Welcome to Love and a Doula
Your postpartum journey will be easier and more enjoyable
with a little love and a doula that you trust.
Hello
My name is Carolin. I’m a trained postpartum doula working with families in South Dublin and North Wicklow. I am here to support you and help you transform how you feel about the first weeks or months with your baby — from unsure, nervous and overwhelmed, to calm, confident and ready.
The early days after the birth of your baby — sometimes called postpartum, lying-in period or ‘Wochenbett’ in German — is a sacred time for mother and baby. It is a time of transformation in which not only a baby is born but also the mother in every woman.
Caring and gentle support is what really matters in these first weeks of early parenting.
As a new mum, you can lean back and relax, knowing that you will be cared for, and only dedicate yourself to the most important things right now: bond and fall in love with your baby, recover from the birth and — together with your baby — learn how to feed them.
This will always be true — should it be your first postpartum or a subsequent one.
Who will take care of you while you take care of your baby?
Planning your postpartum before your birth will give you peace of mind and reassurance that your own needs will be met.
Every family and their needs are different, so my support is always individual and unique, but there are some common elements of support that most new parents value:
Care – Food – Emotions – Guidance
Care
Caring support that is tailored around what you need on the day. Getting served healthy, nutritious meals and delicious snacks is central for many women to recover from the life-changing event of giving birth to a new human being. You may want help figuring out how to breastfeed your little one or to catch up on some sleep while I take care of your baby, giving you time for your own recovery and self care.
Sometimes the surroundings are in need of some TLC too: whether it is me doing the dishes, sterilising any baby equipment, taking care of the laundry or other tidying — you will feel the calming effect on your own nervous system.
Food
Nurturing food is a central element of a pleasant postpartum that re-energises and heals you. Life with a new baby can be a challenge for new parents and often there isn’t enough time to cook.
Many traditional cultures like in parts of China and India know about the importance of food after having given birth— freshly prepared, cooked with love and lovingly served to the new mum.
I have cooked Ayurvedic as well as traditional Chinese postpartum food for families and would love to show you what a difference it can make in your own postpartum.
Emotions
The first time with a new baby can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. We are talking baby-blues, re-building yourself physically and emotionally and finding your new identity as a mother.
I am your safe space to debrief your birth, offload your feelings, talk about how the night went, share concerns and be there to celebrate joys and successes with you.
Guidance
My dream is for every woman to have other supportive and wise women around them — an experience that should be completely normal after bringing new life into this world.
Part of my role is guiding you through all of your options and questions around your own physical recovery, baby care, sleep, soothing, feeding, strengthen your intuition and helping you understanding normal newborn behaviour, providing evidence based information from reputable sources.
Being part of your village of support, I can help you connect with other parents and local groups widening your support circle.
A little bit about me
I’ve been living In Bray with my husband and our two children for over a decade. Both of them were born in Germany where our family is originally from. Having had two different birth and postpartum experiences, frequent home visits from our chosen postpartum midwives over the first weeks after having each baby made such a difference to us as a family. I felt looked after and cared for, and they always reminded me of the nature of the postpartum period: to really rest and heal while getting to know my new baby.
I fell deeply in love with the women-supporting-women movement many years before I trained and qualified as a postpartum doula with DoulaCare Ireland in early 2022. For more than ten years, I have been involved in Cuidiu and qualified as a Parent Supporter and a Birth Reflection facilitator (including a few years of doing Antenatal Ireland’s antenatal educator training). I’m bringing this mindset of female solidarity into my doula work.
The fourth trimester is a rite of passage for women as they are going through this big transformational period of pregnancy, birth and early parenting.
It’s not often in life that we are allowed to slow down. The postpartum time is one of these times and I am walking with you on this journey offering gentle and non-judgemental support and encouragement as you find your feet in your new role as a mother.
It is important to let others take care of you, to rest as much as you can and doing nothing but getting to know this new person in your life, so you can start your adventure as a family more rested and more confident.
As a cultural anthropologist (I hold an M. A. (Magistra Artium) degree in Ethnology from the University of Freiburg, Germany) I have always loved travelling and exploring other countries and cultures. Since I had my own children, I’ve had a keen interest in learning about how mothers are experiencing their postpartum weeks around the world.
When I’m not supporting families, I enjoy playing the violin, cycling and taking long walks in our beautiful nature.
Client Testimonials
“We had the pleasure to meet Carolin when our baby was born. My partner and I didn’t have the family close to support and we were looking for someone that really understood what it means to conceive, to give birth and start a new life with a newborn. Carolin made such a difference on those first months by giving the best advice, cooking the most nourishing meals (I definitely recovered faster from my C-section thanks to this) and creating such a peaceful environment. I cannot thank her enough to make our experience so much better. Thanks, thanks and thanks!”
Clara — First time mum
How does it work?
When you get in touch we will have a chat over the phone at a time that suits you.
After that, we can schedule a free consultation in your own home to get to know each other and see how I can best support you.
Some families I’ve worked with have contacted me after their baby was born to ask for support. You are more than welcome to get in touch even at this later stage. Planning support in advance guarantees you much more peace of mind though that a doula will be there for you when you need her most.
- Daytime postpartum support visits (between 9am and 8pm) are between 3 and 5 hours long.
- Nighttime support (any time between 8pm and 7am) requires a minimum booking of 8 hours.
My fees are fully transparent: I charge €38/hour. 50-hour packages are €35/hour when pre-booked and pre-paid.
FAQ
Can Postpartum Doulas diagnose any conditions should concerns arise?
While postpartum doulas can refer you to appropriate medical or other health care providers and suggest any other supports available, it is important to know that doulas don’t give medical advice or interfere in any other way in the valuable work of midwives and other medical care workers.
Do I need a postpartum doula if I have family living close by?
Some new parents are fortunate to have family living nearby and depending on how close they are with their wider family circle this can be a blessing if they are aware how to truly support a woman who has just given birth. Some grandmothers, sisters or aunts (and indeed male family members) haven’t reflected on their own birth experience though and well-meant advice from well-meaning family members can influence new mums in unexpected ways or create tension at a time when emotions can be all over the place. Doulas are impartial and not involved in family dynamics. Also, given how science and evidence around mother and newborn care, sleep and feeding has changed over the years, it is understandable that not everyone is up to date with their knowledge.
Is a postpartum doula different to a postnatal doula?
You often read both terms when professionals providing support after the birth of a baby are mentioned. While ‘postpartum’ sometimes refers to the mother and ‘postnatal’ may be used to talk about the baby’s time after birth, both terms are and can be used interchangeably. So they are two slightly different names for essentially the same occupation.
Good postpartum support is far from a luxury – it is a necessity.
Contact
I’ll be happy to hear from you. For more info, you can get in touch with me via:
