Hi there,

My name is Sami, I am a Gap local and also the doula and friend of Samara and Calum from Happy Days Food Co.

On the 12th of June, Samara and Calum became parents to their beautiful baby boy, Arlo. Whilst mum and bub are doing ok now, their landing as a new family was a big one. The night Arlo was born, and the week that followed was highly traumatic for the young couple and those that love them. Whilst we won’t share all of the details of what occurred, we can say that it was a true life or death emergency, involving a very serious seizure, an emergency C Section under general anaesthetic, an induced coma for Samara and a stay in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for Arlo. This was a complete shock for Calum and Samara, as Samara had a low-risk and complication-free pregnancy and early labour and was looking forward to birthing in the RBWH’s Birth Centre.

Now that the new family are safely back at home, the long road to healing and recovery is becoming clear. At a bare minimum, Samara will need weekly GP appointments for the next six weeks (at the request of her hospital care team), reconstructive dental work, psychology, and physiotherapy. The road to healing after the significant trauma she experienced is a long one, but one she is ready to undertake with the right support in place. Calum, as well as the other support people present will also need psychological support as they continue to debrief and make sense of this incredibly confronting and terrifying experience. This will be a huge undertaking for the young couple, who are only 25 years old.

As their doula, it is my number one priority to ensure the new family can spend as much time as possible at home together healing, recovering, and bonding after so much time was taken away from them in the hospital. A priority which can feel a little hard to fulfil when your clients are very dedicated small business owners who are loved by their community. I would love Calum to feel comfortable and financially secure enough to spend the coming weeks at home, so he can prioritise spending time with Samara and baby Arlo, rather than working at Happy Days.

As well as the above, I would also love to see this beautiful family supported with a fortnightly cleaner, some nourishing meals and some at-home massage, acupuncture and other nourishing treatments for Samara. These services and supports will be even more important for the young family, with Samara under instruction from her Neurologist, not being able to drive for 6 months.

With permission from Samara and Calum, I am seeking support from the beautiful Gap community who they love to feed and keep caffeinated to hopefully bring the above to life! Every single dollar will help support these incredible new parents, small business owners and treasured community members land as a family and prioritise rest, bonding and healing for Samara’s postpartum period. We thank you in advance for anything you are able to afford to contribute and appreciate how tough times are financially for all at the moment.

With love and care,

Sami – The Hold Doula Co.