LISA HARRIS – Merton, Kingston, Wandsworth, Sutton, Central London

About Me

Hello, I’m Lisa. Welcome to my Doula UK profile. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I would love to support you through the transition that every newborn baby brings. Read below to find out more about me – it’s essential that you find a doula who feels a good fit for you. You can also discover lots more on my website, social media channels and via my podcast “My Positive Birth”. I look forward to talking to you via one of my free introductory meetings.

Why I am a doula:

Before I had my children I was an Occupational Therapist working in the NHS, supporting people to achieve their own personal goals in relation to their health and wellbeing. My specific interest in birth and becoming a parent has grown and grown over the past ten years. First and foremost this is through becoming a mother myself, birthing and raising my own three children.

When I conceived by first baby in 2012, I became conscious of lots of “gaps” surrounding pregnancy, birth and parenting. The most obvious gap is the fact that many women come out the other side and describe their transition to parenthood as difficult and lonely: they simply didn’t have enough of the right support around them at the right time.

This is where a doula comes in and what I am passionate about!

When it comes to birth, the most important things are for the labouring mother to feel safe and confident, trusting her own instincts. This is harder than you might think: you’ve may have never done this before, or you may have had a bad experience last time round, you want to make a choice that goes against “hospital guidelines” and you feel unsupported, or you transfer to hospital and suddenly everything feels different, there are people there you have never met, you are being asked a lot of questions… I can provide a buffer against all these challenges. We will have relaxed antenatal sessions to really nail down YOUR birth preferences, you can contact me any time during your pregnancy, and then when you go into labour I am on hand to support you from whenever you want me to be – giving you the confidence you need to let your body get on with the job it wants to do and birth your baby.

After your baby is born you are likely to discover that whilst you have quite a lot of appointments and medical care when you are pregnant, this all fades away very quickly when you bring them home! Often we live some distance from our family, and our culture is one where we don’t find it easy to ask for or accept help. New parents need non-judgmental support, companionship and reassurance as you build your confidence, along with practical help. I can provide all of this as your postnatal doula.

I come with no agenda other than to support you in your choices as your birth and look after your baby. No-one else involved in your journey is able to do this: for example, midwives will have obligations to the NHS, or family members will bring their own experiences, views and opinions. As your doula, I work for you and my sole interest is helping you work out what you want, and then to achieve those goals.

Read more about my Birth Doula Package (£1200)

Lisa’s Birth Doula Package

Read more about my Postnatal Doula Package (£300)

Lisa’s Postnatal Doula Package

Get to know me better via my podcast on Positive Birth

Listen to the My Positive Birth podcast

Relevant training and experience:

I am a qualified Occupational Therapist with NHS experience.

I have been volunteering at the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology since 2019, working with very senior obstetric consultants on improving communication skills in doctors.

I am a trained Birth Companion for the charity of the same name, providing antenatal, labour and birth and postnatal support to women experiencing inequality and disadvantage.

In 2021 I gained an accredited diploma in Antenatal Education and have been teaching antenatal and postpartum planning courses in the Wimbledon area.

In 2022 I completed a doula education course with Every Birth Matters and I am now well on my way to becoming a fully recognised doula.

I am a qualified Breastfeeding Outpatient Champion with IABLE

I am trained in Biomechanics for Birth by Molly O’Brien.

I am currently completing a course in Birth Debriefing with Mia Scotland

I am also completing a course in Photography Skills for Doulas – I love to capture your amazing journey for you if you choose this as part of my service (no additional charge).

Testimonials:

“I cannot thank you enough, Lisa. Our birth experience would have been the same without you. You helped me advocate where I needed to get the resources I needed, and you me cope and helped fortify B. You were an absolutely indispensable part of our team, and we will remember you with so much fondness for playing such an important role in the birth of our son. “

— S & B

“I would not hesitate to recommend Lisa to anyone! She totally went above and beyond and made me feel less anxious and ensured I had plenty of information going forward. “

— Emma

“We couldn’t have asked for better advice or support from Lisa… so helpful and informative. Thank you Lisa”

– Lauren