"She held my birthing space beautifully, quietly reassuring and encouraging me.”

As a mother of two, I have experienced the raw power and beauty of childbirth, and the joy and challenges of the newborn period. I had the support of a wonderful Doula when I had my children, who empowered and supported me to birth and parent my way, and to achieve my breastfeeding goals, so I know firsthand the benefits of Doula support. 

It is the honour of the Doula to hold space for someone, to protect their birthing and baby bubble and to facilitate their feeling of absolute control over the decisions they make. There is great joy in walking the delicate path to parenthood with families. It is an honour to develop deep trust and understanding of parents' individual needs. 

The more I experienced the beauty and power of birth and the benefits that come from loving, gentle support during the newborn stage, I realised that being a Doula was my true vocation. After a wonderful and fulfilling career as a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist I decided it was time to answer my calling and make the leap to become a Doula as my profession. 

As an NHS Speech and language Therapist working in the acute hospital with people experiencing communication and swallowing difficulties, there are so many skills which are transferable to being a Doula. Having sensitive and difficult conversations with people and their families, helping them understand and weigh up complex information, supporting and advocating for people to make decisions which are right for them, even when they may be different to what other people may choose in the same situation. 

My passions lie with physiological birth and breastfeeding, but most importantly of all I love to help families make informed decisions about what works best for them. I offer a safe space to discuss any worries or fears and to process the information available to work out what serves you. With a Doula, you know you are being offered evidence based, unbiased information that you can trust.

Continuing to learn and develop new skills is hugely important. After I started supporting friends and family I decided I wanted to complete formal training to be able to bring more knowledge and skill into my work as a Doula. 

Workshops and training attended:

Developing Doulas- Doula Preparation Course (October 2002)

Birth Prep in a Box Hypnobirthing Facilitator programme (January 2023)

Birth Debrief Masterclass with Illiyin Morrison (March 2023)

How to safely support traumatised parents with Traumatic Birth Recovery (March 2023)

Biomechanics of Rebozo for Birth, Sophie Massager and Shellie Poulter (April 2023)

Biomechanics for birth with Molly O'Brien (June 2023)

The Doula Focus with Jen Culley (Sept- Oct 2023)

Rebozo for an easier birth (Ongoing)

Closing The Bones with Sophie Messanger (March 2024)

Energetics of Birth workshop, with Reiki for Birth (April 2024)

How to Hold a Women's Circle Immersive, Sister Stories (April 2024)