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Birth (Recognised since December 2021)
Lives in: London N4 1
Local info and availability:
Haringey, Harringay, Hackney, Islington, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Walthamstow, Leyton, Camden
Other services:
Hypnobirthing Courses,
Practical Birth Preparation Workshops,
Active Birth,
Biomechanics in Birth,
Pregnancy Yoga,
Postnatal Yoga,
New Parent Support Groups
How to contact Carly :
Use the Contact form below or:
http://www.bestbirthcompany.com
carly@bestbirthcompany.com
07985277315
About Me
Hello, I’m Carly; welcome to my page. I live in North London with my husband, three young children and two cats.
I am passionate about childbirth, and for the past eight years, I’ve studied it, read about it, watched it, and done it three times! When I’m not looking after my kids, I’m thinking about birth and how I can improve it for other people.
My ‘calling’ to birth work started with training as Breastfeeding Peer Support, and I then trained as an Active Birth Practitioner, an Antenatal Educator, and Doula. Following this, I qualified as a Pregnancy and Postnatal yoga teacher. In 2018 I trained as a Hypnobirthing teacher, and more recently, I studied Biomechanics in birth. In 2022 I start my Three Step Rewind training to help parents who have had a traumatic birth experience. I incorporate all of my training into my work as a doula.
I am fiercely protective of the people who ask me to be their Doula. I will advocate for you, ensure you understand your birthrights and options, and that, most importantly, your voice will be the one heard above all else.
During pregnancy, I will meet with you and your birth partner, get to know each other and find out your hopes and wishes for your labour. We’ll create a birth plan, and I will debrief any previous birth experiences, removing any emotional blockages that may otherwise affect your labour.
I also spend time practising birth positions and breathing techniques with you in your home.
As well as providing emotional and physical support during your labour, I also aim to maintain a peaceful, relaxed environment and ensure your birth preferences. Most importantly, I remain calm if things don’t go to plan and support you and your partner throughout the process.
I don’t take over a partner’s role but complement it. In my experience, partners welcome the extra support and feel more relaxed and confident after watching me with their loved ones.
I’ll also visit you post-birth to debrief and to provide breastfeeding support if it is needed.
I don’t believe in striving for a particular type of birth. Birth, like parenthood, is unpredictable, so I encourage birthing people to think about all eventualities. Ultimately I want to help you birth with confidence and feel positive about your labour, however your baby is born.
Please find me on Instagram, where I offer loads of free birth tips and info https://www.instagram.com/bestbirthcompany/
FEEDBACK
“Choosing to have some extra support during the birth of my second child was the best decision we made throughout the process.
Getting pregnant during the pandemic meant I spent a lot of my early pregnancy worrying about the labour. I had had a very calm and relaxed first birth and really wanted to replicate that as much as possible with my second, but as the weeks and months went by I felt more and more anxious, so my husband suggested getting a doula and we found Carly who lived really near us.
Even from the first meeting with Carly she put my mind at rest and helped me work out what it was that was making me anxious and from that point on we had regular contact; she answered any of my questions during the run-up to the labour.
Carly supported all of my choices and was there just to facilitate what my husband and I wanted. She had so much knowledge and a very holistic approach to birth. She guided us with decision-making with no pressure or agenda.
Sadly I didn’t get the home birth I was hoping for and ended up in the labour ward with a grumpy midwife. This could have been a really difficult situation to handle, but because we had Carly there to support us, we managed to make a fairly medicalised birth feel like a calm and happy natural one. She helped me navigate decisions within the room and because she knew what I really wanted, she was able to fight my corner when I became unable to say how I wanted things done.
I walked out of the hospital having only had my waters broken to help the birth come quicker and I know this was because of Carly, if she hadn’t been there I would have been fully induced, which I really wanted to avoid! We have a happy and healthy little girl and I had an incredibly quick recovery. We are so indebted to Carly for helping us.
I would suggest to anyone who is thinking about it, do it, it made all the difference and gave me the confidence I needed!” PAULA & NIGEL
“Working with Carly for the birth of our first child was one of the best decisions and investments on our journey to parenthood.
We met with a few different doulas before meeting Carly and it was clear from the start that Carly’s warm nature, professional and personal experiences, and crystal-clear communications were exactly what we were looking for.
The pre-birth sessions with Carly were very practical and informative, which helped settle our minds. She came armed with useful knowledge, tips and even a template that we used for our birth plan.
When we went into labour it was great to have Carly at the end of the phone to discuss and provide guidance on breathing and pain management strategies.
Carly was right there by our side when we had to leave for the hospital, providing a reassuring voice and an extra pair of hands to help with things like navigating the taxi and helping with our hospital bags.
Once we were admitted, Carly’s presence as our birth partner was truly invaluable. Words really can’t express how much Carly helped us manage the labour highs and lows! She was brilliant as our birth advocate and helped us cope with the labour pains in the birthing pool – even providing a sturdy hand to hold.
When things didn’t go quite as planned in the birthing centre, Carly kept us calm and provided continuity of support in the labour ward. When we were finally able to go home with our newborn daughter, Carly was right there, helping to debrief on the birth and to provide fantastic advice on sleeping and breastfeeding.
Carly brought a sensitive, calming and practical presence to our birthing journey and her experience – both professionally as a doula and personally as a mother of three – was clear from the start of our work together. We felt calm and more knowledgeable, which was helpful for both of us but for Dom, in particular. We would highly recommend Carly to anyone looking for a birth doula.” JULES, DOM & LITTLE LULU
“Carly was our doula for the birth of our first baby, Olive. We were planning a homebirth and knew we wanted a doula to support us, but we had trouble finding someone who felt right. Inviting someone to share this most intimate and personal moment is a hard decision, but when I met Carly through her antenatal yoga I knew she’d be the doula for us! Her online yoga classes became a real lifeline during the long days of lockdown, giving me time to reconnect with my baby, body and breathing. It was a great way to escape the madness and meet other expectant mummas.
Carly was an incredible support for us in the lead up to and during the birth.
In our antenatal sessions, Carly talked us through what we could expect, described the changes that my body and baby would go through during labour and got us to act out different labour and birth positions (She even tolerated it when we got the giggles during breathing practice). In the weeks leading up to the birth, Carly was also always on hand if I needed to talk and made helpful suggestions to help overcome any fears or challenges.
On the day itself, Carly was such amazing support for both me and my husband. I think labour could be overwhelming for two first time parents, but Carly’s calm reassurance and practical support gave us the confidence and peace of mind to stay at home. She set up the birth pool single-handed. She reassured us while we waited for the midwives to arrive. But for me, it was the little things that Carly did that made the biggest difference: rolling a soft towel up to rest my knees on in the bath and take the pressure off; placing my positive affirmations in my eye line so I could see them when I looked up between contractions; pouring warm water over my back and a cooling flannel on my face. Each was so intuitive and exactly what I needed at that moment in my labour.
We can never thank Carly enough for helping us bring our beautiful daughter into the world and ensuring our birth experience was a positive one. We would recommend her 1000 times over! JO, ALEX & OLIVE
Please check out my website for further testimonials.
