Hazel Acland Tree

About Me

Hello & welcome. I’m here to support you, and your family, to have the most positive birth experience possible. My doula support is personalised to you, tailored to fit your situation by being flexible and continuous.

I am happy supporting births at home, in hospital, in a birthing centre or anywhere really! Working alongside NHS maternity providers (but privately employed by you) I offer continuous care from start to finish.  I have many years experience supporting birth including water-birth, hypnobirth, preparing for gentle caesarean birth, starting to work as a doula in 2008 in Guatemala.

My standard birth package includes x3 antenatal visits, so we get to know each other really well, debrief past experiences and create the birth vision. Then full labour & birth support up to the point where you and your new baby are settled, usually 1 or 2 hours after birth. Then x2 postnatal sessions to support you as a new parent with feeding, baby care, some practical help and also to talk through the birth experience in detail.

As every birthing person and their situation is different so each birth is different, and I believe all people deserve a doula. I am happy to support LGBT+ families.

I live in Broadclyst near Exeter, Devon with my husband Dominic and son. I have been a birth supporter since 2008 when friends began to ask me to accompany then during their birth. I moved on to take a nine month training course with Birthing Wisdom in 2011 as doula and childbirth educator. I also worked with the Children’s Society as a peer breastfeeding supporter in Exmouth for three years and met hundreds of women who whose stories and determination inspired me.

In 2013 I published my first novel, ‘A Doula’s Journey’ as an expression of my passion about the work that doulas do. In 2016 I published a booklet about birth called ‘ A Birth Path – stages & states of consciousness’ which is about the process of labour (both books can be found on Amazon).

I now run a social enterprise called The Nest Southwest CIC that supports women, girls and menstruators through the life stages of menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause. We provide social, emotional and informational support. Find us on Facebook.

Please get in touch to discuss your doula needs

Warm wishes

Hazel

Testimonials:

‘The whole experience of having a woman by my side at birth like Hazel was beautiful, empowering, educational and loving. I would fully recommend Hazel to any woman and would love her to be at the birth of my future children if we lived in the same city. Thank you Hazel, you made what could have been a hard time for me , one of the most memorable and beautiful experiences of my life. Thank you.’ – Renee

‘Hazel was a constant presence of experience that helped us to stay focused during the birth. Her calm and confidence held the space.’ – Taryn