A little about Australian Doulas

 

Australian Doulas was formed in 2004 by Lisa Chalmers.

Before moving to Perth, Lisa was a Recognised Doula in London and was fortunate enough to attend training days with some of the birth worlds most influential people, Michele Odent, Sheila Kitzenger and Jean Sutton amongst them. She was co director of Mothers Care Doulas, the first Doula company in London to provide a selection of Doulas from one base. She was also a founding committee member of Doula UK and was actively involved in taking the concept of a Doula from the obscure to the mainstream market.

Lisa says:   I arrived in WA in 2004 and realised that although Doulas existed in Perth, there was no formal network, little professional recognition and plenty of scope to change things.

One of my first steps was to organise a training course for women that had been looking to become Doulas. The course was very much based around what I had learnt during my training, combined with my experiences as a Doula but with plenty of emphasis on networking, support and continual development. At the end of the course, I invited the women to join Australian Doulas and having agreed to abide by our code of conduct, I became us. Having six women working together means that we have experienced more than I alone could have.

Since that first year we have achieved so much, our profile has risen and our numbers have increased. I am very proud of our what we've done in so little time. Getting the word 'out there' is a continuing effort and so we have lots of work ahead of us. Australian Doulas is not about me, or what I want, it's a starting point for any woman wanting the support of a Doula.

Australian Doulas is NOT an agency. We do not charge you for finding a Doula, the responsibility of that belongs to you. So, try to ensure you choose someone you like and respect and feel that you can work with. Take time as you look over our profiles, contact the Doulas that interest you and prepare to meet the ones you really like.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our site, hopefully it will give you an insight into who we are. We are simply a group of women, working together to give people the option of having a Doula support them throughout their birth experience, whether that be in their homes, birth centres or hospitals. Any woman and family wanting a Doula will find one that suits them here.