Practical and emotional support, with my heart nurturing yours.

Pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent can be one of the most beautiful, life-changing experiences you’ll ever go through. It can also feel overwhelming, emotional and at times uncertain. My role is to walk alongside you during this journey, offering gentle support, reassurance and a safe space where you can feel truly heard and cared for.

As a mum to two wonderful children, I understand just how much changes when you welcome a baby into your life. Since becoming a mother over 11 years ago, I have felt deeply drawn to birth, babies and supporting women as they transition into motherhood. There is something incredibly special about being welcomed into such an important chapter of a family’s story, and it is a privilege I never take for granted.

Whether you’re planning a home birth, hospital birth or caesarean birth, I will support you with warmth, compassion and without judgement. Every family is unique, and every birth story deserves to be approached with kindness, respect and care.

Supporting You, and Those You Love

One thing I always like families to know is that I am not there to replace your partner. In fact, quite the opposite.

Birth is a shared experience, and my role is to support both of you. While I nurture and support you through pregnancy, labour and postpartum, I also help partners feel included, informed and confident in how they can support you.

Having a doula means your partner doesn’t have to carry the weight of remembering everything, knowing what to do next or feeling responsible for supporting you alone. Instead, they can focus on what matters most — being present with you and welcoming your baby into the world.

Together, we create a supportive team around you, ensuring you both feel cared for and reassured throughout the experience.

A Gentle and Nurturing Presence

I’m often told I wear my heart on my sleeve, and if I’m honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Kindness, empathy and genuine love for supporting others are at the centre of everything I do. I believe that feeling safe, cared for and listened to can make a huge difference during pregnancy, birth and those precious early days with your baby.

I take time to build meaningful relationships with the families I support. I want you to feel comfortable reaching out with your questions, your worries, your hopes and your dreams. Whether you need information, reassurance, encouragement or simply someone to listen, I will be there for you.

Preparing for Your Birth

I believe that knowledge and preparation can help bring a sense of calm and confidence to your birth journey.

During our antenatal sessions together, we’ll explore your options, talk through your wishes and prepare for the many different paths birth can take. My aim isn’t to tell you what your birth should look like, but to help you feel informed, supported and able to make decisions that feel right for you and your family.

I will always advocate for your wishes and help create an environment where your voice is heard and respected.

Holding You Through the Postpartum Period

My support continues long after your baby arrives.

The postpartum period can be incredibly beautiful, but it can also be a time of huge adjustment. As your postnatal doula, my focus is on caring for you as you care for your baby.

Whether you need support for a few days, a few weeks or a little longer, I will be there to nurture you through this transition. That may look like preparing nourishing meals, supporting your feeding journey, helping with older siblings, listening as you process your birth experience or simply encouraging you to rest while someone cares for you for a change.

So often, mothers are expected to do it all. I believe you deserve support too.

My hope is that you feel held, cared for and confident as you settle into life with your baby.

Feeding Support

Supporting families with infant feeding is something I am incredibly passionate about.

As a qualified Infant Feeding Peer Supporter and Mindful Breastfeeding Practitioner, I offer gentle, evidence-based support while recognising that feeding is about so much more than nutrition alone. It is also about confidence, connection and emotional wellbeing.

Every feeding journey is different, and I will support you without judgement, wherever your path may lead.

Alongside my doula work, I volunteer at a local infant feeding café, where I have the privilege of supporting families through the ups and downs of feeding. Seeing a parent leave feeling more confident, reassured and empowered is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Always Learning, Always Growing

I am passionate about continuing my education so I can offer the very best support to the families I work with.

Alongside my breastfeeding qualifications, I have recently trained in postpartum closing ceremonies. This beautiful nurturing ritual offers mothers an opportunity to feel honoured and cared for after birth, creating space for reflection, healing and gentle closure as they move into the next chapter of motherhood.

A Little More About Me

Before becoming a doula, I worked as a newborn and family photographer.

I’ve always been drawn to preserving memories and capturing the beauty in everyday moments. Over time, I realised that while photographs tell an important story, I wanted to be part of supporting families as those stories unfolded.

My love of photography remains, and if you would like me to, I am always happy to quietly capture some of those precious moments along the way.

Today, thanks to my training with Developing Doulas and The Mindful Breastfeeding School, I feel honoured to support families through one of the most important journeys of their lives.

My promise to you is simple: I will show up with kindness, compassion and an open heart. I will hold space for you, support you and walk alongside you, wherever your journey may lead.

If you’d like to find out more, I’d love to have a chat. Finding the right doula is such a personal decision, and it’s important that you find someone who feels like the right fit for you and your family.

With love

Donella x

TESTIMONIALS

“Donella is calm caring and down to earth. I believe she truly is in the right career and I can tell that being a doula is much more than just a job for her, she is genuinely interested and cares about the women she represents. If I was to ever have a 3rd child I would not hesitate to have Donella by my side again. I achieved a beautiful healing home birth which was made possible with the help of Donella. I can not thank her enough.”