After an unplanned, rather stressful pregnancy in 2007 I had a brilliant empowering birth with a wonderful doula. Now I am very experienced pregnancy & postnatal yoga teacher and birth doula. In 2009 women attending my pregnancy yoga classes started asking me to attend their births so I qualified as a recognised birth doula with Doula UK in 2010.
Most people hire me because of their own interest in yoga. As your birth doula I offer you the opportunity to practice Kundalini Yoga with me 1-1, or 1-2 if your partner would like to join throughout the remainder of your pregnancy, either in your home, in my studio in SE London or online.
Practiced regularly Kundalini Yoga will help keep you feel calm and centred throughout your pregnancy and will train your body and mind for an empowering birth. I suggest a minimum of six sessions to really get the benefit.
I will teach you all I know about self hypnosis through breath and mind control and conscious relaxtion. To compliment the sessions I use a variety of sound instruments, crystal bowls, gong, chimes, drumming as well as voice and breathwork to take you into a deeply relaxed, liminal space aka the birth zone.
You can read about Suzy Ashworth’s experience in my pregnany classes in the Huffington Post
Firstly please drop me an email to find out if I’m available around the time you’re due. We’ll then arrange an initial consultation, ideally with everyone present who’ll be at the birth. This inial chat is free of charge and can take place over zoom or face to face, wherever is most convenient.
I most usually attend births with people who’ve practiced yoga with me, it’s such a good way to get to know each other and explore your strengths and weaknesses. Ideally I would like to do at least six yoga sessions with you before you give birth, these are part of my doula ‘package’
As your doula we’ll also have additional talking sessions to create your ideal birth scenario. You’ll also have my full support to help you prepare emotionally, mentally and practically for labour and the early days with baby to give you the best chance of having an empowering experience of new motherhood.
Once we’ve spoken face to face and decided to work together. To book me and ring-fence my time – you pay a 50% deposit, and the other 50% is due at 38 weeks when I go on call for you.
I have a ‘birth agreement’ which we’ll both sign so you’ll have crystal clear expectations about my service to you.
I’m not a postnatal doula but I am trained in breastfeeding support and can offer closing of the bones ceremony, herbal yoni steams and beautiful postnatal bath salts.
Perhaps you don’t want a doula to attend to you at your birth but you would like to practice pregnancy yoga with me to prepare you and your partner if you have one for birth or to help you recover postnatally.
In which case I suggest 6 hours in total to explore your birth preferances and learn some really useful coping strategies, over either two -three hour sessions or three – two hour sessions.
No two families are the same, every mother I support has a unique set of circumstances and birth wishes. My care for you as either your doula is non-judgemental. I have worked for women who are very clear they will do whatever the doctors say and are planning to use an epidural to mums who want to do it all by themselves with no pain relief at home.
You’re the boss, it’s your birth, your baby, I am simply there to help clear the path and support you on your journey to meet your baby.
What is most important is getting to know you, your family and your preferences. I want us to feel a deep sense of trust in each other. Through intelligent conversation and deep listening we’ll prepare for your ideal birth scenario, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We’ll talk through all your options and what best steps you can take to give yourself the optimum chance to achieving the birth you want.
I will go above and beyond to make that happen, which is why I only look after one family at a time.
I am not there to rally against sound medical advice, nor will I get in the way of the love and care from your partner if you have one. I will work with everyone present at your birth to create a harmonious and supportive birth team.
Partners often feel nervous about the thought of another person getting in their way of giving their love and support, but Fathers-to-be actually find that having an extra pair of hands, help the birth run more smoothly, meaning they’re more able to give their full presence to their partner during the birth.
Drawing on decades of experience supporting birth is this gem of a book from Brighton based Midwife Alexis Stickland and Doula and Massage Therapist Beccy Hands. In this book I share several powerful and effective practices from Kundalini Yoga to help you cope with stress and pain management. Published by Penguin and available from all good book sellers and Amazon.
Please note, all the images you’ve seen are of previous clients and are used with their permission and may not be reproduced.
