Erika Munton
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| Name: | Erika Munton |
| Phone: | 03 9720 8058 |
| Mobile: | 0407 685 933 |
| Email: | |
| Location: |
East Melbourne Suburbs, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Doula since: | 1999 |
| Trained with: | Childbirth International |
| About: | About myself: Preparing for birth after a caesarean can pose extra challenges and you deserve to know what your options are and how you can best be ready. I AM PROUD TO PRESENT MY NEW 'VAGINAL BIRTH AFTER CAESAREAN' WORKSHOP and MONTHLY VBAC PEER SUPPORT GROUP. GO TO MY WEBSITE TO FIND OUT MORE! http://www.birthworks.com.au strives to provide a safe, caring, equipping and empowering service for people seeking additional support, skills, information and guidance through the journey of becoming parents and for the issues such times can raise. This is facilitated through individualized sessions, birth attendance, support groups and workshops. I have been attending births for over 10 years and am a mother of 2 boys. I am a certified doula/childbirth educator and life coach. I have personally experienced both labour with a breech baby resulting as a c-section and then a water birth with my second at a free standing birth centre with one-to-one midwifery care. Having a baby is one of the most pivotal and exciting times in your life, and it brings with it change, challenges and celebration. As your support I work with you in a safe and caring partnership through your transition to motherhood - to keep in perspective the natural birth process alongside the culture of birth we live in today. I support you to give birth where, how and with who suits your needs best. As your Doula I work with you to: Build trust in your natural mothering abilities Increase your awareness of the birth culture we live in Know your options and make informed choices Experience an empowering birth Feel resourced and ready for the ongoing journey of motherhood |
| Testimonial: | Erika is a warm, intelligent, and kind doula. Her most winning attribute is her ability to coach women through their labour and encourage them to hold to their birth plan, in so far as it is safely possible. I found Erika's support invaluable. I was in early labour for 48 hours waiting for the baby to turn around from a slightly posterier position. It was quite painful physically and emotionally. I really needed to be coached and supported during this phase by Erika. She slept beside me on the second evening when I didn't think I could go on. She was able to immediately bond with me and make me feel very conformable with her so that I could open up and share what I needed to in order to move on psychologically and allow my body to birth my child. After talking to Erika and opening up to her my waters broke and I moved into advanced labour. Erika offered advise about how to deal with each contraction and helped me to understand the importance of conserving my energy in order to hold to my birth plan. I had an extraordinary birth experience that i will never forget. I am immensely proud of what I achieved and it would not have been possible without every member of my birth support team. Erika was a key member of my birth support team and I thank her whole-heartedly. I plan to have another child and I will be asking for Erika's support again in that undertaking. Lots of love, Natalie Dyer-Rose And from a woman who had wanted a VBAC but ended up with another caesarean. What were the benefits in having doula support: * In preparing for birth? It was reassuring. I was more confident about my power to give birth naturally after a caesarian. It was nice of you to come to our house to "check" on me when I called you, to assess if I was in labour or not. I also really appreciated the coaching during each contraction, to remind me to embrace labour instead of avoiding pain. I thought it was really helpful. * At the birth? I liked being assisted at the hospital. You were acting as an intermediate between them and me. Unfortunately, you were not there for the birth itself as it was a caesarean… * In knowing my options and making informed choices? Before meeting you, I didn't really know much about my options and possibilities. Now I do. For example the examples of birth plans were really helpful in what I could ask for and what was possible for me during the birth, like breaking the waters, episiotomy, etc. * For my partner? On a practical level, it was relieving to have somebody else helping me to get through labour. Also, since you have the "technical" knowledge, my partner could concentrate on fully supporting me without having to worry. |
| Birthing Doula: | Yes |
| Postnatal Doula: | Yes |
| Services offered: | Services Include: Doula/Birth Attendance Life coaching / NLP practitioner Childbirth Education Hypnobirthing and calm birthing techniques Vaginal Birth After Caesarean Preparation and workshops Caesarean support(pre and post birth) Advocacy Choices in childbirth Information Referrals to community resources and lending library Post birth debriefing Breastfeeding support |
| Other skills and services: | NEW: 'VAGINAL BIRTH AFTER CAESAREAN' WORKSHOP and MONTHLY PEER SUPPORT GROUP. GO TO MY WEBSITE TO FIND OUT MORE! I am excited to be offering a new VBAC workshop for couples seeking additonal information, skills and support when preparing for birth after a prior ceasearan. With this interactive and empowering ½ day workshop, couples will have a supportive space and opportunity to explore many VBAC issues such as: • What are the benefits and risks of a VBAC. • What good VBAC support looks like and how to get it. • What VBAC options are available and how to make an informed choice. • How to get clarity and support in the decision making process. • How to work best with the labour and the birth team. • How choices may influence the ongoing parenting journey. Couples who have attended so far say they feel more confident and equipped to positively navigate their next birthing experience. |
