I support women who have realised that they want more than what's on offer from the mainstream NHS maternity services. You're probably here because what you've heard about 'the system' doesn't sit very comfortably with you and you are feeling drawn to something different. The birth of your baby will be the most memorable day of your life & you want to make sure it's memorable for the right reasons. You want & need someone to walk this journey with you: you want a familiar face, someone you trust entirely, an experienced professional & someone who will offer unwavering & unconditional support. I'm here for you.
Why would you want to employ me as your doula?
As a doula, I think the best preparation for parenthood starts during pregnancy & the single most important thing I can do for you, is to listen. Acknowledging that our life experiences can have an impact on our journeys into motherhood, is hugely important and I think that the initial step is to listen to you and give you space to work out whether I am going to be a ‘good fit’ for you – whether I am going to be able to give you the support you are looking for. Continuity of carer is vital & the benefits to a woman's birth experience are well documented. We know that having a doula can make so much difference to a woman during pregnancy, during her labour and birth and also as she settles into motherhood.
The connection between myself & my clients is at the heart of the work I do with woman. I offer unconditional & non judgemental support with the woman I work with and their families. I work independently from the NHS and am not governed by hospital policy, staff or shift patterns whether a woman is choosing to birth in hospital, a birthing unit or at home. I am experienced & confident working alongside midwives & health professionals, whilst also ensuring your wishes are respected. I will make sure you are seen & heard, supporting you in which ever way you want me to.
Whether you’re planning a home birth or a hospital birth, I am here to support you through this most amazing & transformative journey. My hope for you is to have a calm, joyful & as empowering birth experience & transition into motherhood, as is possible.
I can support you during pregnancy & birth, providing steady reassurance, whilst supporting you emotionally & practically during pregnancy, labour & birth. I believe that all women should be loved, nurtured & cherished and that they should be supported to trust their instincts, believe in themselves and to be able to birth with dignity. I will help you access reliable information to guide & help you into making informed choices that are relevant to you and your baby. I will not make decisions for you, but I will work with you so as to ensure you receive the exact kind of help and support that you and your family need – what is important is that you have trust in me to be there for you. I will help you find your power and make sure you can confidently navigate birth, with me at your side.
During labour & birth I will be there to guide you and support you physically (if that’s what you want), whilst acknowledging that sometimes women simply like the reassurance of having someone they trust, quietly supporting & advocating for them, ensuring that their voice is heard. Birth can be unpredictable, but I will have your back – I will support you unconditionally & hold space for you. It is not easy to ensure continuity of care in the maternity system, so this is my offering to you & the support I give you, will compliment the care you receive from your midwives – I will be an addition to your ‘team’.
I can support you postpartum as you adjust to the changes that come I love to provide the support that mothers so need & deserve as they make the beautiful transition into motherhood. ‘Mothering the Mother’ is so important & I aim to take away many of the pressures of daily life, provide emotional support, reassurance and guidance during those early, often very emotional days. I can support you as you find your own rhythm and begin to navigate this amazing journey, settling into a new way of being with you beautiful baby. I can support you by helping you look after your baby, understanding baby & feeding behaviours, by doing a bit of cooking and housework, walking the dog or perhaps helping out with older children. I like to make a plan with you so as to tailor make your postpartum support to your specific needs, so that you feel prepared and organised. I also recognise the importance of listening to you once you have your beautiful baby in arms, and being able to tweak the plans so as to best meet your needs if they change.
A little bit about me…
I live in Tynemouth & I’m a birth and post natal doula working across Tyneside and Northumberland. I've always loved working with families, women, babies & children in my many roles within the NHS ,(I started out as as a children’s nurse many years ago & ended my career as a health visitor), though the truth is, I also always felt a little constrained by the structure and hierarchy in the system & felt frustrated that I wasn’t able to be as creative or think ‘outside the box’ in the care I gave. Pregnancy, birth and the motherhood have been a favourite topic of conversation in our family - my sister and I both had home births, as did our mother, and we now have daughters who are a children’s nurse and a midwife! Having my babies at home was empowering - being supported by women who recognised the importance of physiological birth & enabled me to direct the flow of my own birth was wonderful. After lots of thinking & reflective pondering, I came to the conclusion that becoming a doula would be perfect for me at this stage in my life & so undertook a training course with the wonderful Doula Training Foundation.
My two children are fully fledged, I live with my husband by the sea in Tynemouth. I'm a yogi, love cooking, and am always outdoors – camping features strongly in our lives. And when we're not away, I love nothing more than walking or cycling with my husband in Northumberland and along our beautiful coast where we live. I am a ‘new recipe’ fanatic & an obsessive sourdough maker. Yoga features strongly in my life - I find movement & the power of the mind / body connections incredibly grounding, so wherever I go, my mat goes too. I’m a yoga teacher & qualified as a pregnancy pre & postnatal teacher & love to weave this experience into my doula support.
My passion and desire to support women in their journeys towards motherhood originates in my own positive experiences and I am excited to have finally found my niche, and be the ‘wise women’ who enjoys ‘mothering the mother’. The journey through pregnancy to birth and motherhood truly is a magical time and it’s a real privilege to be bear witness to a woman's transformative experience.
If you think you might like me to support you, your birth partner and family during this exciting time in your life, please do get in touch for a chat – I would love to chat over. cupper 😊
With doula love
Clare x
Ps you can find me on Instagram @themamatotodoula & my website is coming soon...
