to have her will experience a better pregnancy and birth.

From pregnancy to postpartum, her support has been incredible. As a first-time mumma, with limited family support and our own ideas of what we wanted out of the experience, Kelly made me feel confident and prepared, easing my excitement, nerves and fears. She is kind, loving, knowledgeable and a strong presence that truly made a difference in my birth experience.

During labor, Kelly was like magic, providing reassurance and strength even when our plans changed. After our daughter was born, her home visits were invaluable, helping me start motherhood feeling powerful and supported.

If you need a doula, I can't recommend Kelly enough. She's amazing, and I know I'll want her for any future pregnancies. Thank you for such a positive experience! Xx
Preparing for a Calm and Confident Birth
​One of the most rewarding parts of working with this family was helping them feel confident and prepared for labour. During our prenatal sessions in Adelaide, we practiced different positions, breathing techniques, and coping strategies to help them feel ready for the big day. Watching their confidence grow as we worked through their birth plan was truly special.
A couple practising labour positions and coping strategies during a prenatal session with Kelly from Elemental Beginnings in Adelaide.
Practising labour positions and coping strategies during a prenatal session with Kelly
Support when plans change
Birth doesn’t always go to plan, and that’s okay. My role as a doula is to provide reassurance, guidance, and a steady presence no matter what unfolds. For this family, having someone to lean on during labour helped them navigate the experience with strength and calmness—even when things didn’t go exactly as expected.

Postnatal Doula Care for a Smooth Transition
The care I provide doesn’t stop after the baby is born. For this family, our postpartum visits at home were an essential part of their journey. My basic birth support package can include up to three postnatal visits, designed to help parents feel ready to rejoin the world after emerging from their birth bubble. During these visits, we focus on recovery, emotional wellbeing, and adjusting to life as new parents. Watching this family embrace parenthood feeling prepared and supported was such a joy.

Why Choose Elemental Beginnings?
Whether you’re preparing for your first baby or growing your family, having the right support can transform your experience. My personalised doula services are designed to help you feel confident, informed, and nurtured every step of the way.

If you’re searching for a doula in Adelaide, I’d love to chat about how I can support you. From birth preparation to labour and postnatal care, I’m here to make your journey as smooth and positive as possible.

Book Your Free Vibe-Check Call Today
Choosing the right doula is an important decision, and I’d love to start with a no-obligation phone vibe-check to explore how I can support you and your family. Contact me today to take the first step towards a calm, confident, and supported pregnancy and birth experience.

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Our Transformative Birth Journey with Kelly

3/6/2024

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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
Sarah & Sam holding their newborn son. They are birth doula clients of Kelly at Elemental Beginnings Adelaide and have provided a testimonial of their transformative birth experience
Thank you so much to Sarah & Sam for sharing their family's journey with us all.

About Kelly

Kelly 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.  

​If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Kelly can support your birth experience, book your free call below:

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Doulas are with you for the crazy ride

15/4/2024

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A little feedback from some
​birth doula clients

Being a birth doula is more than just a profession; it's a privilege to be invited into the intimate journey of pregnancy, labour and postpartum by families seeking support and guidance. 

When the time came for labour, I was honoured to stand by their side, supporting them in their chosen birth plan and encouraging them both to be actively involved in the process. Witnessing their strength and resilience was awe-inspiring, and I felt privileged to play a small part in their journey to welcoming their little man into the world.
Working with Kelly offered my husband and I a fully supported prenatal planning, labour, and postnatal experience. Kelly made herself available for us with minimal notice through several unexpected hurdles of our journey. During labour, she followed our requests of offering ideas that empowered my husband to support me throughout the experience and even staying afterwards to spoon feed me a meal while I did my first breastfeed.

When my husband went back to work and I started to really struggle from minimal sleep, Kelly brought over groceries and allowed me to go take a shower and a nap while she strapped my baby to her chest, cooked us a meal, and did our laundry! The postnatal visits helped breathe a bit of life back into an exhausted mama!

We would recommend Kelly for her calming presence through a wild experience! 

Thank you for being apart of our crazy ride! 
Ashleigh & Anthony, Klemzig

About Kelly

Kelly Harper has been a dedicated doula in Adelaide since 2012, offering steadfast support and compassion to families during one of life's most significant transitions. Motivated by a desire to provide guidance and companionship throughout the journey of pregnancy, labour, and postpartum, Kelly embarked on her doula journey with a heartfelt commitment to stand by families every step of the way.

With a philosophy grounded in the belief that every client possesses inherent wisdom and autonomy to make informed decisions about their experience, Kelly approaches her role as a doula with deep respect for each family's unique journey. She prioritises providing not only practical assistance but also emotional reassurance and a consistent presence, recognising the transformative potential of personalised support in navigating the complexities of childbirth.

Kelly's dedication to her clients extends beyond the birthing room, as she remains a steadfast source of support during the postpartum period, ensuring families have the resources and encouragement they need to navigate the joys and challenges of early parenthood.

As a doula, Kelly strives to embody the values of compassion, empathy, and respect in her work, understanding the profound impact that personalised support can have on the birthing experience. With each family she serves, Kelly is honoured to be entrusted with the sacred journey of childbirth, offering her expertise, guidance, and unwavering presence as families welcome new life into the world.

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Birth Can Seem Big and Scary

4/5/2021

 
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.  

Meg's Birth Story

First time parents smiling at the camera with their baby girl in between them. Happy clients of Adelaide doula, Kelly from Elemental Beginnings
​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.
Baby Frankie sitting in her rocker.  Her mum and dad worked with their doula for an empowered and positive birth.
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

Doula familiar with Hypnobirthing?

25/2/2021

 
"I'm looking for a doula who is familiar with hypnobirthing" is a very common comment I see in many groups on social networks and get asked by potential clients.  So am I familiar with hypnobirthing?
Heck yes I am!  Here's a little info around my personal and professional experience:

Personal experience
Way back in 2006 when I was pregnant with my daughter, I took part in a self-hypnosis  trial with Dr Allan Cyna (Consultant Anaesthetist) at the Women's & Children's Hospital in North Adelaide. We had 3 in-person hypnotherapy group sessions with Dr Cyna as well as CDs to take home and listen to. I remember very clearly how calm and relaxed I felt during my labour, to the point I was falling asleep in between contractions.  I had been induced with gels and the OB breaking my waters so was a little apprehensive about it all but it was very straight forward.  I then went on to use those skills during my next two births at home - one of which was 19 hours long!

Professional experience
Many of my doula clients have undertaken group hypnotherapy or calmbirth classes with one of the many providers here in Adelaide.  As with all my clients, we talk about what they want for their birth.  This includes any particular techniques they may have learnt or terminology they want used, for example using the word 'surges' instead of contractions'.

I have sat in on client's private hypnobirthing classes and gone through the learning with them and practiced the breathing and soft-touch techniques.  I know for one particular client, these skills became essential during her 50 hour VBAC!  
For further professional training, I have undertaken studies with the HypnoDoula course.

So yes, I am familiar with hypnobirthing and would love to support you through your pregnancy, labour and birth as your doula!

Read below for one of my client's hypnobirthing stories from January 2021.

Kate's hypnobirth with Elemental Beginnings

Image is of a labouring woman standing and leaning on a hospital bed, while her doula from Adelaide provides physical comfort techniques during her hypnobirth at Flinders Medical Centre


​We first met Kelly in 2018 when we hired her as a Doula for the birth of our first son. From our very first meeting with her we felt incredibly comfortable and relaxed in her presence and we knew straight away she was exactly the type of support person we wanted and needed at the birth.

Kelly helped us clarify our birth preferences by making sure we understood the birthing process so we could make informed choices throughout. For our first baby we opted for a home birth, and Kelly supported us through 20 hours of labour at home before I was ultimately transferred to hospital due to some complications. She was a huge support to both myself and my husband throughout the long labour. I think he was particularly grateful to have an extra support person to tag team with. I was also grateful to have Kelly's support postpartum and she helped me navigate my disappointment that the birth had not gone exactly the way I had hoped.

When we found out I was pregnant with my second son in May last year, the first thing my husband said to me was "we will definitely get Kelly again won't we?". It really wasn't a question for either of us as we couldn't imagine doing it without her. We greeted Kelly back into our lives as a friend and once again, she helped us feel calm and supported in the lead up to the birth.

This time around we decided for a hospital birth from the outset. My labour progressed slowly and was manageable throughout the day. My husband was in regular contact with Kelly to keep her updated and we both felt reassured knowing she was ready and waiting for us when we needed her. Later that evening when things had progressed we asked her to come over. She arrived at our home, her usual unphased and calm self, using a soft voice and gentle touch. I used a TENS machine and utilised my learned hypnobirthing skills to remain 'in the zone', while Kelly and my husband supported me through each contraction. 

Around an hour later I decided it was time to go to the hospital and Kelly rode with us (squeezed in the back of our car between two baby seats), offering words of support where needed, but just as much comfort in her silence. On arrival at the hospital ER, my husband dropped us at the door and left to park the car. I remember thinking how I would have been left alone at that time had we not had Kelly with us. I was so grateful to have her there, guiding me through admission and responding to some of the questions on my behalf so that I could remain focused on my labour and breathing.

It was a long walk from the emergency room to birthing and assessment, and Kelly was with me every step of the way, helping me block everything else out as I breathed through each contraction. I chose to walk as it felt the right thing to do at the time, so Kelly was left to fend off multiple offers of wheelchairs from concerned nurses and hospital staff as we walked the long corridors together. It felt so reassuring to know she was in my corner, helping me to trust my instincts and encouraging me to 'walk my baby out'.

My husband was already in the birthing suite waiting for us when we arrived. Kelly straight away raised the bed to the highest height so I could continue to stand and lean against it while she placed her hands on my hips and back for gentle support. Her experience means she know exactly the right things to do to help in the moment, with very little communication needed, meaning I could remain 'in the zone' for labour.

Soon after I decided to get into the bath and spent the next little while in the water in silence, breathing through each contraction and feeling my baby move down. Kelly continued to provide subtle support - whether it was occasionally wafting peppermint oil under my nose to help with nausea or placing an extra towel under my head, or gently reminding my husband to hit replay on the hypnobirthing affirmations track playing in the background.

Only two hours after arriving at the hospital, I breathed into my final contraction and pushed out my baby. The birth was exactly what I had hoped... A calm and beautifully supported experience.

Kelly's support did not end once our baby was born. She helped me breathe through the birth of my placenta and helped me with my first post-birth shower. I also required some minor stitches so she came with me to the room next door while my husband remained with our baby. I was more scared of the stitches than I had been at any time during my labour and for the first time needed pain relief. As I breathed in the gas deeply and squeezed her hand tightly, she offered continuous words of encouragement and support throughout the procedure. I was so incredibly grateful for her kind and caring presence during that time.


After such a beautiful birth, our baby experienced some unexpected breathing complications and ended up in neonatal special care for 12 days. This was an incredibly stressful and upsetting time for us but once again, Kelly was a continuous support for me throughout with texts and phone calls, offering a level of empathy and understanding I would not otherwise have had.

We are forever grateful for the friendship and support Kelly has provided to our family. If you are thinking about hiring a Doula, I cannot recommend Kelly enough. She is calm, kind, patient, genuine, knowledgeable and understanding - the perfect person to support you throughout your pregnancy and birth.

Thank you Kelly!

You might also like to read more about Kate's other birth from her husband Simon's perspective.

Book a Free consult with Kelly to talk about Doula Support for your birth
Adelaide Doula Kelly from Elemental Beginnings holding her client's baby at Flinders Medical Centre

About Adelaide Doula Kelly

This is me, holding Kate's wee lad when he was only a couple of hours old.  I don't usually hold newborns as I believe that their place is skin-to-skin with their parents.  However, if the parents ask me to then I will do so with much delight and reverence for the newly earthside babe.

I work as a birth doula in all of Adelaide's hospitals, both public and private.  I love working with families who are ready to explore and take action around creating a better birth for themselves.

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    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.

    Kelly Harper is a doula working with families around Adelaide to achieve a positive birth
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