LISA HARRIS – South West & Central London (based in Wimbledon)

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. I look forward to talking to you via one of my free introductory meetings.

I live in Wimbledon with my husband, three children aged 12, 10 and 8 & tiny Maltese dog. I have volunteered and worked in birth since 2014 and really found my niche as a doula.

Why choose me as your doula?

I know it can be overwhelming reading through a lot of doula profiles, so here are some areas I am particularly passionate about and where my strengths lie:

• My number one priority is supporting you to listen to your instincts as you forge your own pathway in pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Research shows, and my own experiences attests to the fact, that it doesn’t matter so much exactly what happens in your birth: it’s whether you are listened to, respected and clear on your choices. I can help you with this.
• I love teaching about and supporting healthy, spontaneous physiological birth where this is what you are hoping to achieve (if you look up birth statistics for our local hospitals, or talk to friends and family, you may be aware that this does need some planning and preparation).
• I was previously an Occupational Therapist working in the NHS. This means I have an insight into how the wider system works. I am also experienced in reading and interpreting health research and can present you with good quality information if you are trying to weigh up a particular decision in pregnancy and birth. I love doing this!
• I am passionate about postnatal support and offer two follow up visits as part of my standard birth doula package, and unlimited support via WhatsApp or phone. This can be particularly helpful when establishing breastfeeding.
• People often ask me where I sit on the spectrum of doula approaches, and I usually say – somewhere in the middle! Whilst I am not completely “crunchy”, I take a very holistic view of pregnancy and birth, and respect it for the transformative event it is.

A little more about my birth doula package

• From the time of booking I am available for informal support over WhatsApp, phone or email. You can let me know as little or as much as you want about the pregnancy, and the frequency of this contact will be set by you.
• I offer two antenatal sessions at your home. I am a fully trained antenatal educator so can cover a whole range of topics. We often start with a session on how your body is designed to birth your baby, and how birth works. This is information that isn’t anything like as widely available as it should be. And it is the reference point from which all other decisions you make can be based from. I am very much there to support your birth partner as well if you have one, and by the end of the second session we will make sure that we are all totally clear on your birth preferences.
• I go on call 24/7 around the time of your birth and support you as needed when you go into labour. We will go into lots of details in our preparation sessions about this. Once I am with you in person I can provide physical support, emotional support and informational support as needed.  A good birth doula needs to be highly intuitive and able to “read the room” and I am skilled at this.
• I stay with you after the baby is born until you are ready to have time together as a family, and can support with the first breastfeed. As above, I then visit you twice after the baby is born, and I am also able to offer fully flexible postnatal doula support packages to my birth doula clients.
• I provide a TENS machine and birth comb to all clients who want one, and if you are having a homebirth then I am able to provide a birth pool and accessories free of charge.

Final thoughts

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 (£1800)

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 lead educator at The Perinatal Academy and train & support students studying for a diploma in Antenatal Education.

I run a FREE monthly positive birth group in Wimbledon, so do come and join us there: https://www.instagram.com/positivebirthswlondon/

I am a qualified Occupational Therapist with NHS experience.

I have been volunteered with the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 2019-2023, 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 taught antenatal and postpartum planning courses in the Wimbledon area.

In 2022 I completed a doula education course with Every Birth Matters and am a fully recognised birth and doula. I have gained a lot of experience in all types of births since then.

Other relevant training:

• Breastfeeding Outpatient Champion with IABLE
• Biomechanics for Birth by Molly O’Brien.
• Birth Debriefing with Mia Scotland
• Doula Skills with Natalie Meddings
• Yoga & Mindfuless for birth training with Nadia Rafaat
• LGBT+ Competency in Perinatal Care workshop with the Queer Birth Club
• Three-step process for birth trauma with Birthing Awareness
• Supporting All Births & Cultural Competency with Mars Lord
• 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

Having Lisa by our side was a game changer! We felt listened to, supported and understood. Lisa has been extremely responsive and proved to be knowledgeable and reliable. She immediately understood our wishes and needs and did everything to support us before, during and after birth. She helped us navigate the NHS system and made us feel confident with it. We are really grateful for all her help and support and we are going to suggest her service to all our friends!

— A

Lisa is amazing!! Such a calm, empathetic and supportive presence. She took a lot of time to get to know us and our wishes and she spoke up on our behalf when needed. And she was always available via WhatsApp or phone if we needed advice, help or just someone to chat to and it was such a blessing whenever she came over to give us a bit of support and respite.

It was good to have her around during and directly after labour, to help with practical things and she was a calming presence overall. Having Lisa around helped my husband to focus on the birth and my needs. She made sure our birth preferences were taken into account. Lisa was great as she was present and proactively managed things but at the same time made sure to give us and also the midwives space when needed.

Lisa is really someone to lean on and she is so caring and encouraging. She proactively checked in with us throughout the pre- and postnatal time and her words often gave us new hope and comfort when we were at our wits’ end. It always felt like she was totally open and available to help with our questions, worries and concerns. You could tell she really cared about us and our baby and we are so thankful that we could have her as our doula. We loved having Lisa’s support.

— S & P