Post natally my role is very much a mother centred one
in that I hope to leave a mother feeling confident in
her role whilst the emphasis is slightly different with
first or subsequent babies. A first time mother might
need her confidence in the role boosting, subsequently
older children need accommodating. Either way I believe
the new mother is the very best person to care for her
baby though I am quite happy to do so when the need arises.
You may appreciate help or just want or need someone to
talk to. I can take care of all the things you would like
to keep on top of but may well not have the energy or
inclination for.
I believe that I have two main areas of responsibility
post natally. Firstly to help you get as much sleep as
possible and secondly to ensure you are eating a plentiful
and good diet aimed at enhancing your breastfeeding. (
Plenty of galactogogic foods and drinks) If these two
crucial aspects of new motherhood are cared for your success
at breastfeeding increases. I am very pleased that two
of “my” twin Mums continued breastfeeding
their babies for at least a year.
I am happy to provide anything from just one or two sessions
or a programme covering several weeks or months according
to need.
I enjoy providing one evening’s babysitting for
new parents once feeding has been established giving you
the opportunity of time out together.
***
Testimonials
"I had a terrible pregnancy and having suffered
severe clinical antenatal depression, I was worried that
this might turn into post-natal depression after my baby
was born. I therefore decided to ask Maggie Vaughan to
be my post-natal doula and it was the best decision I
could have made.
Maggie is like a fairy godmother: she arrives in your
house where yesterday’s dishes are crowding the
sink, the rubbish is overflowing, your baby is screaming
and the bags under your eyes are so huge that your face
is sagging. Before you know it, you are sitting with a
cup of fennel tea and Maggie is soothing the baby whilst
at the same time cooking nutritious food, washing the
kitchen floor, filling the dishwasher, starting the washing
machine, emptying the tumble dryer and imparting words
of wisdom in a friendly and knowledgeable way. After a
Maggie visit, my husband would come home after a long
day’s work to find the house immaculate, a wonderful
cooked meal in the oven, a peaceful baby and a happy wife.
One of Maggie’s many strengths is the quality of
her cooking. She does all your shopping for you on her
way to your house and then creates imaginative and healthy
dishes that you can eat then and there or freeze. My husband
and I never ate the same thing twice (unless we specifically
requested to) and all Maggie’s cooking was absolutely
delicious. She would also cook meals for the days ahead
when she was not going to be with me and prepared all
the food for weekends when my stepchildren came to stay,
saving me lots of time and stress.
It can be a bit daunting learning to breast feed in the
early days as both you and your baby are on a steep learning
curve but Maggie was watchful and encouraging. She also
makes the most magical potion out of herbs and spices
that she boils up and which stimulates milk production.
I found that within an hour of drinking a glass of potion,
my milk would come flowing out of me and I would no longer
feel anxious about providing enough food for my baby.
The other thing that Maggie does brilliantly is to make
the most superb flapjacks. When I was in hospital after
Theresa’s birth, Maggie dropped in with a big tin
of homemade flapjacks, advising me to eat one every time
I breastfed. Those flapjacks are the best reason for breast-feeding
in the whole world, apart from the satisfaction of seeing
your baby happy and settled. My husband also followed
her advice and would polish off tins of them when nobody
was looking so that Maggie and I had to start hiding them
from him and his friends.
I would whole-heartedly recommend Maggie to any new mother
as the best way to enjoy the first weeks and months of
your baby’s life and really get to grips with all
the changes that that entails."
Antonia
March 2010
***
"Having suffered with post-natal depression with
our first child, I was determined not to undergo the same
experience with our second. Lacking the right sort of
support from family, and with a husband whose job means
he is often home late or away, Maggie has filled the gaps
both logistically and emotionally.
At one level, simply having someone who is solely 'on
your side' is such a bonus: I trust Maggie and can discuss
approaches with her without feeling judged. I've not been
able to do this with anyone else, as Maggie clearly only
has my own interests at heart.
Maggie cooks wonderful meals: something I often found
hard to manage with a small baby. Her post-natal support
was designed to enable me to care for my children, and
I have learnt so much from her, for instance recipes and
ideas for food that have stuck.
Importantly for someone who was worried about coping she
has helped me to model my behaviour on her: try plan A,
if that doesn't work, try plan B and so on until it works.
This means I've settled my second child much quicker into
a routine of sorts and coped better when this routine
inevitably changes. He is a happier baby for it and I
am a happier mother.
Maggie is flexible and timed her visits around the most
difficult times - bath/bedtime and ensuring that there
was something for me to eat after I'd finally got the
baby to sleep. She has continued to support us as a family
for over a year on an ad hoc basis and is always a welcome
face when we need her."
Chloe
March 2010
***
"One of the wonderful things about Maggie is that
she is happy to turn her hand to pretty much anything
that needs done. And with a newborn in the house that
changes by the day. I was lucky enough to have my husband
at home for 6 weeks and wasn't absolutely sure how we
would benefit most from a doula.
But I soon realised what a bonus it was to have Maggie
- so much so that we doubled her hours. She was a whirlwind;
cooking up delicious meals, scooping up washing, ironing,
giving lots of assistance and encouragement with breastfeeding
and generally helping us to get to know our little boy.
I even returned home from hospital to find a large tub
of energising flapjacks which, after a 3 day labour, emergency
caesarian and 3 day hospital stay, was worth its weight
in gold! Maggie provided reassurance, talking me through
my experiences. And throughout Maggie was an absolute
pleasure to have at home.
We will always be indebted to her for helping us at such
a challenging and emotional time."
Jenny
March 2010
***
"We engaged Maggie as our post-natal doula for 10
weeks following the arrival of our twin daughters in January
2010.
I can honestly say I was both terrified and exhilarated
when we arrived home from hospital with our tiny twins.
We booked a post-natal doula as I was concerned about
how I would cope – looking after the babies and
looking after myself. How would I get to the supermarket?
Would I have time to make lunch/dinner, do the washing
etc? Would I be able to successfully establish breastfeeding?
How would I cope with sleep deprivation?
For us, the attraction of a doula over a maternity nurse
was the Doula ethos of supporting the whole family, not
just looking after the babies. Maggie’s holistic
approach to supporting me and the babies has been a vital
ingredient in establishing a calm house, good routines,
thriving babies and happy parents.
In the early days Maggie took virtually total control
of the domestic side of things – shopping, cooking,
washing/ironing, changing fuses, buying mousetraps (!)
– which enabled me to focus on the needs of the
babies rather than worry about how to get two newborn
babies and a trolley round Waitrose! Maggie is a fabulous
cook and can whip up wholesome porridge for breakfast,
soups for lunch and tasty dinners at the drop of a hat.
Our freezer was stocked with meals and there was always
a plentiful supply of her fabulous carbo-filled flapjacks
which I was particularly thankful for during night feeds.
Equally Maggie is confident and happy to care for the
babies, taking them out for a walk so I could catch up
on sleep, or looking after them while I popped out for
appointments. She helped me give them their first bath
and was a calm, reassuring presence when we were doing
things for the first time. Although not a breastfeeding
counsellor, Maggie is very knowledgeable about breastfeeding
and provided great support and encouragement to help me
successfully establish feeding the twins.
Maggie has indefatigable energy supplies, a can-do attitude,
thinks ahead and is very pragmatic. She is totally unflappable
and great company. I would not hesitate to recommend her
to families seeking post-natal doula support. "
Fiona
January 2010
***
