Hi, I'm Fiona My journey to becoming a birth helper started when I attended the home birth of a close friend as her birth partner -  a life-changing experience which I feel deeply honoured to have shared. I live in Stansted in Essex and started out as a doula in Herne Hill in South East London. I am a mother to two grown-up children; and the grandmother of three: twin boys and a girl. Since I have become a doula my experiences have ranged from almost completely "physiological" (natural) births at my client's home or  in a midwife-lead birthing centre; to supporting a mother through an emergency cesarean section. I have attended both singleton and twin births and supported parents in a number of hospitals across London and Essex. Birth Doula.I believe that all women have the right to feel safe and cared for throughout the the birth of their babies, but this is all too often lacking  - whether due to lack of a close community; constraints on time and resources in the health care system; or other factors. We are all different, and births can take many paths, but being properly supported will help you to have the best birth possible. As your doula my commitment to you will be:

• to be there for you; and also for your partner if they are involved
• to support your choices in the kind of labour you want
• to provide the kind of support you want during your labour and in the  hours  after the birth
• to be a source of information  to help you make informed decisions before and during labour
• to visit you after the birth to talk through the labour and - if you would like - to give you a restorative massage

Post natal doula Each baby is unique; each mother is unique; and each family is unique. It is very hard to be fully prepared for life after the birth of a child - whether its a first baby; or you already have other children. My experience as a mother myself and also through my friendships and other contacts with many mothers, as well as through my experience as a doula, is that it is during the first few weeks of  parenthood that mothers are often most in need of support and  nurturing themselves. This care can take many forms.  As your post -natal doula I would be delighted to provide the kind of support you want. For example:

• provide support in your infant feeding choices
• be someone you can talk to in complete confidence
• help you "de-brief" your birth experience
• give you  breaks in caring for your baby so that you can, for example, have a bath, take a nap, or read a story to another child
• help with the care of other children, do a bit of washing up or run the hoover round or prepare a meal for you and/or your family
• sign-post you to useful sources of information
• link you with other individuals and groups who can support you