Clare S. McCarthy

About Me

My involvement in maternity care and wellbeing  is inspired by a belief in: informed choice, choice of place of birth and access to continuity-of carer for all women. I believe that every pregnant woman should be respected, heard and listened to, in a woman’s freedom and right to birth in a safe, respectful and non-invasive environment and to be offered and able to make choices. I work as a doula because having continuity of carer during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal phase can bring huge benefits (Sandall et al 2015). Knowing a person who will be at your birth, beside your partner, can make an enormous difference to the wellbeing of a mother, her baby, her partner and the wider family. I am passionate about women’s voices being heard, especially during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal months and forever! I am interested in each woman’s individual experience of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period and as a doula I am an advocate for women during this everyday-miraculous and life changing journey.

The findings in the Birthrights “Dignity Survey” (2013) unequivocally show that the manner in which women are treated underpins the type of birth experience women have, no matter what type of birth. I know that dignity, respect and compassion is crucial in all maternity care. My philosophy is that  pregnancy, labour, birth and the post-natal period is a unique journey for each woman. Whatever  pregnancy, birth, postnatal and breastfeeding experience you have, it is your own life changing journey and must be honoured and respected.

For me, being a doula means travelling alongside you and your partner during this journey and being there when asked to be. I am inspired and passionate about working with women who choose home birth or birth on a midwifery-led unit. I also have experience of more complex needs and hospital birth in a labour ward.

I feel very strongly about the six weeks after giving birth – it is an extraordinary, intense and never to be forgotten phase of our lives. My own experience off the highs, lows and in-betweens of this time encouraged me to read and explore different cultural perspectives on the postnatal weeks. It is a time of immense change and transition, physically, emotionally and spiritually, and all the accompanying emotions, hormones and breastfeeding can add to the potential feeling of overwhelm and rollercoaster moments. It is so helpful to receive care and attention during this time,  a reminder for you and your partner to be gentle with yourselves, to trust and go with the flow of your emotions, to share fears and anxieties,  that rest is crucial, that boundaries for visitors are important and that this is a time in your life when you and your baby come first, followed by your partner….everyone else can wait!

My Background I have a degree in Social Anthropology (Edinburgh University), including 6 months fieldwork, which I spent in a small village in rural Malaysia. I studied the traditions and rituals of pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, which kindled my interest in maternity care systems and how both medical and more traditional belief systems interact to support physical and psychological health and wellbeing. I trained as a doula in 2004, with Michel Odent and Lilliana Lammers and worked as a doula for 5 years before deciding to train as a midwife. I qualified as a midwife in 2014 (BSc Kings University, London). During my training I spent time in a homebirth and mental health team, where mental health was at the forefront of all interactions with women and their partners. I completed my preceptorship year and worked in London. At present I am returning to  work as a doula so that so that I can work more humane hours, offer more continuity of care and to dip back into the vast array of knowledge that doula’s possess and also so that I can see my children more! I am  a breastfeeding peer counsellor and have worked  at the Southwark breastfeeding cafe in Peckham Library. I studied movement and dance (Trinity Laban, 1990) and am a 5Rhythms teacher; I trained with Gabrielle Roth, the founder of 5Rhythms movement practice 25 years ago and have been teaching and using this simple movement practice because I love it and it  informs my work in birth education. I  have four children, all born at home.   .