Doula Services

Hello and welcome!

I’m so glad you made it to my page.

It is such an exciting time when you are pregnant, but it can also be full of anxiety and worries.

How on earth are you supposed to navigate the maze of horrors stories and conflicting advice on your own?

Where will you have your baby? You’d like to try the lower end of the medical spectrum, like a birth centre maybe, but what happens if you change your mind and then decide you want an epidural?

The good news is: you don’t have to make the decisions on your own.

 Every parent should have a doula

I think every parent should have a doula, and I’m not just saying that because I am one. But I had one myself when my children were born, so I know how brilliant doula support is.

In our nuclear family culture, we haven’t usually seen babies being born (except for some high adrenalin versions of it in movies), we haven’t grown up around babies, or even seen others looking after babies, so we know very little (many of us haven’t even changed a nappy!). So how on earth are we are supposed to find our way through something we know nothing about? Many of us live far away from our families as well. In such a culture, the support of an experienced, friendly, professional “mother figure” is not a luxury.

A passion for supporting families

I feel so passionate about this that I left a 20 year long career as a scientist to become a doula (you can read more about that here).

I left my native France nearly 20 years ago to pursue my career as a biology research scientist. I met my Hong Kong born husband Chi. We moved to Cambridge and had two kids, Sebastien (2006) and Charlotte (2009). Their births (both very positive experiences supported by a doula), changed my passion completely, and I left my scientific career behind so dedicate myself to my new passion, which is supporting YOU!

So what have got to offer you as a Doula?

Like a Sherpa or a mountain guide, I am there every step of the way to guide you through the maze of options and choices, so you can make the decisions that are right for YOU. That’s right. I have no agenda (except making sure you have all the info to make a true informed decision). That is truly what makes a doula special-who else is going to listen to you in such an unbiased way?

I’ve been working as a doula and antenatal educator for over 10 years. I have supported over 60 families through birth and the postnatal period as a doula, and about 300 families as an antenatal teacher, so I know the maternity system in and out, and I have connections with many local health professionals and complementary practitioners.

As a birth doula, I have supported families through very different births. I have experience with natural births (at home, in the birth centre and in the obstetric unit), water births, hypnobirths, and with more medicalised births such as supporting complex medical histories, inductions, VBACS, assisted births, and cesareans births (I have been present in theatre during cesareans and instrumental births).

Sharing information with you

I’m a birth geek and knowledge junkie, and a bit of an  alternative hippy too. I’m always learning, and I love giving you extra information to ponder, in the form of books and articles if this appeals to you. I know a wide range of labour comfort measures such as massage, using a rebozo, relaxation, breathing and healing techniques, which I can teach you and your partner if you have one.

After the birth

Postnatally, I can come to your home and help you settle into your new life as a parent. I can provide practical, emotional and information support. This can include listening and helping reassure you that you are doing a good job, helping with establishing breastfeeding, cooking you meals and cakes, holding your baby whilst you rest, doing some light housework, or anything else you need to be able to rest and concentrate on getting to know your new baby and finding your feet as a new parent. You can read more in my blog post about the way I support new parents postnatally.

I am the author of a book called Why postnatal recovery matters, and I can help you prepare for the postartum as well as the birth.