Julia on preparation and support.

We became attached to Anna as a doula because she felt calm and safe, the kind of person you would want to have with you during the birth, we thought. We also saw it as an advantage that she had experience with a first birth similar to ours.

Anna was able to help us put into words what we experienced during the first birth and we talked about how we could create better conditions for a more positive experience this time. We felt that Anna was a very good mental support for us. During the preparations, Anna was responsive to what we needed in terms of support, which was a lot about talking about and processing the experience of the first birth and then creating target images and a plan for the upcoming birth. She also helped me to feel confident in my body's inherent ability to give birth. Unfortunately, Anna was not present during the birth itself, but our backup doula came and supported when the time came. Anna had made sure that we had met once all together and that she knew everything essential to be able to provide good support, which we really felt she did during the birth.

Something that I really appreciated was that Anna took the time to call us a few days after the birth so that I could tell her everything and we could tie the sack together. We talked for almost an hour and it was a great conversation where I really felt empowered in my experience!