Testimonials
'My first labour didn't go quite according to plan. I was terrified, exhausted and felt unsupported. When I was heavily pregnant with my second child, my obstetrician recommended seeking out the support of a doula to guide me through childbirth and help me achieve the outcomes I didn't have the first time around. I thought this was a little strange; I had a private doctor in a private hospital with great midwives, but I knew that I would rather invest in a doula than an epidural with this baby. Christine was incredibly responsive, right from my first phone call (at about 30 weeks pregnant!). She gave me time to explain my past, she listened to my hopes for my labour, and she helped me create a plan to achieve it. I am not good at standing up for myself when I am under pressure, so Christine's strong advocacy skills were a vital part of my birth plan. She made the whole adventure of labour so incredibly different from what I had experienced first time around. Every time I felt negative, she was positive. Her support and encouragement (and incredible back massage!) helped me deliver a big baby without any drugs and without any damage. But best of all, she made sure we had some proper privacy to bond with our new baby when he was born. Those quiet moments were some of the most precious we've had with our little boy - and moments we'd never have been able to have without Christine's work to get it for us. I'm tempted to have another one just so we can do this all over again.'
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Mary Sheargold, mum to Marcus (2015)
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'We had our first baby Matilda on the 11th of January 2010 and decided in the early stages of pregnancy to hire a doula. After doing our research we found Christine and feel very fortunate to have done so. Christine met with us several times before the birth and was with us through the labour and a few visits after the birth as well. Christine guided both myself and my husband through the whole process. I really feel we would have been lost without her and most likely ended up with a C section rather than a natural birth. Christine kept us calm and guided us through our birth plan. I feel most confident in recommending Christine to any mum or mum to be and will be more than excited to have her as our Doula for the next however many pregnancies we have. Thank You Christine from the bottom of our hearts.'
Faith, Brendan, parents to Matilda (2010) and Charlie (2012)
'When we became pregnant and expecting our first child we were on a steep learning curve. There was so much new information to process and so many decisions to make. One of the best decisions we did make was to engage a Doula. Before being pregnant we had never heard of a Doula but during the pregnancy a number of people had flagged the value of a birthing assistant and we decided to investigate this ourselves. Our obstetrician passed on Christine Stavrakis’ details to us and we arranged a meeting. The meeting was to get a sense of what Christine could offer us and also to see if we would be compatible to share this experience. After the first meeting we felt very positive about the idea of having Christine as our Doula. Christine was knowledgeable, a good communicator and we immediately felt that we could trust her to support our wishes and to be there for both of us during the pregnancy and birth. During the birth we found Christine to be calm, supportive, encouraging and well-informed about the birthing process. After the birth of our son she gave us some valuable advice about caring for a newborn baby and the importance of taking care of each other. We feel that engaging Christine as our Doula led to a calmer and more positive birth experience overall. As such, we would happily recommend her to other people.'
Bróna and Edwina, parents to Tristan (2011)
'What an amazing job you have done. I am so glad we found you to help us on the delivery of our third baby. We thank you so much for your support and knowledge. Keep up the great work.'
Belinda and Daniel, parents to Jordan (2013)
'Thank you for your support through the pregnancy and birth (and after!) of Lois. We couldn't have managed without you!'
Justine and Jean Michel, parents to Lois (2012)
'Thank you for all your support in bringing our bubs into the world. We are so thrilled with the whole labour process and thankful that we had you there to help. I know (and Dave says all of the time) we couldn't have done it without you! I just hope I didn't crush your hand too badly! And for all the build up and fear, it wasn't even that bad after all... Looking forward to having you there next time.'
Penina and David, parents to Joseph (2012)
'Thank you for all of your help and support [that] you provided for the birth of Matthew. Having you with us made Richard and I feel confident going into and during the labour (and afterwards!). Your calm presence and magical massage hands were just what I needed during my whirlwind labour!'
Deb and Richard, parents to Matthew (2012)
'We have found Christine to be very knowledgeable and supportive before, during and after the birth of our baby boy Markus. She expressed great knowledge and passion in the areas of pregnancy, child birth and care as well as the care for me as a new mum. Christine is a lovely person, easy to talk to and very understanding. Her support to my husband and I during the labour was fantastic and put our minds at ease and made us feel comfortable. Christine's home visits post baby were invaluable, having someone to talk to about the experience as first time parents was much appreciated and really needed. She reassured us that what we were feeling and experiencing was normal and would always follow up with a call or visit. Overall our experience with Christine was very positive and we would willingly refer her to anyone.'
Sanja and Damian, parents to Markus (2011)
'Christine was a great doula. We got in touch at a late stage of my pregancy and she was on the ball, jumping right in to make sure we got everything organised. I had an epidural early in my labour and Christine helped us wait it out until I was ready to push by keeping us company, breaking any tension with her great sense of humour and ensuring every staff member who attended to us had read my birth plan. Christine guided me through every step of the pushing process which was invaluable. We found Christine a warm and capable doula with great follow up.'
Alice Unmack and Scott Handsaker, parents to Harry (2010)
'I was pregnant with my first child. As this was my first birth experience, I wanted to be conscious and aware of the birthing process so I attended a weekend birthing class to educate myself on birth and labour. In this class, a Doula was strongly recommended in order to have an empowering and supported birth experience. When I chatted to my obstetrician about engaging a Doula, she highly recommended Christine, having worked with her previously, so I engaged Christine to be my Doula - and am so glad that I did as her support and care during my labour and birth was absolutely invaluable to both myself and my husband. Before my birth, Christine met with my husband and myself a number of times. She talked us through the birth and labour process and was supportive and informative about everything from our questions about labour, to helping us construct a birth plan, to explaining her involvement and support during the labour and birth process. Christine was also attentive and supportive in ensuring that we had a back-up Doula and connecting us with this Doula as a 'just in case' measure, which luckily we didn't need - however we appreciated the attention to detail in ensuring that there was some one on stand-by if needed. In the few weeks leading up to my labour, Christine was in contact every few days to check-in and ensure I was doing okay which I really appreciated. On the first day of my labour (yes there was more than one day!), Christine met my husband and I in the hospital in the morning. My labour ended up being an extraordinary 44 hours.... and Christine supported both my husband and I throughout the entire experience. Christine's support involved ensuring that the hospital midwives were conscious of our birth plan, helping to set-up the birthing suite as a positive calming environment, talking to my husband and I about the process as it was unfolding, and largely and for the most part - being hands on support during my birth. I had a posterior labour - which meant that I had excruciating back pain during most of my labour, and Christine was absolutely magic ... she massaged my back for literally two days straight and supported me to be in positive birthing positions that helped me to manage the back pain. One of the requirements that was critical to me during my birth was that my husband was actively involved during my birth and that he didn't feel 'side-lined' by having a Doula in the room. Christine was brilliant in working with both my husband and I in the birthing process, and she was very respectful and supportive of both of us as a birthing pair, always asking gently if she could support me - or if my husband would like her support. An example of this was when I was in labour in the shower. My husband chose to support me during this phase by massaging my back with hot water in the shower, however Christine gently and consistently was there ... asking my husband if he'd like her support or relief, and always ensuring that she was working with us both as a birthing partnership. Another example … is how Christine worked to support me during my contractions – she supported my back through massage and provided constant sips of water, ice, heat-packs and emotional support, whilst my husband held my hands and provided eye contact and emotional support. It felt like we were truly working in a supportive trio to ride the waves of my contractions. And yet another example … as my labour progressed it was apparent that I was not dilating. Thus Christine walked with my husband and I for literally hours on end - up and down the internal hospital staircase - actively massaging my aching and painful back as we slowly navigated staircase after staircase. With my husband and Christine's support, I felt fully empowered and supported in my labour and surrounded by love and care at this critical time in my life. As the journey of my birth unfolded and my labour extended into a second night and day, Christine came back to the hospital to support my labour again - she was positive, affirming, supportive, and it was wonderful to know that I had her support and care for day 2! (I had had to return home overnight to labour at home after being in labour at the hospital for a full day with no progress and slowing contractions). My labour eventuated in an emergency caesarean after 44 hours ... and this too Christine was supportive of. Christine was supportive during the decision making process about the caesarean … and post the operation, she waited for me to leave the recovery ward and met me, my husband Michael, and our son Sebastien, in my hospital room and provided support around breast-feeding and attachment. Since bringing Sebastien home, Christine has phoned and visited a number of times, and I have felt truly supported by her during one of the greatest transitions of my life - the transition into motherhood. I absolutely recommend Christine as a Doula to any one who is seeking to have an empowering and supported birth environment. Christine is warm, caring, compassionate, has magic hands for massaging sore backs, and she has a proactive, positive and empowering attitude and approach to birth. Christine works to support a birthing partnership - the birthing mother and her partner, and cares deeply about her work supporting the journey of birth. Christine’s presence made Sebastien’s birth a rich and empowering experience which was largely free from anxiety and fear. Thank-you Christine! We loved having you as a part of our birth experience.
Jo Harris & Michael Clemenger, parents to Sebastien (2010)