FYI: the communities I build aren’t just about friends…
Let me be clear: I am not a doula who runs antenatal courses and baby groups on the side… I am a doula who thinks outside of the box to get individuals the knowledge, support and confidence they need through pregnancy and postpartum…
What does a doula do?
In simple terms, as a doula my mission is to make things feel better and more manageable.
Whether that’s your pregnancy, your birth or your postpartum, I use everything in my toolkit to help the families (not just the mums!) I work with navigate this crazy period of their lives calmly and confidently.
These tools include…
unbiased, independent and evidence-based knowledge(that often sits outside of the stuff given to you on an NHS flyer)
practical & hands-on skills to support everything from labour pain and decision making to infant feeding and sleep deprivation
empathy, listening and life coaching skills to help you overcome challenges
an enormous network of independent birth, baby & postpartum professionals who I refer to and work alongside
Investing in my support as your doula gives you unparalleled personal access to all of these skills; it’s this which accounts for the positive benefits that I bring to my families experiences when I doula for them.
The problem is not all families can either afford that level of 1-2-1 care or want someone in their space (be that virtual or in-person), which is absolutely fine. But as far as I am concerned, that shouldn’t mean they then don’t get access to the support they need.
How I doula differently…
While all doulas make birth better, we have a different angle. Some specialise in homebirths or caesareans, others with freebirth or with the LGBTQI+ community.
Me? Well I’m what I like to call a mainstream doula: my specialism is working with families who’d class themselves as just… well… normal.
I don’t mean ‘normal’ to come across in any critical or derogatory sense to anyone. I mean it purely to define the group of people I tend to work with - families who fit into that ‘majority mass’ of individuals who live life and are navigating birth in a very conventionally normal way…
they are engaging with the NHS & plan an NHS supported birth
they have grown up seeing birth as an event that takes place with medical support and usually within a medical setting
they live in conventional houses, in conventional places and fill their lives with generally conventional activities.
I am drawn to support this demographic not just because this is the category I’d put myself in, but because of what’s considered ‘normal’ within birth right now.
The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit has just released their report into how ‘normal’ medical intervention is for births in Britain now, with over half of births following routes which we know are more likely to lead to negative experiences. The BBC said it themselves: ‘Poor maternity tolerated as normal, inquiry says’.
While there are plenty doulas out there who support more alternative routes through birth, I am on a mission to support those within the normal pathways to achieve a positive birth on their terms.
But the thing about the mainstream is this: very rarely do we (and I include myself within that pronoun!) look or even know what’s outside of that box. We value the typical, the usual, the trends.
Doulas are generally unknown within the mainstream birth community; I know this because I spend an enormous amount of my time explaining what it is that I actually do to the people I meet in my day-to-day mainstream life.
And this makes it very challenging to make a difference to the mainstream pregnancy and postpartum community in Cornwall…
Birth trauma exists in Cornwall.
Pregnancy anxiety, postnatal depression and other perinatal mental health issues exist in Cornwall.
Unnecessary stresses and strains on new parents exist in Cornwall.
As a doula I can help to ease ALL of this. I can also help to ease it on a mass scale, outside of the 1-2-1 support that specific doula clients receive, in a community or group setting.
BUT I can only give the support they need, if the pregnant and postpartum folk of Cornwall know who I am and how to find me.
PLUS they’ll only approach me if it’s a route that seems known and friendly and … well… normal.
So… that’s exactly what my form of doula-ing is. Normal.
What does my ‘normal’ community doula support look like?
Take a look at the navigation bar at the top of this website and you’ll see loads of ‘normal’ ways to get access to my pregnancy, birth and postpartum support in Cornwall.
The Bump Club
What is it?
A monthly Saturday meet-up at ‘The Buttermarket’ in Redruth for pregnant folk & their partners. Drink delicious drinks, snack on foods that make you feel good and have a good chat with people who know what it’s like to be you (and who also like this level of normal too).
How normal is it?
I’m not sure that it gets much more mainstream than going to somewhere cool for a coffee, a slice of cake and a chilled chat on a Saturday morning.
What do I get out of it?
Other than the coffee, cake and chat with the potential to meet some future friends? Well, you get the chance to meet me and pick my brain. In the 90 min I’m there, you can ask me anything you like about pregnancy, birth, baby-care and postpartum.
Birth Space
What is it?
A membership collective for Cornwall’s pregnant and postpartum families, giving them quick & easy access to the information, support and communities that make the birth and baby adventure better.
How normal is it?
The concept of signing up to a community that gives you what you want and need is very normal. 80% of the UK’s adult consumer population belong to a membership programme of some sort, which is a huge majority and therefore makes it super normal.
What do I get out of it?
Absolutely loads. From £5.99 per month, Birth Space members get access to birth stories, birth planning resources & knowledge, expert clinics and community features that just don’t exist anywhere else in Cornwall. As I’ve created or collated all of them, you know that this is doula support in it’s most accessible, affordable & instant form.
The Nest
What is it?
It’s a weekly parent & baby group that gives you both the TLC you deserve. No loud music, no jazz hands, no cliques: just the time and space to play, chat, giggle and gurgle with people that get what it’s like to be you.
How normal is it?
Very normal. New parents have been coming together to share their experiences and socialise since the dawn of time. It’s part of our DNA. What makes ‘The Nest’ different though is that there’s no theme here other than existence. While there are toys and entertainment for your little one, they’re quiet and explorative, meaning the focus stays on giving you the opportunity to actually talk and connect with people.
What do I get out of it?
90 minutes of ‘down time’ where you can breathe, talk, vent, question and exist as you are in the company of others who are so pleased to meet you too. Again you also get access to me, and can use the time to pick my brain and get the insights of the others in the room to help you navigate any challenges.
I am a doula. My mission is to make birth and baby adventures better, and I can assure you that there’s nothing hippy, alternative or remotely scary about any part of what I do.
The knowledge I carry, the insights I have and the skills I use with my clients - be they 1-2-1 support or part of a community offering may be unknown to you but that’s because birth and baby-rearing has fallen out of common vision. It’s not a journey we see in the flesh all of the time. But that doesn’t make it weird.
Trust me when I say that pregnancy, birth and postpartum adventures are totally normal & feeling supported through that journey should be too. Want to talk more about how I can help with that? Ping me an email and we’ll start the conversation that could change everything…
