Get to know me and my doula journey

I am the proud mother to five adult children, aged between 27 and 32.

I have always been baby-obsessed and as soon as I left school I worked as an au-pair in London to a family with three children under the age of three. I was initially taken on just for a few months so that mum could rest with her newborn while I looked after the two elder siblings. I absolutely loved this job and enjoyed my time with the family and ended up staying long-term until I moved away for another job.

I had my first baby in 1989. It was a really lovely birth and my husband was greatly involved – even cutting the umbilical cord himself. My second baby was born a year later; this was not such a good birth and my husband was not allowed to be as involved as we would have liked, as the midwives took over and were not prepared to listen to our wishes. We had three more births after this, all in hospital and, luckily, my husband was allowed to be more involved and they too were lovely experiences.

Because of my differing experiences of labour, I always thought that it would be lovely if I could help a mother to take more control of her birth. I did not want anyone to be left feeling as deflated as I was after my second experience.

Life with five children under five-and-a-half was very busy, so only once my youngest daughter started school did I go back to work in a local school, where I stayed for over 20 years. However, the feeling that I wanted to support a woman in labour (and the first few months after) never left me, so I started to look for a different career.

I did not even know what a doula was until a friend listened to me describe my perfect job and said ‘that sounds like a doula’. I started to research what a doula was and was so excited when I realised that this was the vocation made for me! It was the career that I had always wanted but didn’t know existed, and now I could train to make it a reality.

As your doula I will be there to nurture and support you so that you feel empowered to make informed decisions regarding maternity care. My goal is for you to trust your own instincts. We will take tiny steps together to achieve the most positive birth so that you may continue into parenthood with confidence and inner wisdom.

I am so blessed that you have taken the time to browse my website. Please do get in touch - I would love to have a chat with you to see what you are looking for and how I could help.

Courses & Training

  • Breastfeeding Buddy Course with Developing Doulas

  • Consent Rights in Childbirth workshop with Developing Doulas

  • Holistic Sleep Coaching course with Lyndsey Hookway

  • Rebozo Techniques

  • Tongue Tie Workshop

  • Postnatal Recovery

  • Pelvic Health for Doulas

  • 3 Step Rewind Birthing Awareness Training

  • Developing Doulas Birth Course

  • Developing Doulas Postnatal Course

  • Tips and Tools for your journey into birth-related research with Sara Wickham

  • Mental Wellbeing in Children and Young People Level 2

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) Level 2

  • Dealing with Bereavement and Loss Level 2

  • Child Protection Refresher Course Level 2

  • First Aid Essentials Level 2