Doula Services

On 11 December 2010 our 4th baby was born. His name is Rory and he was born at home in our birth pool, surrounded by his family including three big sisters. We're so blessed to have him!

During 2012, I am available only to attend homebirths within an hour's drive of my home in Warburton. So if you are planning a local-area homebirth, please do contact me.

If you are seeking birth support further afield, for your planned home, birth centre or hospital birth, please scroll down the right-hand side column to find "Seeking a Midwife" and "Seeking a Doula". These private midwives and doulas are wonderful women who are an asset to your birth team. I suggest you chat with several and choose the person you feel most comfortable with.

Please feel free to email  or phone me if you are having any problems finding someone to support you through your pregnancy, birth and post-natal time. I have an email list of midwives and doulas who I recommend and who are available to take clients.

I would also like to introduce to you my new venture:

Blissful Herbs - nurturing herbs for body & soul.

This is a range of herbal bath sachets and herbal teas to add nurture and specialness to every phase of a woman's life cycle, from menarche to the child-bearing years to menopause.

The Post Natal Bliss bath herbs are especially awesome, I used them myself after Rory's birth, they speed the healing, feel so good and smell divine.

Please come and browse!

Also on this site are all kinds of articles and links to inform and support your child-bearing journey, which are free for you to access, print out, and share.

You can find me on Facebook here and here

Details about my doula services here

What does a doula actually do?

Here one of my clients answers the question

List of Blissful Herbs products

Pregnancy
Mum's Tum herbal tea
Pregnancy Bliss herbal tea
Pregnant Mama Bliss bath herbs
Birth Vibes tea
GD Support tea - to help support healthy blood sugar levels during pregnancy
PIH Support tea - to help support healthy blood pressure during pregnancy
Blessingway Bliss footbath petals

Birth
Birthing Bliss tea
After Birth tea
No Bleed tea

Post Partum
Post Natal Bliss bath & compress herbs
Babymoon Bliss tea
Baby Blues tea
Breastfeeding Bliss galactagogue tea
Sore Nipple Bliss topical herbs
Mastitis Blitz tea and compress herbs
Lotus Birth herbs - for the care of the Lotus Birth placenta
PPH Recovery tea

Little Ones
Lullaby Bliss tea and bath herbs
Nappy Rash Blitz bath and topical herbs
Eczema Bliss bath and topical herbs
Soothe-a-fever bath herbs

Pre Conception
TTC Bliss tea
Virilitea for men
TTC/PCOS Support tea

Pregnancy Loss
Pregnancy Loss Solace tea
The Carys Blend
Womb Love tea
Rest & Heal bath herbs

Moon Cycle
Moon Cycle Bliss PMS tea
Moon Cycle Bliss Cramp-ease tea
Moon Cycle Bliss bath herbs
Balanced Woman tea
Change of Life tea
Bleed-ease tea - to ease heavy bleeding during menstruation

Family well being
Cold & Flu Blitz tea
Immunity Bliss tea
Headache-ease tea
Hayfever Blitz tea
Tummy tea
Triple H tea - support for hiatus hernia and heartburn
Joint-ease tea and bath herbs
Sleepytime Bliss tea
Heavenly Peace Sleep Sachet in embroidered cotton bag
Eczema Blitz tea and topical herbs
Skin Bliss tea
Acne Blitz topical herbs
Herbal Hair rinse
Balanced Weight herbal tea
Liver Tonic tea
Urinary Tract Support tea
Mellow Mood / Mellow Mama relaxation bath herbs
Haemorrhoid Blitz topical herbs
Candida Blitz tea and bath herbs
VV-ease - relief for variscose veins, including vulval.
Chillblain support tea and topical herbs
Lover's Bliss - with herbs reputed for their aphrodisiac virtues
Fit & Well herbal tea - supporting optimal health

Recovery
Healing Bliss tea
Anti-oxidant tea
Vitalitea

Strength and calm
Serenitea
Stress Less tea
Mood Lift tea
Energy Lift tea
Mood/Energy Lift tea
Brain Power tea
ADHD Support tea

For the bliss of tea
Mint Bliss
Citrus Bliss
Lemon & Ginger Bliss
Festive Chai
Blissful Chai
Aniseed Bliss

Accessories
Bamboo strainer $8.00
Bamboo long-handled spoon $2.50
Re-usable beaded muslin tea bag $5.00
Golecha henna, 25g tubes $2.50
Pkt of 20 paper filter tea bags $2.00
Cotton draw-string gift bag $3.50
Carys Mother Blessing Cards $4.50
Cleansing bottle $2.00
Hand-crafted all-natural olive oil soap $2.50
Muslin draw-string bath bags - small $1.00 / large $1.50
Soothing Salve - 30ml/$9.50 and 60ml/$16.50

More details on all our products here

Getting the best from your herbal teas

Blissful Herbs' Soothing Salve

"It's worth its weight in gold, that stuff." - Ryan

This lovely new product is made from gentle, natural ingredients sourced from home-grown, home-run businesses just like Blissful Herbs. Not only are the ingredients healthy for body and planet, but I'm so pleased to be able to support other WAHP and local businesses, through using their quality ingredients in the Soothing Salve.
Now about the Soothing Salve!

First, a picture:

 

At present, we have a 30 ml jar for $9.50

and a 60 ml jar for $16.50

 

The Soothing Salve is ideal to use to support healing of the perineum after childbirth, perfect for small tears, grazes, “skid marks” etc.

It's a great thing to have in the birthing woman's 'birth kit', along with the Post Natal Bliss healing bath herbs, for a fantastic post natal healing regime.

It is also perfect for using during nappy changes. It makes meconium so easy to wipe away, it moisturises the skin and helps prevent nappy rash.

It can also be used for general family first aid, for minor skin problems like cuts, scrapes, grazes, itchy bites, rashes and mild eczema.

Ingredients:

Herb-infused Olive Oil (Lavender, Calendula, Comfrey, Rosemary, Sage & Thyme), Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Rosehip Oil, Damasque Rose Absolute & Goldenseal.

Just a note: Goldenseal is a fantastic healer but it is not advised for use with young babies. Now there's only a small amount of Goldenseal in the Soothing Salve, but in order to have the widest margin of safety, I would not suggest using the Soothing Salve on sore nipples, unless you plan to wash it off with a few drops of breastmilk prior to breastfeeding. So just use your own maternal nouse about that.

To order: email blissfulherbs@bigpond.com with your postal address.

Postage is $7.50 and that stays the same up to a 500g gross weight package. So, if there's any herbs you need, might as well include them in your order when you purchase your Soothing Salve, to make the most of the postage.

Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Any medical condition should be referred to your health care practitioner. Check with your health care practitioner before commencing to use any herbal preparation.

Feedback from testers:

Ahh... Blissful Herbs Soothing Salve, I haven’t even finished my jar and I’m in love. I could smell it the second I opened my latest package from Blissful Herbs, and immediately tried it as a lip balm. Since then it has been a treatment for eczema, nappy rash, mozzie bites, and a 4-year-old’s bruised ego, and has treated all with amazing success!

The texture is lovely, and soaks in quickly, leaving soft skin and a yummy fragrance, that even my super-sensitive husband didn’t turn his nose up at! If a little hard on colder days, it warms up quickly with body heat and doesn’t leave a greasy layer. 

 Eczema is much improved almost immediately as the dry skin is remedied on application, my skin just drinks up the salve, and with consistent, longer term use my skin should heal properly. Mild nappy rashes are visibly improved within a couple of hours and gone within a day, not to mention the gentle herbal fragrance from the salve is a pleasant surprise on opening a worn nappy! I’m loving it as a lip balm too, a thin layer soothes chapped lips quickly, and lasts for ages, and doesn’t transfer to glasses or affect the taste of my food.

Knowing it’s all natural is wonderful with two busy boys under 5, who ‘need’ to have cream on every bumped knee, and while I would previously say no to (chemical) cream unless there was a ‘real’ injury, the Soothing Salve is a lovely option to let them have their bumps treated every time, without worrying about what else is going into their skin.

Feels great, smells great, and works great! Can’t recommend it enough!
- Miranda



Louise said it worked even better than aloe vera for her sunburn.

 

This photo is from a woman who had chemical burns a couple of years ago and since then had ongoing dermatitis which caused severe pains in her hands. She tried everything from over the counter lotions and creams to steroids with little if any relief.
She used the Soothing Salve for not even a month and these are the results:

This is what she had to say:
"It's all gone except for my left pinky, which has always been the worst. I keep that Soothing Salve in my bag and I take it everywhere. It's amazing! Thank you!"

And thank you for sending in these pics and allowing me to share them. 

 

Sleepytime Bliss herbal tea

Many people suffer from insomnia and disturbed sleep from time to time, I know I have. There's nothing worse than feeling too tired or wound up to sleep, or waking in the night tossing and turning, unable to get back to sleep.

The Sleepytime Bliss tea is a gentle blend of herbs that have been used through the ages to support healthy sleep. These calming herbs help to soothe away stress, promote relaxation and ease the way to peaceful sleep. We all know that healthy whole food diet, regular exercise and doing what we can to manage stress will help a lot. As well, the Sleepytime Bliss tea makes a lovely addition to your bedtime routine.

The Sleepytime Bliss tea contains:

Chamomile - believed to help calm anxiety and reduce insomnia

Lavender - the 'comfort' herb, soothes tension, stress and exhaustion, with mild pain-relieving properties

Lemon Balm - proven to reduce restlessness and support better sleep

Skullcap - a relaxing nerve tonic that nourishes the nervous system and is helpful for easing insomnia

St John's Wort - has a mild sedative effect with pain-relieving properties; improves the quality of sleep

Valerian - a relaxing, sleep-inducing herb, helpful for relieving restlessness, anxiety and insomnia. Especially beneficial for poor/irregular sleepers and those who have difficulty falling asleep

Vervain - an excellent tonic for the nervous system, easing stress and insomnia

Cost:
50g = $8.50
60g = $10.00
100g = $16.00
200g = $30.00

To order: email blissfulherbs@bigpond.com with your postal address.

We also have the Lullaby Bliss tea which is more suitable for children, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, and people who should avoid St John's Wort.

And we have the Heavenly Peace Sleep Sachet, a beautiful blend of herbs and petals in a pretty cotton drawstring bag, to hang on the bedstead. With Lavender, Lemon Balm, Hops, Chamomile, Passionflower and Rose Petals. Choose between blue embroidery or white lace edging on your bag. $10.00 for a 50g sachet.

Enjoy the restorative benefits of this remedy from nature.

Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Any medical condition should be referred to your health care practitioner. Check with your health care practitioner before commencing to use any herbal preparation.