I am Barbara – a doula based in Vienna, Austria. Since 2013 I've been accompanying women and couples through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. With experience, a loving heart, and a firm belief: you know best what you need.
What I do for you
A doula is neither a midwife nor a therapist – she is your personal companion. I'm there for you when you need someone to listen during pregnancy. I hold your hand during labour and reassure your partner when they don’t know how to help. And in the postpartum weeks, when everything feels new and overwhelming, I'm simply there.
I get to know you – your wishes, your fears, your circumstances. Together we develop your birth plan and I help you ask the right questions: of your doctor, your midwife, your hospital.
Birth location: one of the most important decisions you'll make
Your choice of birth location largely determines how much say you have in what happens. Here is an honest overview:
Public Hospital You are entitled to good care – but there is little continuity. Midwives change with shifts, and you may share their attention with other labouring women. Two Vienna hospitals still offer the private midwife model – it's worth asking about this early.
Private Hospital More flexibility, more say. You can bring your own midwife. This makes a significant difference – especially if she already knows you and your wishes.
Birth Centre or Home Birth The most personal option. Your midwife is with you throughout, and you decide on the atmosphere and the course of events yourself. For uncomplicated pregnancies, this is a safe and well-researched choice.
Important: Austrian law requires a qualified midwife to be present at every birth. Unassisted births are not permitted.
Plan your birth – before labour begins
The birth you hope for doesn't start in the delivery room. It starts with decisions you make during pregnancy:
Where do you want to give birth?
Who do you want by your side?
What are your wishes – and how do you communicate them?
I guide you through this process. Together we create a birth plan that carries your voice – and I help you advocate for it with your birth team.
Trauma and difficult birth experiences
Many of the women who come to me are not pregnant for the first time. Behind that decision there is often a birth that did not go the way they had imagined.
Obstetric violence, lack of respect, a feeling of powerlessness – these are not isolated cases. And they leave marks.
As a doula, I know specialist support services in Vienna: therapists, psychiatric clinics for pregnant women and new mothers, mindful obstetricians , osteopaths and other forms of support.
You don't have to carry this alone.
Trust yourself.
Perhaps you know this feeling: something doesn't feel right, but you don't want to be "difficult." You don't want to stand out or ask for too much.
But inside you there is a sensor that tells you when a companion, a doctor or a situation is not right for you.
That sensor is right. And I'm here to help you listen to it.