I’m Jo and I live in Astwood Bank, on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border, with my husband, my daughters aged 12 & 10, a miserable cat and and loopy Labrador. 

I've always been drawn to supporting people, and my background is in social care, where I worked as a placement officer in foster care and a support worker for children with both physical and learning disabilities. I studied nutrition at Uni and I'm still a nutrition nerd! I love cooking nourishing food, both at home and for my postnatal clients.

After having my own children, I became interested in all things pregnancy, childbirth and parenting related. I found out about doulas a long time after I’d had both of my children unfortunately, but I thought I would have really benefited from having one. With my own children I had two very different experiences in relation to how I was treated during labour and in recovery, and so I know how important it is to be supported and listened to at this time. This is what I want for all the women and families that I work with – to be listened to, supported in whatever decisions they make and empowered to have the easiest transition into motherhood (whether it’s the for the first or fifth time!) as possible. 

Outside of work I love yoga, cooking & baking (and most importantly eating!), long dog walks in the countryside and lazy Sundays that involve films, a good book and a glass of red! 

Here are a couple of testimonals:

We decided to have a doula to support us with our first pregnancy and we are so glad we did! Jo was a fantastic support before, during and after the birth of our daughter. Jo is a great listener with a fantastic memory and we felt really listened to. Our baby was breech and Jo supported us to make informed choices that were the right choices for our family. She took a person centred approach and made sure she checked in and supported us outside the face to face sessions we had with her. We felt that Jo really 'got us' and our situation. If you're looking for a doula that is friendly, supportive and informed, look no further. Jo is fantastic! 

 Jo came to work with us when I was struggling without family nearby after the birth of our daughter.Jo is like a big sister - she looked after both me and the baby, sharing her experience without being overbearing. Jo got stuck in to help, encouraging me to go for a sleep when I was overtired, bringing me much needed cups of tea while feeding, and even cooking delicious meals for us to eat while she looked after our baby. I felt relaxed knowing she was well cared for while I caught up on rest.Jo was brilliant with zapping our house tidy and even reorganising our baby’s drawers so her clothes were in age order and nicely set out. Jo was always happy to have a chat about anything I was struggling with. Jo is not pushy with advice, she simply listened and shared her own experiences, as well as that of her wider doula community where appropriate. She was a rock in those difficult first weeks and her calm confidence, kindness and practical approach was just what was needed. Thank you Jo!