Lucile Toussaert (she/her)

About Me

Hi, my name is Lucile (she/her). I am a mentored birth and postnatal doula. I come from France but, don’t worry, I am fluent in English. I moved to Surrey in 2015 with my husband Cedric. In April 2021, I resigned from my job as a community pharmacist so I could fully dedicate my time for my passion for births, mothers and babies.

WHAT I CAN OFFER

My services include:

• Nourishing food. I love cooking and can help feed your freezer before the birth. I will then prepare nourishing meals and snacks for you, while you care for your baby. I will prepare plant-based cuisine. Feel free to add whatever you fancy.
• Help with breastfeeding
• Light massage with oils
• Cuddles for your baby when you need a well deserved rest
• Help with baby wearing
• Advice on cloth nappies

I’m happy to assist you for everything you need and can adapt my services to your evolving needs, as the baby grows and as you grow as a mum.

I am offering birth and post-natal services to all families without discrimination, mono, cis, homo-parental or any type which whom you would identify, regardless the conception type (natural conception, assisted conception, surrogacy), and also after an adoption process.

I’m happy to travel up to 15 miles from my home in Cobham, Surrey.

MY TRAINING

• Continuum Doulas Essentials Edition – Katherine Woodbury and the Continuum Doulas team – January 2023.
• Postnatal ‘Full immersion’ Doula Course – Conscious Birthing – November 2020.
• Paramana Doula Course – Dr Michel Odent and Lilianna Lamers – September 2020.
• Quantum approach to birth (Approche quantique de la naissance) seminar in French – Quantik Mama – June 2020.

MY CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

• Supporting families through pregnancy loss and the death of a baby – Sands – February 2023.
• Postnatal planning – Younique Postnatal – July 2022.
• Human Rights in Maternity Care – Birthrights – June 2022.
• Pelvic Health workshop – Silvia Charepe Dias the PhysioDoula – May 2022.
• Understanding newborns – Younique Postnatal – May 2022.
• The Queer Friendly Business Course – The Queer box – March 2022.

MORE ABOUT ME

I have always dedicated my time to helping others. After having my first baby, I heard the calling to become a doula. This is my story:

After several long and frustrating years trying for a baby, we found out I was pregnant. This was one of the best days of my life and I felt I was connected to my baby straight away. I knew from the very first day I wanted to have a home birth; for me personally this felt like the most natural thing to do. I enjoyed being pregnant so much. I carried on dancing salsa every week up until the week before he was born. To explain how connected we already were, the day before he was born, I talked to my baby inside my tummy telling him I was ready to welcome him into this world. The following day, as if he had understood, my waters started leaking and shortly after contractions came pretty regularly. I used hypnobirthing techniques to help me go along with the surges. Cedric was my rock during this quick labour. He’d filled the pool with hot water and I sank into it for extra relief. Neo was born in the water and I was finally able to hold him in my arms. This day was the most beautiful day of my life, a wonderful experience that changed me forever and is the reason why I am now a doula.

I have always had a positive view about breastfeeding and, although I remained open minded, I knew this would be my first choice when it came to feeding my baby. For me personally, knowing about the health benefits of breastfeeding, which included Neo being more likely to have a stronger immune system – but also for myself – having a lower risk of developing breast cancer, really was important to me. I also wanted to give myself and Neo the best chance to bond, physically and emotionally, so this too was a big part of making my decision. I feel extremely lucky that I was able to breastfeed, especially for just under two years. Breastfeeding will not be every parents’ first choice (or perhaps even a consideration) but as a doula I really hope that I can impart some knowledge and offer the support a new parent needs to make such an important decision.

Being a new mother to a new baby, albeit being the most incredible and joyful experience, comes with its challenges; whether it’s your first baby or your fifth, you will more than likely find things a little overwhelming at first. This is all brand new for you and your baby; you will be juggling with feeding your baby, feeding yourself, getting enough sleep, be recovering from pregnancy and birth, and also (and this is not talked about enough) dealing with the emotional roller coaster you go through, being a new mother.

A few months after Neo was born, I sadly developed post-natal depression. This was a very challenging time for me; particularly since I had never suffered from mental health problems before. Fortunately, thanks to CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and a wonderful support group, I was able to develop the skills I needed in order to fully recover. During the long recovery process I was very lucky to have full support from my husband, and also from good friends who can understand mental health issues. Having this support was crucial for me as my family all live in France. Thanks to this experience, I feel I have a deeper understanding of post-natal depression and can therefore empathise and support a mother experiencing this.

I wish I’d known about post-natal doulas before having my baby. Doulas have the knowledge, the deep understanding, the compassion, not to mention the practical side of things such as cooking, all the things that are so vital in making a new family’s experience a happy and positive one.