Anna Haig

About Me

My name is Anna Haig and I am a Recognised Birth Doula and Postnatal Doula, 3 Step Rewind Practitioner and a Birth Preparation Educator. I’m a mum to two kids, aged 11 and 16, a keen cook and gardener. I aim to support parents to find the information and reassurance that they need. I believe that being informed and in control is empowering. Most importantly, feeling supported emotionally and practically can help enable parents to achieve an enjoyable pregnancy, birth and parenting experience. My own births sparked a desire in me to help make the birth experience better for other women. Whilst being very grateful for our National Health Service, I felt that my antenatal and postnatal care was disjointed and lacked any sense of continuity. In retrospect, I wish that I had found specialist support, sought evidence based research and sometimes asked ‘What are my options’?

Doula Credentials

My path to becoming a Doula has taken me down different routes. After 10 years of working in the NHS, I left to start a Health and Human Sciences Diploma, followed by a year of Midwifery study and practise. I gained invaluable experiences and decided that rather than continue training as a Midwife, my strengths and passion for personalised continuity of care would be better suited to being a Doula. I trained as a KG Hypnobirthing instructor, and then honed my doula skills on a Developing Doulas course with Maddie McMahon and the Paramana doula course with Michel Odent. In addition to this, I have also trained to help parents who have been through a traumatic birth experience, using the TBR 3 Step Rewind Technique. I have experience of supporting birth in homes, birth centres and in consultant led settings. Through water births and caesarean sections, during first time pregnancies, twin births, VBAC’s, drug free births and births with epidural. Through miscarriage, abortion, loss and PTSD. I am particularly passionate about teaching people, about and preserving, normal physiological, undisturbed birth.

I am fully insured, and can provide a current DBS.

Postnatal Doula

As your Postnatal Doula, I can be there on the other side when you bring home a newborn. You may need a gentle guiding hand, or just a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. Often, it’s just a chance to sleep while I hold the baby. There is so much advice and information out there that it’s easy to feel bamboozled, and in a state of exhaustion, sometimes it’s hard to know what’s right for you and your baby. I’ll support and encourage you to trust your own instincts and find your own parenting style, rather than tell you what to do, and if needed, I’ll help you to find further specialist support. Together we’ll work out how many hours and days a week you need and we’ll discuss what kind of support would be the best for you. These sessions often include listening to you tell your birth story, infant feeding support, newborn care, using slings, finding ways of adjusting to parenthood and managing lack of sleep, cooking nutritious meals and minding the baby while you get some much-needed rest. I can even do the dishes, hoover the floors, organise your cupboards or whatever it is that will help you to feel able to relax and nest with your baby.

‘In the first few weeks after birth, it was fantastic to have Anna around us. She gave support in a practical manner. But most importantly, she gave fantastic emotional support’ Do get in touch for an informal chat, to get more information, explore the options for working together and to see if we are a good match. 

Birth Doula

During our antenatal sessions we will be exploring hopes and fears of birth/parenthood, preparation of birth and postnatal plans, learning about birth physiology and labour process, coping strategies, breathing and visualisation/hypnobirthing techniques, preparing for a newborn in the home – including sleeping and learning about breastfeeding and other methods of infant feeding. I can accompany you to appointments and help you to navigate the maternity system. If needed, we can work on previous trauma so that you can go into your birth feeling positive. Unlimited phone/email/messaging contact, on call from 38 weeks before your baby is born, continuous support through labour and birth (whether at home or/and in hospital), immediate postnatal support to ensure your wellbeing and assist with establishing feeding. I’ll make 6 hours of postnatal visits  – these can be used for debriefing the birth, breastfeeding support and other methods of infant feeding, newborn care including understanding baby sleep, transitioning into parenthood and practical support in the home (including light housework and cooking nutritious meals). Email, messaging and phone support up to 6 weeks post birth.

*I also offer smaller packages and birth preparation/postnatal preparation sessions only.

*I also can put together a bespoke package, we just need to talk about what you need.

‘Anna was invaluable during labour, both for me and my husband’

Do get in touch for an informal chat, to get more information, explore the options for working together and to see if we are a good match. 

Testimonials

‘Anna was an amazing Doula! She was with me every step of the way through my 36 hour labour. And her prenatal and postnatal support were phenomenal, especially when my birth didn’t go as planned. She’s kind, funny and made me feel supported, just as if I had a family member with me.’ mum, labour ward assisted birth

‘Anna is absolutely wonderful. She is calm, empathetic and knowledgeable. She has a very quiet way about her but you know that she takes absolutely no prisoners and we felt sure that she’s be confident to diplomatically advocate for us with the hospital staff should we need it’ mum, vbac homebirth

‘Thank you so much for being so amazing throughout Anna, was wonderful for both Joe and I to share such a journey with you and to have your continuing support. I’ve come away with an incredibly positive sense of the whole experience’ mum, caesarean birth

‘In the first few weeks after birth, it was fantastic to have Anna around us. She gave support in a practical manner. But most importantly, she gave fantastic emotional support. We were lucky to have such a skilled, compassionate person to help guide us with our firstborn’ mum, postnatal

‘Anna was great in helping me feel prepared and confident about my choice for a home birth. She helped me draw up my birth plan and supported me through any correspondence with the hospital. She made sure we did a test run of the birth pool together, and did any trouble shooting well in advance of my due date’ mum, homebirth

‘Anna was absolutely fantastic support. During the home visits beforehand I got to ask her everything under the sun. It was like having an expert parent helping us the whole way, without telling us what to do but guiding us through it all with great knowledge. When the action began, Anna was cool as a cucumber. I called her at every stage of the early labour when I felt I didn’t know what I was doing. When my wife’s water broke, Anna picked us up and helped get us in a taxi (not an easy task with someone in labour). Once at the hospital she was fantastic, helping with whatever I needed, helping me find the maternity ward, holding hands, massaging and being generally great. Anna made the whole experience easy, without any stress. After care was superb too. Her extensive network helped us with a lactation consultant, and she continued to be in touch to help support us with any questions or worries we had in the weeks afterwards’ dad, birth centre birth

‘Anna was invaluable during labour, both for me and my husband. She helped guide me through a particularly tricky period when the gas and air ran out! She provided massage when necessary and was able to take photos during the labour. It was great for my husband to have Anna for support, especially when things didn’t go to plan in the end!’ mum, caesarean birth

‘Anna is warm, intelligent and knowledgeable about birth. She remained impartial when it came to my birth wishes, always allowing me to to come to my own decisions about every aspect of my birth plan, and only gently offering advice if I asked for her opinion’ mum, birth centre water birth

‘Both my husband and I felt completely at ease in Anna’s company from the get go and I always felt comfortable contacting her to ask questions etc. To top it all off she has a great sense of humour which certainly helped us throughout!’ mum, labour ward assisted birth

‘Anna was wonderful to work with, at every stage. She helped my husband and I discuss and decide our birth preferences together, without any agenda of her own. Natural childbirth, water birth, epidural – whatever worked for us. And when my plan changed during labour she was every happy with that too! A real ally at every stage of the process, and our advocate in the hospital, Anna made the whole process as stress-free as possible. We were so happy we found her’ mum, birth centre birth

Qualifications & Training

Paediatric and Adult Basic Life support,2023.

Biomechanics for Birth with Molly O’Brien, 2021

Mindful Rebozo and Postnatal Recovery Massage, 2019.

Traumatic Birth Recovery 3 Step Rewind practitioner training, 2019.

Breastfeeding Case Studies Workshop, 2019

Safeguarding Adults and Children, 2019.

Kicki Hansard’s Birth Bliss Academy Antenatal and Birth Preparation Workshop, 2018.

Paramana doula course with Michel Odent, 2018.

Developing Doulas with Maddie McMahon, 2018.

Paediatric Physiotherapy Technician at Homerton Hospital, 2016 – 2019.

Midwifery BSc (first year), 2016.

KG Hypnobirthing Teacher Training, 2016.

Diploma in Health and Human Sciences, 2015.

Physiotherapy Technician at University College London Hospital, 2010 – 2014.