Pregnancy, birth and postnatal support for the whole family.
I am a married mum of three beautiful daughters, Esmé, Maggie and Evie. I live in Bromley, Kent. As well as being a birth and postnatal Doula I also teach Hypnobirthing, as I believe that being relaxed and confident in pregnancy and during labour can help you as a mother have a more gentle experience, wherever and however you choose to birth.
As my husband was away for most of my pregnancies my best friend took on the role of Doula for my first birth; although she had no prior experience I felt safe and calm in her presence during the antenatal preparation and at the birth, she was also a huge support to my husband during the birth so that I didn’t have to worry about him worrying about me!
The pregnancy and the birth of my twins was totally different, they were diagnosed early on with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, I was scanned and monitored throughout the pregnancy, my daughters were born by emergency Caesarean at 36 weeks. Having had these two births, both very different I have seen two very different sides to how birth can be; One very natural and drug free, one heavily medicalised and full of intervention.
As such I learned to not have any attachments to how birth can go, to be flexible in the route that the journey took me on. I feel privileged that I can help empower women to be confident and take control of their choices at a time in their lives when they are more likely to be feeling vulnerable and out of control.
I fell in love with all things birth during this Journey and trained with Nurturing Birth. I was so happy to become a Doula as I am fascinated about all aspects of pregnancy, birth and beyond. I want to mother the mother and help her to learn how to not be afraid of a process that is physiologically normal and natural; I believe that it is so important to have a connection with the person I am looking after, for the mother to feel safe with me and to trust me. I think that the best way to decide if I am the doula for you is to see if you and your partner connect with me as a person. I believe it’s vital for a woman to have the confidence and belief in herself to birth and parent her baby. To have people by her side who knows what she is going through intimately, to help her as a mum to not feel alone and to feel looked after and cared for, to enable her to feel safe, supported and protected. I feel that to have a doula and to learn how to relax the body and the mind in preparation for birth is the optimum way to give a mother the best chance at giving birth with as little fear and stress as possible, whichever route you want to take for your birth. The role of a doula is not medical but I have the resources to find out more about any medical issues that may arise, to help you calmly look at the various risks and studies and I can help you make informed decisions by providing you with information, I will then be able to help you be strong in your choices. As Penny Simkin (an experienced Doula) says “You can’t always control what happens to you in your birth experiance but you can control the care you recieve”
I work in an around London, mostly southeast London and Kent. Areas covered are Bromley, Hither Green, Blackheath, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington, Locksbottom, Keston, Farnborough, Lewisham, Brockley, Dulwich and East Dulwich, Herne Hill, Brixton, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge, Croydon, Anerley, SE19, SE20,SE23, SE24, SE26, BR1, BR2, BR7, BR3, SE13, SE3, SE4, SE6, SW2,
I have worked at the the PRUH (Princess Royal University Hospital – Now under King’s College Hospital) The Croydon University Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, Lewisham Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich and St. George’s Hospital in Tooting. I have supported many women give birth successfully at home too.
