Ellen & Brendan
It's been a year and my son is now scooting along furniture and happily gibbering nonsense, but I'll never forget my wonderful birthing experience and Jo's role in it. After my partner and I first met Jo, we discussed how she seemed to possess the perfect combination of strength and gentleness, and that proved to be true.
It was invaluable working with her in the weeks leading up to giving birth, and if I'd known in advance that she would be able to provide all of the knowledge and direction necessary for a natural birth, I would have reconsidered doing a birthing class. She loaned us a wealth of resources - books and films - that also contributed to our knowledge pool and which were tailored to our birthing objectives. She supported us in the creation of an excellent birth plan, and helped us prepare our home for labour. She also gave me direction in preparing my body, through her comprehensive knowledge of ‘spinning babies’ techniques. To top it off, she encouraged us to check out a hospital that we didn’t realise we could access, which led us to be able to have a water birth with the most wonderful midwives present.
The big day came and Jo was there to support us in our home while I laboured. She helped us choose the right moment to go to hospital and then stayed with us in hospital while I laboured there for 13 hours. She coached me through breathing techniques, which were particularly helpful when the pushing stage came - I truly felt at the time that if I hadn’t had the encouragement to change my breathing style and sound, I wouldn’t have made it through those last two hours of exertion.
Throughout that night she was a constant source of calm encouragement and made me feel like I was powerful and in control. She's incredibly intuitive in her ability to know what is needed at any stage, responding to cues without me having to explain what I wanted. Alongside the midwives, she held the space for me to have an intervention-free waterbirth and physiological third stage, despite pressure from other hospital staff. She managed to capture the birth on video, too, which I’ve been so grateful to have, along with the many photos she took while I laboured. It was a truly empowering and transformative experience, largely thanks to Jo’s guidance and involvement.
When she came to visit us after the birth, she was also able to help with a breastfeeding issue I was having at the time.
Jo was always kind and generous with her time. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know her during those weeks, and I couldn’t imagine having a better birthing companion on board.
It was invaluable working with her in the weeks leading up to giving birth, and if I'd known in advance that she would be able to provide all of the knowledge and direction necessary for a natural birth, I would have reconsidered doing a birthing class. She loaned us a wealth of resources - books and films - that also contributed to our knowledge pool and which were tailored to our birthing objectives. She supported us in the creation of an excellent birth plan, and helped us prepare our home for labour. She also gave me direction in preparing my body, through her comprehensive knowledge of ‘spinning babies’ techniques. To top it off, she encouraged us to check out a hospital that we didn’t realise we could access, which led us to be able to have a water birth with the most wonderful midwives present.
The big day came and Jo was there to support us in our home while I laboured. She helped us choose the right moment to go to hospital and then stayed with us in hospital while I laboured there for 13 hours. She coached me through breathing techniques, which were particularly helpful when the pushing stage came - I truly felt at the time that if I hadn’t had the encouragement to change my breathing style and sound, I wouldn’t have made it through those last two hours of exertion.
Throughout that night she was a constant source of calm encouragement and made me feel like I was powerful and in control. She's incredibly intuitive in her ability to know what is needed at any stage, responding to cues without me having to explain what I wanted. Alongside the midwives, she held the space for me to have an intervention-free waterbirth and physiological third stage, despite pressure from other hospital staff. She managed to capture the birth on video, too, which I’ve been so grateful to have, along with the many photos she took while I laboured. It was a truly empowering and transformative experience, largely thanks to Jo’s guidance and involvement.
When she came to visit us after the birth, she was also able to help with a breastfeeding issue I was having at the time.
Jo was always kind and generous with her time. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know her during those weeks, and I couldn’t imagine having a better birthing companion on board.
