Doula: An ancient Greek term meaning ” Woman who serves”. Today, the term doula refers to a trained professional who provides emotional support and information to the mother and her partner before, during and after the birth of their baby.

About me

My name is Stacey Maloney McCall. I am a mother of five daughters and I have completed my training with the Australian Doula College. My own birth experiences are wide and varied from three vaginal births to a caesarean section delivery of our twins and a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean). I am particularily passionate about the support and care a woman receives before, during and after the birth of her baby. I believe women should have choices when it comes to birth, without fear or judgement.

My role as a doula

As a doula my role is to support the couple’s choices, remembering that sometimes that choice may change during labour. I am there to provide the woman with the care she needs to be able to bring a new life into the world joyously and confidently. My role is not to replace her partner, but rather, to support them so they can be a strong and informed carer for the birthing woman.

I begin my work with a family during the third trimester, providing information to enable a couple to make informed choices about the birth of their baby. I provide care and support, as well as being someone you can simply talk to about your hopes, fears and expectations. By the time labour begins, I will be a familiar person in that space, a person who knows and respects the couple’s wishes. I am there to provide continuous emotional support as well as an ability to offer natural forms of pain relief such as relaxation techniques, acupressure and homeopathics. But again, as your doula, I am there to support your choices.

Something I am very focussed on, as a doula, is the time immediately following the birth of a baby. No matter what “type” of birth a woman experiences, nuturing and supporting that initial bond between mother and baby is something very close to my heart. My role continues into the post-partum period, during which I offer lactation support, help with the newborn, as well as my understanding of how overwhelming being a new parent can be.

The Knitting

The knitting, well it keeps me calm. It connects me to home and family, and in the birth space it can provide a reminder that everything is going well.


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