Aryna Krestova – Russian speaking London / West Midlands Birth doula

About Me

I moved to the UK  in August 2004 and worked as a care support worker with highly dependant patients. Originally, I am from  the Republic of Belarus, Grodno, where I worked as a dentist therapist. My journey to become a doula was very personal. My first daughter was born in 1999 at home, it was an amazing and orgasmic water birth. In 2015 my second daughter entered this world in a hospital. The difference in experience, the lack of support I received in the hospital, inspired me to study to become a doula. I’m grateful to my daughter as my experience with her birth opened my eyes to what a beautiful experience giving birth can be, and how women need to be supported to enjoy the amazing experience of bringing their children into this world. I learned as much as I could about doula’s profession and found an amazing and inspiring experienced doula to be my mentor. Meanwhile I gained a lot of practical experience working as a birthing doula for nearly two years, and then went through the doula recognition process with Doula UK. Over these years I have supported couples and single mothers with natural home water births, with vaginal births in labour wards and birth centres and with v-bac, during emergency and planned c-section births. I believe that the knowledge of birth belongs to everyone and education can prevent a birth trauma. I run a free group ‘a breakfast with a doula’ where I meet prospective mothers and answer any questions  they may have, helping them to make a choice that would be right for them personally. I am trained in rebozo techniques, and believe in the power of rebozo, which gives comfort and support to pregnant and labouring women. I believe that respect, kindness and empathy are great tools to use in any opportunity of life, and first and foremost, I listen empathetically to every woman I work with to support her in a way she needs. We are all different and similar in a way we give birth, and I strongly believe that every woman needs care and support, no matter where she is from. What an honor it is for me to be there for the mothers  at this most vulnerable and yet powerful and impactful time of their lives. To expand and update my skills I have attended the following courses and workshops: 2016 – I completed Paramana Doula Course with Liliana Lammers and Michele Odent 2017 – birth preparation and vocalizing workshop with Yulia Postnova & Dmitriy Fokin 2018 – I had 150 hours Breastfeeding Consultant Course/ breastfeeding.org.ua 2018 –  24 hours Closing the bones with Rebozo techniques workshop with NatiDoula 2018 – 40 hours Birthwork workshop with Fiona Hallinan & Jenny Blyth 2019 – Waterbirth International Online Course with Barbara Harper 2019 – 82 hours Psychoterapy for perinatal period 2019 – 24 hours Foundation Rebozo Training with Angelina Martinez Miranda 2019 – hypnobirthing course with Anastasia Ivanova 2019 – 14 hours Spinning babies Foundation workshop 2019 – 7 hours Spinning babies Breech basics and Resolving Shoulder Dystocia