Jessica Galloway

About Me

I am a friendly, mum of two working as a Recognised Birth and Post-Natal Doula and an NCT Antenatal and Baby Massage Teacher.  I work in a very non-judgemental and open-minded way. First and foremost I work as a Doula because I am passionate about women’s birthrights. I enjoy supporting women whole-heartedly in their birth decisions however they may vary from home birth, VBAC, epidurals to planned cesarean births. I think it is paramount that women are able to access information and receive encouragement and support at this very special time in their lives and for them to be able to make informed choices. I enjoyed both of my children’s births and would count them as the most positive life experiences I have had. They were not perfect painless births by any means but at all times I felt in control, supported, listened to and respected and I think this made a massive amount of difference to the way in which I view these experiences in such a positive light. I would love all the women that I go on to support as a Doula in their birth choices to feel just as empowered and supported so that hopefully they will view their birth experience just as positively.
Please contact me to see if I am the Doula for you.

Birth Doula
As a Birth Doula I charge £2000 fee per birth, 50% payable at the appointment booking and the remaining 50% paid 2 weeks before the due date. As part of the package in the run up to your birth I can provide you with three antenatal appointments where we will talk through any previous births (if applicable) as well as your thoughts on the forthcoming labour and birth. I can help you outline some of your birth preferences. We can spend time discussing any aspect of the upcoming birth that you would like to focus on and explore the variety of options that are available to you and possibly your partner. I will be available and on call for you 24 hours a day once you reach 38 weeks of your pregnancy. During the four week window of 2 weeks either side of your due date I will be available for your birth.
Once in labour I will be in attendance to give you confidence, support and provide you with information for you to make your decisions, I will be able to communicate on your behalf if you wish between you and any medical staff in attendance and will support your decisions during the birth. I will stay with you after the birth until you feel comfortable. After the birth I will visit you one more time at home so that we may debrief the birth and provide you with further information and point you in the right direction for other kinds of support should you need it.

Post Natal Doula
As a Post Natal Doula, I charge £30 per hour for a minimum of booking me for 15hrs and I am there to help you in any way I can around the house in the following ways.
• hovering;
• laundry;
• errands;
• feeding and walking pets;
• doing grocery shopping;
• preparing some simple meals;
• collecting older children from school;
• discussing anything that you would like further help or information on to do with your baby or yourself;
All this so that you are able to rest and enjoy your new baby

Education

I am currently studying a Masters Degree in Midwifery and I am in my final year. I have been a recognised Birth and Post-Natal Doula since 2017. Prior to this in July 2015 I completed a birth and postnatal course with Nurturing Birth. The course is recognized by Doula UK and is one of the market leaders in terms of providing Doula education. It covered all aspects of the Doula’s role, birth, postnatal care and breastfeeding.
Since July 2016 I also qualified with the National Childbirth Trust to lead Antenatal education courses for parents in the lead up to their baby/babies birth, providing them with the most recent evidenced based information available on birth and newborn baby care so that they can make those important informed choices. I have also lead NCT Baby Massage classes in Putney and Wimbledon.

What clients have said about me:

BIRTH CLIENTS

“I think Jess’ knowledge re pregnancy and labour were excellent”.

“What I liked most about Jess was her calm, kind, open-minded and non-judgemental attitude in an area where every decision made seems to be “judged” by many.  I went into pregnancy with a lot of anxiety about labour and was keen on a C-section.  Jess respected my wishes and ensured I was well informed about all types of birth plans and the type of support she could provide for whatever I choose.  She never made me feel silly when I expressed my anxiety nor did she judge me when I told her I wanted a C-section.  In the end I actually had a natural birth without pain killers but at least I felt that I reached that point on my own without pressure from anyone and I knew I had my doula’s support regardless of the birth plan.

Jess was also very flexible and available. I never felt like I was bothering her with my pregnancy questions and she was always patient with me and very positive”.

“Jess helped us by providing informational antenatal sessions with lots of material, as well as showing us how to practice different labour positions and massages.  Jess also went out of her way to ensure she understood the hypnobirthing “techniques” which we were practicing (as we were attending hypnobirthing sessions) and she even attended one of the hypnobirthing sessions with us.  Jess was always available to address any questions or concerns I had throughout my pregnancy, especially during my final weeks when I had lots of labour-related symptoms!

During labour Jess came over for the hours leading up to the hospital to help with the hypnobirthing- related techniques and “roles” which we had practiced and planned.  She helped with the massages and timing the contractions until it was time to go to the hospital. She stayed by my side during the entire labour and never took a break. She provided comfort at a time when I was in a lot of pain and needed the extra support.  She answered the questions the midwife had related to the vitamin K and episiotomy.

Immediately after labour Jess stayed by my side while I had my stitches (which was just as bad as labour for me!)”.

“We hired a doula for emotional support, to help navigate the NHS system during the birth and also to have someone to reach out to other than the GP or midwife whenever we had questions. Jess fulfilled all of these brilliantly. There was a point in the hospital where we felt the staff weren’t really listening to us. The baby was pushing to be out much sooner than the midwives were expecting but they kept refusing to admit us into labour ward on the basis you were only expected to dilate an average of 1cm per hour. I went from 3cm to fully dilated within 3 hours and if it wasn’t for Jess, I might have had to give birth in the antenatal ward! Thankfully, this did not happen. Not only was Jess great at speaking for me when I wasn’t able to coherently communicate with the hospital staff, she was also amazing at soothing me through contractions and coaching me through the birth. In addition, my husband felt she was fantastic support and guidance for him throughout the day. We really can’t thank her enough for being with us for our daughter’s birth.

“We made the decision to have a doula for the birth of our first child because we both felt that the extra support would help us feel more comfortable in any unexpected situations.

POSTNATAL CLIENTS

“Jess was lovely to chat to about any worries or concerns I had about my baby or toddler. She provided reassurance that I was doing a great job. Reassurance that I was indeed meeting the needs of my toddler and baby despite feeling like I needed to split myself in two. Reassurance and support about how I was dealing with my toddlers nap time (as he was refusing to nap), instead of telling me how she thought I should do it she was supportive about what I was doing and how I was moving forward with it. She was great at explaining the stage my newborn was at and what to expect next e.g with feeding.”

“Lovely personality, a pleasure to have in the home, makes you feel energised.”

“Proactive, willing to help out with whatever she can and will go above and beyond. Happy to help with my toddler and straight away built a brilliant rapport with him. Creative about games to play with him. Supported me with everything I wanted and more. Totally trustworthy and capable.”

“My partner James says Jess was great at giving my wife some rest and reassurance. Was good to have someone positive and trustworthy in the house during vulnerable time. In hindsight we would like her to have come for longer hours during the first month particularly the first two weeks.”