My inspiration for becoming a doula was born when I, rather impulsively, offered to support a friend and her husband with their birth. This experience, quite simply and very strongly, led to the conviction that this was what I was called to do for the next season of my life. As I left the hospital the midwife said to me, "you are a very good doula you know" and I had to stop myself saying "No, I'm just a friend" but the exciting path towards becoming a doula was opening up to me. 

Shortly after this I took the 'Conscious Birthing' Doula Uk approved course run by Kate Woods and loved every minute. Once qualified I began working whilst being expertly mentored by Laura Jansson the author of 'Fertile Ground; A Pilgrimage through Pregnancy'. I feel that I have a lot of support and expertise at my finger tips! I now have attended an increasing number of births, and have some post natal work under my belt and hopefully yours may be the next!

I am a Christian and am very happy to pray for you and with you, in preparing for the birth, during the birth and after the birth. I am a Catholic and use my own hypnobirthing recordings, meditations and prayers to prepare for birth. Obviously I am more than happy to work with women and families of any faith and belief system and will absolutely not impose my faith on anybody.

I have five children of my own, each with their own very different birth stories. I think I have a  lived experience of a pretty wide spectrum of birth experiences, emergency c-section, natural vbac birth, three hospital births and two home births and some experience of pregnancy loss including an ectopic pregnancy. As a full time, at home Mother of five I spent the best part of ten years either pregnant or breastfeeding, running a household and a family and being around other women on the mothering journey. My children are now aged 13, 16, 18, 21 and 23 and the older ones are at University or working. 

As my own child bearing years are over, I have time to branch out in a different direction and use some of my life experience to support and guide women through the birth and early parenting journey. My family are all pretty much neurodiverse, so I also offer family support as a doula with that expertise, which can be a subtle or explicit. I am here to walk with you (not to diagnose), to inform and to advocate for you. This is worth bearing in mind if you, your partner, previous children or extended family are also neurodiverse and potentially in need of the support of someone who really knows the challenges and the joys. Wherever you and/or your loved ones sit on the spectrum, autism, adhd, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc can affect pregnancy and birth and early parenting in ways that are only recently being acknowledged.

I am a qualified social worker (DipSW, MSW) and my career has involved working largely with people with disabilities and mental health problems, mostly in the voluntary sector and in community development. Listening, supporting, holding space, advocating and information sharing are second nature to me. I am currently starting to work as a volunteer doula with Happy Baby Community whilst also running my Etsy shop which sells prayer beads. 

I took a degree in French and European Literature back in the late 80's and whilst rather rusty, my understanding of French is fluent and may be of interest to anyone whose first language is French and is living in Uk. 

Please get in touch initially by email or phone and then we can organise a time to meet and explore possibilities.....

I would really love to hear from you. 

Lucy xx 

"Thank you so much Lucy, It was an amazing experience for me to have you next to me. Your encouragement, strength and good energy all around in those moments"

"I just wanted to say a huge thank you for going out of your way to help us, everything was so calm and went perfectly with you there"

"I really could not have done this without you, sending my love your way"