Who Will Look After Your Toddler When You Go Into Labour?
If you're pregnant with your second, third or fourth baby, you've probably spent plenty of time thinking about the birth. Who's going to be with you? What hospital are you going to?
What do you need to pack? But there's another question that can suddenly feel very big:
Who is going to look after your other children when you go into labour?
If your parents live interstate, your siblings aren't nearby, your friends have their own young children, or your partner needs to come with you to hospital, it can be one of the biggest pieces of your birth plan to figure out. That's where a sibling doula can help.
What is a sibling doula?
A sibling doula is someone who provides dedicated care for your older child or children while you're in labour and giving birth. Think of it as having a member of your village on standby specifically for the moment your baby decides to arrive. Rather than scrambling to find someone when labour starts, you've already met, planned and prepared together.
Your children know who is coming. You know who is coming. And when you call, that person is ready to step in.
Why not just ask a friend or family member?
If you have someone nearby who can genuinely be your 24/7 birth backup, that's wonderful.
But for many Perth families, that's not the reality. Your parents might live hours away.
Your siblings might be interstate. Your friends might have their own babies, jobs and commitments. Or perhaps you simply don't want to make one person responsible for being available at any hour between 38 and 42 weeks. And that's where professional on-call sibling support can be really valuable. You're not asking someone to promise:
"I'll probably be free when you go into labour." You're arranging for someone to intentionally keep that period available for you.
But what if I go into labour at 2am?
This is one of the first questions families ask me. And the answer is: that's exactly what the on-call arrangement is designed for. Once I'm on call from 38 weeks, you can contact me day or night. If you need me at 2am, I'll get up, get ready and head to you. The aim is to make your plan feel as simple as possible: You call. I come.
Why does an on-call sibling doula cost more than regular babysitting?
This is probably the most important distinction to understand. A regular babysitter charges you for the hours they're actually working. An on-call sibling doula is different. You're paying for availability.
When I agree to be your on-call sibling doula, I reserve a period of my life around your baby's arrival. From 38 weeks, I need to think about your potential call when making other plans. Could I book another client? Could I make plans that take me too far away?
Could I commit to something that I couldn't easily leave? Could I schedule something that would clash with you going into labour? These are all things I have to consider.
Because if you call me, I need to be able to prioritise getting to you. That's what the on-call fee pays for. It's not simply a childcare deposit.
It's the cost of having someone deliberately hold space for your family during one of the most unpredictable windows of your life.
What happens before you go on call?
I don't want your children to meet me for the first time when you're having contractions.
Before your on-call period begins, we have a prenatal visit where I can get to know you and your children.
We can talk about:
Their personalities
Their routines
Favourite foods and activities
Sleep and bedtime
What comforts them
What they might find difficult about you leaving
Your hospital plans
When you would like me to come
How we'll communicate during labour
What happens if things happen quickly
It's not about making birth completely predictable.
Because it isn't.
It's about having a plan for the unpredictable.
What does sibling support look like during labour?
Every family is different. Sometimes I arrive at your home while you're still in early labour.
Sometimes you need me to take over while your partner drives you to hospital.
Sometimes the older sibling stays home with me while both parents go to hospital.
My role is to follow the plan you've made while responding to what your children actually need in the moment. There might be snacks, stories, crafts, Lego, cuddles, a bath, a bedtime routine or an impromptu dance party. It doesn't have to be complicated.
And what if my labour is really long?
This is something I encourage families to think about before booking any on-call support.
Birth can be unpredictable.
That's why my sibling doula service has a 4-hour minimum and a 12-hour maximum for hands-on sibling support.
The on-call fee covers the availability period.
The hourly fee covers the actual care once I arrive.
That keeps the pricing transparent and gives both of us clear boundaries around the service.
Why I only take one sibling doula family per month
This part is really important to me. I'm a mum too. I also have postpartum clients who rely on me to show up for their families. I don't want to offer sibling doula support to multiple families in the same month, then find myself trying to juggle two births or cancelling postpartum sessions because two babies have decided to arrive at once. That's not fair to my existing clients. And it's not the kind of support I want to offer you.
So I intentionally limit my sibling doula availability to one family per month.
That means when you're on call, I can genuinely keep space for you.
Looking for a sibling doula in Perth?
I offer limited on-call sibling doula support for Perth families from 38 weeks until baby arrives. Because I only take one on-call family each month, availability is intentionally limited. If you'd like to chat about your family, your birth plans and whether I'd be a good fit, I'd love to hear from you.
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