Doula Semin
From WISH to BIRTH
As the only fertility doula of the Netherlands, I offer a unique, continuous support from fertility to post-partum.
Having experienced a long fertility journey myself, I didn’t only miss psychological support during the fertility process, but also I also knew:
- how vulnerable the beginning of pregnancy feels with a history of previous failed pregnancy attempts and miscarriages,
- how you want the best for your baby after longing for it for so long, and
- how much you direly need a strong trust in your body during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period.
My wish with Birth Wish has always been to support women starting from their fertility journey up until postpartum, to assist them in this special, vulnerable yet empowering journey, from getting pregnant to becoming a mother. A huge time of transition and growth for a woman, as these beautiful images made by Lisanne for my working space:
It has been almost 10 years since I embarked on my path as a fertility coach, doula, and photographer. It always made sense to me that I was offering all these services. This is the continuity and trust I want to offer to my clients.
What was crystal clear to me was perhaps not so obvious: How can you be a fertility coach, a doula, and a photographer at the same time?
- As your fertility coach, I support you during your fertility journey. While we are working towards fulfilling your wish for a baby, I envision the end of the tunnel. I see you as a pregnant woman, and I am ready to support you through the insecurities of pregnancy after a tough fertility journey. I am also here to remind you to relax and to feel the gratitude, and joy, instead of worrying for 9 months.
- I see our journey together as a continuum. We build your trust in your body and your connection with the baby that is growing in you, even before the conception. With fertility treatments, you are consciously conceiving your baby and can start bonding with her/him right from the conception, right from the start. I am here to offer you the tools for making this special connection, instead of solely focusing on the medical procedures.
- When you're living your dreamed pregnancy, you also want to have safe and peaceful birth. I will be by your side as your doula, helping you prepare for birth, as well as holding your hand and having your back during your long awaited birthing day.
- And if you’ve waited to have your baby in your arms for so long, I suspect that you also want your beautiful pregnant belly and the birth of your child documented. In that case, I pack my camera and photography skills in my bag for you.
To put it shortly: I want to be there for you from the beginning till the end of your journey towards your baby.
A fertility doula is more than a fertility coach
I am a doula at heart:
- intuitive
- present in the here & now
- fully focused on the client’s wishes
- holistic attention to physical, practical, mental, emotional, and spiritual issues.
I make sure that you don’t have to walk this territory alone, starting from your journey to become pregnant. I’ll be there for you, when you need me, from the beginning till the end: your support person, just for you and your wishes, from pregnancy to birth.
The concept of fertility doula is not well-known in the Netherlands, but now I realize I am happy to be the pioneer in this field. The concept does not right away connect to the birth doula, whereas my wish is to work together with you from getting pregnant to holding your baby in your arms. Then again, it's not like I can guarantee that all my clients will get pregnant (even though I believe that everyone can make their Birth Wish come true - and most actually also do! ).
Now, I choose for the title fertility doula:
- because I observe that many more women experience challenges with getting pregnant
- because I am convinced that doula support offers the ideal, holistic support during a fertility journey (with or without fertility treatments)
- because fertility treatments can be physically and mentally traumatic, the effects of which can be long-lasting and manifest themselves later
- because I notice that women who ultimately become pregnant after fertility treatments spend months in fear and as a result do not come to on childbirth and postpartum.
Let's work together - from fertility to birth. I am here for you as your doula to support you throughout this magical journey.
A birth doula is there for all kinds of births
As your birth doula, I am at your service and fully focused on your personal needs and wishes. I stand by your side throughout your pregnancy, birth, and post-partum to support you physically, emotionally, and mentally. I am not medically responsible for you (that falls under the domain of your midwife or gynaecologist) and can therefore totally orient me into providing the support you wish to receive.
As a birth doula, I am informed and trained to guide you through all sorts of births, from home births to medical births.
As your doula, I am your personal support person from the moment you hire me until we conclude our trajectory together in the post-partum period. This mutual rust leads to beautiful results. Results of scientific research point to the positive effects of continuous support offered by doulas:
- decrease in the risk of Cesarean
- increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
- decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
- shorter labors
- decrease in the baby’s risk of a low five minute Apgar score
- decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience.
These findings suggest that doula support leads to more positive birth outcomes.
Whether you are a first time mother or look for better support due to your previous birth experience, let a doula mother you. This will turn out to be one of the best investments in yourself and your baby.
You can only do a birth 1 time!