It is important that as the expectant parents, you are supported to consider carefully, not only the place in which you choose to give birth, but also the people you choose to have around you at that time. While every mother’s circumstances and every baby’s birth are unique, the key is being aware of what feels right for you and your partner.
How to Hire a Birth Doula
The earlier in pregnancy that you consider you would like Birth Doula support during labor, the more you can set yourself up with supportive care providers and a birth setting that will respect your wishes. That being said, it is never too late to change your care providers or birth setting at any time.
Our "Hire a Doula in Luxembourg" guide includes step-by-step instructions on how to hire a Birth Doula, conduct interviews as well as how to approach the interactions with your care providers and birth setting to maximise your chances of getting your needs met.
The Birth Culture in Luxembourg is still a bit behind the rest of the world in this arena (so sorry to inform you of this) so it's up to EACH FAMILY, 1-by-1 to consistently and respectfully stand up for their rights which will empower not only themselves but also future families and generations to come! Read on to the Birth Setting section below where you will see the latest developments in terms of birth setting's attitudes to welcoming birth doulas in the birth space.
Lastly, we have set up a support group on Facebook so families can share with others that are going through/are experiencing the same journey in seeking Birth Doula Support.
Click the image below to download our free step-by-step guide "How to hire a Doula in Luxembourg":
Click below to join the FB support group:
If you are passionate about supporting Freedom in Birth Choices, please join the group below
Further resources/tools:
-
Individual consumers/patients/families can contact the "Service national d'information et de médiation en santé" at info@mediateursante.lu and report the case for possible mediation. Note that this can be done during pregnancy to attempt to resolve the issue or retrospectively after birth to further the cause for future families. Your voice matters!
-
Please review the Birth Setting section below to determine where will be your best chance to enable continuous labour support of your choice.
The Doula directory in Luxembourg
Below you will find a listing of Doulas in Luxembourg
Natascha Bisbis
Birth & Postpartum Doula
Natascha is Luxembourgish mother of two girls and an angel. After being a food scientist, then a teacher with a passion for alternative education (and currently also training as a Waldorf-teacher), a world-traveller in a camper-van, she is ready to open a new chapter as a Doula.
Her first pregnancy was an introduction to both the magic and difficulties of pregnancy, birth, motherhood and to feminist criticism on the current birth culture and birth rights that still need to be claimed. As the passion remained strong, she certified as Birth Doula in 2017 through Red Tent Doulas UK.
As a Birth Doula she supports mothers in their choices and sets a calm loving space for them to be, and become. Every mother knows we are not meant to be lonesome fighters, especially not in this vulnerable life-cycle of expecting, birthing and parenting babies. With women and mothers that feel strong and empowered she believes we bring up healthier children and families and at last a healthier society. Natascha attended 1 hospital birth in 2019.
She offers Birth Doula Support, Post-partum care (lots of food and love for the mama), Rituals incl. Motherblessings & Closing Rituals (with Rebozo scarves), Women circles, Massages
She speaks LU, DE, FR and EN perfectly.
Sandy Girotto
Birth Doula
Sandy gave birth to 4 beautiful sons.
She works as Pre- Postnatal and Birth Doula since 2013. Other services are Babywearing consultant, Hypnobirthing Coach (birth preparation) and she offers massage therapy and Rebozo Rituals for woman.
Since 2023 she trains doula’s to be together with Natascha from « tente des terres rouges » She speaks DE, FR, LU, some EN and a very little bit of Italian.
She is passionated about the physiologie of birth and can be your birth Doula for homebirth and hospitalbirth.
She can be reached at 621 722 069
Stephanie Fabbri
Birth Doula
Stephanie speaks LU, DE and FR and is passionately compelled to guide women through their unique and so very individual journey of pregnancy-birth-newborn-motherhood.
She accompanied a handful of families as Birth Doula during labour including home births in Luxembourg and at the Birth Center in Merzig. Being a birth doula is a vocation for her and she finds it very fulfilling.
She is a counselor in maternity, parenthood and early childhood and her certifications include: Kindergarten teacher/educator at Steiner’s School, counselor and course instructor (birthing class and Doula, sleep counselor 1001 kinderNacht, Baby Led Weaning instructor, cloth diapers counselor, Baby Steps and FamilySteps instructor and babymassage by Bruno Walter instructor).
She is a mom of 2, gave birth in the Birth Center in Merzig in a birth pool at home in Luxembourg.
Marise Hyman
Preconception, Prenatal & Parenthood Doula
Since 2013, Marise Hyman has been working with expectant and new families as Preconception, Prenatal and Parenthood Doula. She is certified as Holistic Maternity Coach (perinatal educator/doula), Happiest Baby on the Block Educator, Holistic Pregnancy & Sleep Practitioner, Holistic Childbirth Educator, Becoming Us Facilitator, Dancing for Birth instructor, Fearless Birthing Professional (Headtrash clearance method), Birth into Being level 1-4 facilitator, Calm Birth® teacher and Dance for Mental Wellbeing Coach
As expat mother of 2 children born in Luxembourg and through her working in the prenatal field, she became aware of important issues requiring attention for birthing families in Luxembourg and launched the #choice2haveadoula and #choice2haveamidwife birth rights campaigns of Luxmama. She empowers families with coaching, education, mind-shifts, lifestyle shifts, and inner work (healing) in the conception, pregnancy & birth journey transitioning into parenthood in our modern times.
Trained in energy psychology techniques, she is specialised in the emotional wellness, healing, resilience, mindset, birth/other fears/blocks clearing and self-awareness impacting how a mother/couple will experience birth and the major life transition/rite of passage. Healing/recoding "Birth Imprints" is pivotal in her work with "Conscious Conception" and "Conscious Birth Prep"/ "preparing for birth on the inside" (emotional & spiritual preparation & healing), by safely releasing unresolved subconscious energies from each parents' own conception, gestation, birth + formative experiences imprinted in the nervous system, body + limbic brain. As conscious evolution and conscious parenting enthusiast she is passionate about clearing imprints preventing passing it to the next generation, and decreasing risks for perinatal complications, a smoother journey and deep sense of connection to Self and as a result also to baby.
She speaks EN and Afrikaans fluently (some FR and a dash of LU) as she is from South Africa.
Belén Farias
Birth Doula
Belen is a mom of two boys, a birth doula and a babywearing consultant.
She’s also a scientist holding a PhD in physics with a passion for research and for bringing evidence-based information to parents.
She comes from Argentina and has lived in Luxembourg since 2019.
After a highly medicalized first birth in Buenos Aires, she had an amazing physiological birth without interventions in Luxembourg. This triggered her desire to help other women have an enjoyable and empowering birth experience.
She offers in-person doula support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum, adapted to every woman’s desires, wishes and possibilities.
She also supports families in their journeys to parenthood offering birth preparation classes, prenatal consultations, pregnancy circles, mom & baby circles, babywearing workshops, and “rebozo” postpartum closing rituals.
Belén speaks fluent English, French and Spanish, and some Luxembourgish. You can reach out to her at bel(at)rebozo.lu.
Birth settings and Doulas
Your birth setting may greatly influence the level of ease/resistance in respecting your rights and wishes regarding the "circumstances of birth". This is an evolving aspect that will improve with more families, one by one, insisting that they would like to enjoy the benefits of Birth Doula Support at the most important time in their lives.
If your care provider or birth facility is not supportive, it is always possible and advisable to change. If they don't want better outcomes for you and your baby, maybe they are not the right fit for you.
Home Birth
At a home birth, you have full control over your birth environment and birth companions. Home birth can be a wonderful option for low-risk pregnancies. In Luxembourg, it is possible to find a midwife that will provide medical support for births other than the 1st baby. A wonderful addition to your birth companion team will them be a Doula as well.
Contact Luxembourg's Midwife Association for more info on which midwives are available for home birth:
Birth Center
A Birth Center has highly skilled midwives at its core and is a medical facility, specializing in childbirth, that is less restrictive and more homelike than a hospital.
Birth centers offer a much more individually tailored approach to birth with the benefits of hospital birth and the freedom of a home-birth all wrapped into one. If you're a healthy woman at low risk for pregnancy and birth complications and you want a more natural, family-centered experience without routine medical interventions this is an option for you.
A birth center will always respect the parents' rights and wishes regarding the circumstances of childbirth and therefore a Birth Doula will be welcomed.
Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health in Luxembourg is biased regarding Birth Centers and sadly has been blocking attempts by midwives to launch a Birth Center in Luxembourg.
It is not yet clear whether national healthcare insurance will reimburse on a regular basis, births across the border in birth centers.
Follow updates on a Birth Center in Luxembourg: https://gebuertshaus.lu/
Cross-Border Birth Centers:
-
Geburtshaus Merzig (DE) 47 min from Luxembourg City (here is a Facebook group for this birth center),
-
Geburtshaus Saarburg (DE) 44 min from Luxembourg City,
-
Arche de Noé - Maison de Naissance - Namur (BE) 1h30 from Luxembourg City,
-
Un Nid pour Naitre - Maison de Naissance - Nancy (FR) 1h30 from Luxembourg City.
-
Geburtshaus Trier - http://geburtshaus-trier.de/
Maternite Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch CHEM, Esch-sur Alzette
Every year around 1,200 babies are born in this maternity unit.
The Maternite Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch CHEM located in Esch-sur-Alzette was the only remaining hospital in Luxembourg certified as “Hopital-Ami des bebes et Hopital-Ami des Meres”. The Global Criteria on Mother-friendly care by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative of the World Health Organisation and Unicef, which previously included mother-friendly labour and birthing practices and procedures (not anymore since 2019, now only baby-friendly practices are included in the directive)
The mother-friendly guidelines encouraged women to be supported by companions of their choice to provide continuous physical and/or emotional support during labour and birth, as desired:
"Pour être un Hôpital ami des mères, une maternité doit mettre en œuvre des pratiques respectueuses des besoins des mères pendant le travail et l’accouchement: #1 Encourager les mères à se faire aider, physiquement et émotionnellement, par des personnes de leur choix, de façon continue pendant le travail et l’accouchement, si elles le désirent"
Do refer to the current criteria here which unfortunately does not mention any mother-friendly guidelines any more: www.unicef.lu/luxembourg/bfhi/
However in current practice, upon pre-labour inquiry it seems birthing couples are informed that the birthing woman can not bring along a "doula" to the delivery room "due to a decision made by hospital management"... However there is also discussion of a draft document in place making it possible for families to bring a family member or "friend" in addition to their partner.
We have reached out to the hospital repeatedly since Jun 2017, in order to understand their perspective and provide information but have not been successful in receiving a response.
It has come to our attention that in 2020, without pre-labour approval, hospital staff respected a family's choice to bring along their Birth Doula when they admitted themselves in the hospital in established labour...
CHL: Centre Hospitalier Luxembourg
The hospital explains on their website that their goal is to best meet the expectations and personalized needs of each person.
Up until 2016, a few families already had the opportunity with a supportive care provider that respected their choice to have Doula support at their birth at the Maternité CHL.
However recently in 2017, current practice seems to be that birthing couples are informed that the birthing woman are only "allowed" to bring along one birth companion of their choice to the delivery room. In practise, birthing families are not prevented from alternating the birth companion in the delivery room (with prior discussion with hospital staff).
We have reached out to the hospital repeatedly since Jun 2017, in order to understand their perspective and provide information but have not been successful in receiving a response.
Hôpitaux Robert Schuman - Clinique Bohler Maternity Unit
"With nearly 2,700 deliveries per year, the Clinique Bohler is currently the maternity unit which records the most births in Luxembourg, with more than one third of the total deliveries in the country" as per the website of this birth facility.
We are not aware of any families that were able to have their wishes respected for Doula support in addition to their partner as already a birth companion.
In current practice it seems birthing couples are informed that the birthing woman can only bring along one birth companion to the delivery room and in 2018 we have also received some reports from families that were told they can even not freely choose the birth companion, that it has to be a family member. (keep this in mind when you communicate your wishes to increase chances of reaching your goals.)
It is important to evaluate attitudes and comments received in your care carefully against evidence and in this case, even the local Patient's law (never hesitate to switch away from unsupportive care providers) which contradicts this statement - Local "Patient's law" of 24 Jul 2014 art 7(1): "Le patient est en droit de se faire assister dans ses démarches et décisions de santé par une tierce personne, professionnel de santé ou non, qu'il choisit librement. La personne ainsi choisie par le patient pour le soutenir et l'aider est appelée 'accompagnateur du patient'."
In practise we have been informed of families that alternated the birth companion in the delivery room with "a friend" ;-)
We have reached out to the hospital repeatedly since Jun 2017, in order to understand their perspective and provide information but have not been successful in receiving a response.
Centre Hospitalier du Nord in Ettelbruck
We are not aware of any families that requested Doula support in addition to their partner as already a birth companion.
In 2019 pre-corona, it has come to our attention that families are being told 2-3 birth companions of choice is encouraged, which is wonderful news! The hospital staff seems open and respectful to a family's wish to bring a Birth Doula along.
Since beginning 2020 due to corona, the choice to bring additional birth companions were not respected any more but it will not hurt to keep on requesting.
In the meantime, we have been informed that the hospital is again open to a second birth companion/doula!
Recommended Reading
#choice2haveadoula
"A doula can be a woman’s trail guide in unfamiliar territory, but they cannot carry her every step of the way, even if it were possible to do so.."
The Homestead Guru
