Rachael Boterhoven - Your Birth Companion
supporting women and couples through their pregnancy journey and beyond
About Me
Hello there, welcome to my page, and congratulations for making it this far in what could soon be one of the most positive and beneficial decisions in your pregnancy and birthing journey!
A little bit about me. My name is Rachael, I was born and raised in Perth, WA. I am a wife, a mother to three girls, a doula, and an aspiring midwife.
I have been lucky enough to have seen quite a bit of the world. I have travelled through Europe, America, Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore…and had a bintang or two in Bali. But at the end of the day, there is no place like home, and I will probably grow old and wrinkly here in WA…
I am very ambitious and have an influx of random ideas, some lasting 5 minutes, some last a few days, and the good ones I follow through with. With every new idea I have, the sole behind them is being able to serve and support women to ensure that their pregnancy, birthing and postpartum journey can be as wonderful as it can possibly be, and to reduce the risk of developing post-partum depression.
My Own Experiences
In 2016 I fell pregnant with my first child. It was the cruisiest pregnancy I could have ever imagined. I had a very laid-back approach to pregnancy and birth – I was asked a few times if I was scared about birthing and my response would be ‘no’. I never over thought it, and the idea didn’t frighten me. I was also not a reader so I didn’t do any education prior and went in to labour with the mind-set that the midwives and doctors will advise me what to do, and make the best decisions for me and baby, and in my case, boy was I wrong.
It is more now that I realise that nurses and midwives need to follow policies and procedures in a timeline sequence, so decisions made are not always made with the patient's wants or birth plan in mind, but because text-book protocols say that XYZ will be the safest way for them to monitor your progress.
To read more about my personal experiences, click below.
How I Can Help
Your Birth Companion
Well, let’s put it simply. I know what sucked during my first pregnancy, I know what was great with my second, but most importantly (for me) I knew what I wanted, my rights and had confidence in my third. Whilst my first two pregnancies and births were in a public hospital – it was the continuity of care and having a better support the second time around that made it better, and unendingly made it exceptionally better the third.
Regardless of your birthing place, may it be at home, a birthing centre, private, or public hospital, my promise to you is that you will not feel alone.
All women deserve to have someone beside them, to guide and assist in making educated choices about their pregnancy, and to ensure they feel supported and not alone. I am here to provide unbiased information, emotional and physical support as well as much much more during your pregnancy journey and beyond.
A PSA that a doula is not a substitute for a partner. My personal experience and speaking with other women who did not have a doula revealed that they wished they had someone whose goal was to assist them in having a safe, healthy, and positive labour experience, which included support for their partner, who is often left feeling helpless during this time.
If you would like to know more, please feel free to contact me, I would love to support you through this magical journey.
With love Rach xo
Testimonials
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Rachael provided tools and techniques which will be very helpful in keeping [me] calm and focused, not only for myself but my husband as well. - Leah
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After suffering through a reasonably traumatic birth with my son, I found myself confiding in Rachael and sharing my experience, knowing that she too had a tough experience with her first baby. She was supportive both physically and emotionally as I found my feet in my new role as a Mum, and I am so grateful to have had her words of wisdom and helping hands during my postpartum journey. - Sammi
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The thing I found easiest to talk to Rachael about was breastfeeding. I like that she is real, open and honest. She helped me a lot just by talking about her experience. I know there are LCs out there but sometimes it's just nice to be able to relate to someone who has also had major struggles with breastfeeding in the past. I also found that having a doula who had experienced different births was great as well as it gave me confidence that she had experience in different birthing environments. - Meggan
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Having Rachael as a support through my pregnancy and postpartum felt like
such a relief. To have someone available to chat about fears and doubts, relevant research, or to hear me when I needed a vent; was invaluable. Knowing Rachael was there to support me no matter what, and to be my personal cheerleader really built the foundation of my own self belief. She was there for any question, any dilemma, and the first person I felt really held space for me in my early postpartum. I highly recommend Rachael as a birth and/or postpartum doula (and her lactation cookies - I could live on those!). Don’t hesitate to reach out to her if you’re considering birth support! - Amber
