We wish everybody to have superb and professional doula support!
We first met doula Maartje thanks to the strong recommendation of an expat Brazilian friend. Later a German friend endorsed her; Maartje helped her with two births. This was our second baby, but the first one to be born in The Netherlands and outside Brazil (our home country).
At first we rejected the idea of a Doula, because it was our second child and that made us experienced parents (or so we hoped). Yet talking to Maartje during our first meeting on a Saturday afternoon in De Pijp; she gave us certainty when realizing how unsafe we felt having to overcome the hurdle of the second birth: hospitals, documents and family members that would not be there or had been deceased. Luckily she was around also for our pre-birth surprises such as: moving houses, hernia incidents, hemorrhoid and chances of having the father overseas during the birth.
Maartje challenged our fears with warm support and clever questions, which worked as a mixed tool of therapy and empowerment. And looking back, it made space for us to cherish the blessing of life itself.
What is a successful birth? What is our plan for the birth? Well, both our babies were very healthy after their birth. However the bonding with the second baby went beyond expectations. Our parent-baby connection in a hospital setting was not just parental affection; it was thanks to Maartje´s professional support. Birth experience is addressed as a natural process to be endured by parents. What is not mentioned is that the newborn bonding is different when there is support. Someone is there for you, giving you massages (and that includes the father), looking at your eyes, telling what is happening, aiding with breathing instructions, calming you down, helping you breastfeed directly after giving birth. These are some of the remarkable memories that we have. Also cutely captured in photos by Maartje.
As a parent, you buy products, brands and even special soaps. But you forget how vital it is to be there for the child, for its birth, completely and in peace. We realized that on our second birth experience and thank you Maartje, very deeply, for it.