COVID19 and doula support

At DoulaCare Ireland we are proud to lead the way with professional industry standards for doula work in Ireland. The COVID19 pandemic is no different. When you hire our doulas to support your family, you can be guaranteed they will be practicing with the highest standards of health and safety. 

We are acutely aware of the pressure parents and parents to be are under. With courses cancelled, clinical check ups spread out and peer groups harder to access, our doulas are here to ease that burden and help you to navigate your way through these uncertain times. 

So what are DoulaCare Ireland doulas doing to protect our clients and help to prevent the spread of the COVID19 virus? 

• We stay up to date with (and follow)  the latest guidelines from the HSE and WHO

• All of our team have attended a COVID19 health and safety training before returning to in person support. 

• All of our team have been trained on correct hand washing procedures 

• All of our team have been trained on correct use of cloth (reusable) and medical face masks

• All of our team have been trained on correct use of PPE (personal protective equipment)

• We fill in a health check form before each client visit (and our clients do the same)

• We wash our hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub

• We practice good respiratory hygiene 

• We will maintain social distancing as much as possible, or wear appropriate PPE if social distancing is not possible

• We avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth 

DoulaCare Ireland has a lengthy COVID19 health and safety policy, which all our team sign up to before returning to in person support. This offers our clients reassurance they they will be supported with the experience, empathy and knowledge of our amazing doulas - in a safe and professional environment. 

All of our doulas with do the following before each in person visit with you:

• Fill in the Health Check Form DoulaCare Ireland has drawn up and ensure they are not ticking yes to any of the “risk” boxes (such as being in contact with a known COVID19 case or having any symptoms themselves)

• If a doula has any risk factors or symptoms they need to inform DoulaCare Ireland immediately and cancel their shift with client. (If supporting a birth client - their back up doula will be informed and will offer support to client instead - another bonus of our agency model). 

• Each doula needs to also check in with client that they have filled in a Health Check form and are not ticking yes to any of “risk” the boxes (if a client ticks yes to any of the boxes the shift cannot be provided).  

• They will also Shower /Wash hair /Brush teeth 

• Change into fresh work clothes and shoes 

• Pack fresh clothes and a pillow case for end of shift 

• Pack fresh PPE (personal protective equipment, such as face mask, visors, hand sanitiser etc)

• Fill in contact tracing form for anyone they have been in contact with up to that point
  

An example of our PPE for shifts: Dedicated work clothes (fresh for each shift), hand sanitiser, face visor, fresh face masks (with a ziplock bag to place used masks into) , gloves, antibacterial wipes, socks or slippers to wear in your home, fresh clothes to change into after shift, COVID19 health check forms and health and safety guidelines

When arriving at clients house and before going into house:

• Where possible, start the shift/visit with a virtual meet with client to see what support they may want 

• Use hand sanitiser 

• Put on PPE 

• Remove outdoor shoes at the door 

• Remove coat at the door 

• Wash hands immediately before touching anything (using HSE hand washing guidelines)
  

As with all our work, our doulas will speak to you about what you feel comfortable with in your home. You are always the guiding light in our care. If you would like to maintain social distancing or if you would like the doula to offer support with feeding or caring for your baby (wearing appropriate PPE). 

Enjoy a well deserved rest, safe in the knowledge our professional doulas will take care of everything for you

We tailor our services to each individual families needs. Offering bespoke care and support. You can have open discussions with our agency owners before booking in your doula support. This allows you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have to ensure you are 100% comfortable with your package. 

We also have a wide range of virtual supports available

Our courses and sessions are all LIVE (nothing is prerecorded). We tailor our sessions to your individual needs. Choice of group sessions or private 1:1 sessions. All at a time that suits you, in the comfort of your own home

We have trained and certified antenatal educators for many courses including:

*Full Antenatal Ireland Course

*GentleBirth Course

*HypnoBirthing Course

*Breastfeeding Preporation Course

*Parenting Courses

*VBAC Courses

*Baby Care Consultation 

*Birth Preferences Consultation

*Comfort Measures for labour and Birth Consultation

*Expressing/Pumping Support Consultation

*Birth Trauma Support Consultation 

*Virtual Early Labour Support

*Virtual Early Parenting Support

and much more….

With our virtual support you choose the times that works best for your family. With bespoke packages and courses available

So if you would like to know more about our in person or virtual supports, from fertility to the first year of parenting, get in touch and we would be delighted to get you on the road to a positive and empowered experience with DoulaCare Ireland.

Email info@doulacare.ie

This is Not Homeschooling! Tips and Resources for getting through COVID-19 with children

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

So the government here in Ireland recently announced that schools will not be returning until the end of the summer. And parents, already overwhelmed, are now faced with the prospect of having to figure out how to provide school at home to their children for the next few weeks. Many feel like they are failing at homeschooling and wondering what they are doing wrong.

Well I just want to say for those parents - this is NOT homeschooling. We homeschool so I feel I can say that! I am seeing lots of posts about people struggling at homeschooling and have loads of friends message me to say how do I do it!!!! Well this is not homeschooling!

Homeschooling involves trips to the park, to the library, swimming pool, playgrounds. It involves kids hanging out with their friends and doing activities. It involves the kids going on play dates so I get some quiet and headspace - or their friends coming here so they are kept occupied so I can get work done!

It involves making a well thought out and researched decision to either not send your kids to school or pull them out of school. It's a choice!!!!! Whereas for most people right now this has been something they have to do because the schools are closed - that is a totally different scenario. There are no places to go to run them ragged and keep the kids occupied, or friends to have over so you can have some chill time.

I don't envy anyone forced into this situation - especially if they also trying to combine it with working from home! Like for example, we have tonnes of resources here because we have always homeschooled - so I have spent years building up resources that I know my kids like. We also use the library a huge amount (and there is a special card available to people homeschooling which lets us take out way more books than the usual amount, and hold onto them for a few months - so I always have a full stock of resources here from the library. They are dwindling down now and the library is not back until June. But we will manage I think!). Whereas I can imagine in some houses that isn't the case - because this isn't the norm! And this wasn’t expected. In a classroom situation a teacher might have 30 children, but they are all of the same age and following the same content. Whereas right now families are juggling 2 or 3 wildly different sets of curricula. Or having to try to entertain their only child who is struggling without friends around them.

My heart goes out to everyone in this situation - I know how hard I find it at times and I have chosen it!

Some tips for people trying to manage at home with children right now.

Firstly I wouldn't try to force anything. They are missing their friends and being out in the world (well mine are anyway and I can imagine for school going kids that is multiplied by 10). Even my introverted, homebird 14 year old is missing being out and about, they are missing their cousins and seeing family and friends.

Secondly - kids are ALWAYS learning so it’s OK to take your foot off the accelerator and slow down the pace in your house for now. Think about how they learned how to walk or talk - did you have to give them lessons in this? Usually that would be a no. If they are interested they will learn. Look at what their passions are and ask on social media groups for ideas for links to videos/resources online that they might be able to use (you will usually get great suggestions).

Thirdly for everyone out there struggling right now, my advice would be - take the least stressful path for you. If you have time sit down and watch TV with them - or do some gaming with them (even if you are crap lol!!). There is lots of educational TV that can keep them interested - Horrible Histories, The Wild Kratts, Octonauts, Carmen SanDiego and The Who Was Show all offer interesting information as well as keeping them occupied (and these can be nice to watch with them) - and are all on Netflix UK at the moment. Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon version NOT the film!) is one to sit and watch with them - it is so beautiful and the story line is just amazing.

Play a board game with them (or set them up to play a game together). There are some fab games out there where they can have fun and learn as well - Sleeping Queens and Rat-A-Tat Cat from GameWright Games which involve Maths or Alphabet Lotto from Orchard Toys (who have a fantastic range of educational games that are fun as well). Apples to Apples is a much loved one in our house and encourages creative thinking and debate - and helps children to frame and develop arguments.

History Bombs and Extra History on YouTube have great fun videos that both mine love, as do The Kids Should See This and Ted Ed. There are also great podcasts out there for kids that they might enjoy such as Brains On! and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

If you have a garden, get them to plant seeds - they usually enjoy it. Have them cook food for you or do some baking (these are all ways to learn - if you want them to do some Math while doing this - double the quantity needed!).

Finally - if you are worried about your child falling behind, research from children who missed school after the Earthquakes in New Zealand in 2011 found they did not fall behind. Results actually went up in final exams! Similar outcomes were found after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 - where children missed up to 7 weeks of school.

I hope that helps somewhat. If you are trying to juggle work, it's OK if they are watching more screen than usual, I would hope people have understanding employers, but the reality is not everyone will! And bills need to be paid. So do what you have to do to get through this. There is enough going on without adding to the stress - big hugs to you all xxx

10 Things To Do With Toddlers While #staythefuckhome

With the current covid-19 crisis and the related social distancing, many of us find ourselves at home with our toddlers, thrown out of our usual routine and into the deep end of parenting without the option to visit zoos, playgrounds or swimming pools. While it can seem daunting at first, this can actually be a great time to really tune into your child and make some great memories as a family. In the years to come, our smallies will most likely not remember any details about the virus, but about what happened in our homes during this time – so let’s give it a whirl!

10 Things To Do With Toddlers While #staythefuckhome

1.       Find a show you all enjoy

While being stuck at home, many of us allow the kids a bit more screen time than usual (just pay attention to your child’s cues – some get easily overwhelmed with too much screen time), but you don’t have to endure hours and hours of the typical children’s shows (unless you really enjoy it). Try to find a program (preferably with loads of episodes) you all enjoy! My 3 year old loves The Great British Bake Off, Junior Bake Off or The Secret Life of The Zoo. Nature documentaries like Blue Planet can be fun and educational for the whole family and may help you keep your sanity a little longer.

2.       Get baking

If you usually don’t have the time to bake with your kids, now is your chance. Recipes range from total beginner to master chef and you can find them all with a simple Google search. Don’t rush through it – take your time (after all – we have loads of it right now) and let your little ones help as much as they like – even though it gets messy. Enjoy the experience and the memories you’re making, even if the result looks a little wonky in the end. 

3.       Give a concert

Do you have an aspiring rockstar at home (or are one yourself)? Why not play a concert in your living room (or if you’re brave put on a show for the neighbourhood in your front garden or your balcony!). Whether you’re playing an actual instrument, shake some homemade rattles (another good project to do!), rock a classic pots-and-pans drumkit or an air guitar – put on a great show with your kids and sing and dance your hearts out. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives!

4.       Build a fort

I’m sure most of us can remember building forts and dens in our childhood. The excitement of crawling into your own little space, your magnificent fort, safe from dragons and all the worries in the world… Why not help your little ones build a fort indoors (blankets, pillows, chairs…) or in your garden (branches, leaves, tarps,…)? This will probably give you hours (if not days) of plat time together and at the end of the day, you can all curl up together in your den and read some bedtime stories.

5.       Attempt a long term project

Now might be the right time to start a long(er) term project with your toddler. Always wanted to grow your own veg? Get your kids involved in sowing the seeds, watering, observing, transplanting…  Had you planned to build a tree house but never gotten around to it? Do it now and let them help! Take a few minutes to sit down and think if there’s any projects you had meant to do with your kids but never did because the time wasn’t right or it would “take too long”. Now is the time to do them!

6.       Get Messy

I know, I know – as parents one of the things we do all the time is cleaning up messes. Mostly  messes we didn’t make. And most of us don’t particularly enjoy this part of parenting. But once in a while it can actually be fun to let the kids get messy (I discovered this when my 3 year old helped herself to 2kg of plain flour the other day….). Instead of worrying about the clean up, enjoy the fun and silliness of getting your hands dirty, splash water through the whole bathroom, play with flour, make a huge mud pit in the garden or do a massive action painting! 

7.       Move!

With playgrounds closed and outside activities limited to uncrowded places, it’s important to incorporate some movement into our new routine and make sure we all run off some energy at some point (cabin fever sets in quickly!). There are some fantastic exercise videos for kids (or families) online, but you don’t have to rely on technology to move. Make up fun movement games, create your own HIIT workout in which every family member chooses one exercise to add to your routine, do a silly dance party, play catch in the garden, see who can jump the longest (or highest or furthest)! 

8.       Do something you always wanted to do

Is there anything YOU always wanted to do? Not necessarily for your kids, but for yourself? Learn a new skill? A new craft? A new language? Why not try and start it, even though your kids might distract you? I’m one of those people who always want to do things “properly” and take my time and concentrate on the task at hand, but that often means I don’t get to do those things until my child is asleep (and I’m knackered). So why not try and casually do bits here and there? I found I’m able to read a new book much quicker if I read a few pages throughout the day when my toddler allows, rather than plucking up the energy to do it in the evening. You may be surprised – your children may actually join in on your activity and it might become a new family project!

9.       Learn a language

Is there a language you or your child is curious about? Do you have anyone in your family or amongst your friends who speaks another language? You could use this time of social distancing to actually connect with someone and learn a few words and sentences of them. Kids usually have a great memory and can remember easy words or phrases quickly, so it could become a fun activity of skyping a friend for a few minutes every day and learning a new word or learning a nursery rhyme in a foreign language. 

10.   Write your own book

Make up your own story with your kids and write it down! Let the kids decide what happens, let them illustrate the pages and keep it as a wonderful memory of a time spent together as a family.

We’re all in this together. Let’s make the most of it.

With thanks to one of our doulas Lisa for putting this list together. You can read more about the support Lisa offers on this link https://www.doulacare.ie/lisatierney