This is great article from the Yorkshire Post describing the experiences of doula Sharon and the mum she supported, Andrea.
Having your first baby can be daunting, but even more so if you are going through it alone. CATHERINE SCOTT looks at a scheme in Hull which teams women with birth partners.
When Andrea Wilkinson's husband Gary walked out five weeks before her baby was due to be born, she didn't know how she would cope with the birth alone.
Her family live on the other side of the country and, although a very determined woman, she was frightened about the prospect of giving birth to her first child by herself. But she was lucky.
Andrea, 37, lives in an area of Hull which operates a volunteer doula scheme. Doulas are a highly dedicated team of women who give up their time to give emotional and physical support to expectant mothers who have no, or inadequate, help. For Andrea it turned out to be a life saver.
"I had five weeks to go and my husband left me unexpectedly," she says. "Suddenly I was on my own and heavily pregnant. My family were miles away and I had the prospect of giving birth by myself.
Read more...
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/people/How-to-mother-the-motherstobe.1666...
