POST DATES DOULA

Essential resource library

You felt so excited for birth, so ready to go - you did all the prep, you’ve taken exquisite care of your body, your brain and your baby. But then your due date came and went. You thought you’d breathe through it, but turns out you weren’t prepared for the insane pressure that’s coming from all angles.

You know in your bones that all is well, and all signs point to it too. The only thing that has changed is a date on a calendar and a number that was meant to end around 40+0.

But the pestering from your midwives, neverending texts from your MIL, and judgement from every Tamara, Dick and Harriet you bump into on the street? It’s starting to make you feel like the walls are closing in around you, like maybe you should say yes to the sweep, maybe you should book that induction.

That vortex of confusion you’re starting to feel swirling around you? I was there. I got to 41 weeks and had the sweep and the induction booked, but my body was just screaming at me that they weren’t right for us. So I started researching. I found the best books covering the actual evidence I needed to say no to interventions when they were unnecessary, as well as awareness of when interventions might actually be a good idea.

I also found podcasts and articles that helped me understand why this liminal place between pregnancy and birth is such a mindbender, and why waiting for your baby is such a revolutionary act in our society today. This information steadied me, I used stats as affirmations, the evidence let me breathe, remember there was no good reason to induce my baby, and get through another day.

I ended up hiring a doula, which transformed my experience and ultimately was the healing I needed to labour powerfully and peacefully - and why it’s now my mission to support women like you navigate the unique pain of going post dates. But this library was my lifeline before my doula came along. It gave my brain what it needed to keep going, and I hope it does for you too.

This is the start of the end - in a really good way. You can do this. Your body is yours and this is your greatest moment.