I am full spectrum doula originally from the east coast of the US (I have been in the UK since 2008). I came towards doula work via my pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience with my son, where we were supported by a wonderful doula. I had a complex late pregnancy and immediate postpartum period and felt strongly that my doula's support was essential to my own experience. I began to realise that I had a calling to supporting people throughout their childbearing years, and supported several friends and family through their own pregnancy experiences. 2 years after I had my own child, I trained to be a doula with Kate Woods of Conscious Birthing in April 2019. I have taken trauma-informed courses since and then trained as a 3 Step Rewind Technique practitioner in 2021. I am currently completing the coursework for an advanced doula training with Mars Lord of Abuela Doulas. In February 2022, I welcomed my second child, a girl, when I had a wonderful and powerful birth at home in the water with an incredible independent midwife. I am also a Community Elder and Doula with Doulas Without Borders, a charity that provides free care to women who are sufferers of domestic and sexual violence, homelessness, extreme poverty or are refugees or asylum seekers (doulaswithoutborders.com). I have participated in the local home birth group and am part of a group of doulas in Bristol advocating for the rights of pregnant people in our local NHS trusts. I am very active on local and UK-wide home birth and pregnancy/birth Facebook groups. During to Covid-19 I have worked virtually but I work in-person wherever I can despite the pandemic. I work individually with clients as well as offer shared care packages with birth and postnatal doula and hypnobirthing teacher Olivia Denham of Be Birth and regularly work as back up for other local doulas. My ethos Every person is different, and every journey during the childbearing years will be different, too. I believe in the power of a tailored, personalised and supported experience for pregnant people, and so I listen closely to the needs of the individual person or people that I work with, encouraging my clients throughout our time together to discover - and uncover - their own power and resilience. As a doula I provide the continuity of care that often cannot be found in medicalised settings, and as we work together we will develop a trusted and honest relationship together, ensuring that you feel well held and supported during this very important time of your life. To do this I encourage, enable and advocate for informed choice-making. I value well-rounded evidence and information that draws from both your personal intuition as well as from the latest studies. My work also focuses on listening to you, your story and your needs; asking questions that help you uncover your inner wants, desires and fears as well as working through those for you to be as confident and resilient in your journey as possible. I will support you in developing a pregnancy, birth and postnatal plan/preferences; provide information and signposting to available resources. In situations where someone is experiencing the need to terminate a pregnancy I am a supportive person by your side, to listen to you and let you know you are not alone. I will support you in decision-making. If needed I will actively - and verbally - advocate for your needs and desires as well as your rights in appointments (where possible and when invited) as well as throughout any pregnancy, labour and postnatal experience. I like to get to know you and your family or support network and support them, too, but equally if you are on this journey as a solo parent, I am here for you, too. I also have worked with clients through the process of IVF, loss, abortion, termination for medical reasons and medically complex pregnancies. I also have a TENS machine available for hire. As someone trained in 3 Step Rewind Technique I am also available for bookings to work through any pre-existing traumatic experiences that may be impacting you today, as well as birth debriefs. My support I offer a free 30 min phone or video consult to discuss what you're looking for in a doula. If we decide to work together, I can offer the following: I can offer sessions to support you in developing a personalised 'toolkit' of the resources, care and support you may need during pregnancy, labour and birth including a 'pregnancy plan' (this session may also be booked during pregnancy at any point). This may for example be a package to support people pursuing IVF or surrogacy, or anyone considering starting their pregnancy journey. When providing support as a birth doula, in my typical package I provide 2-3 antenatal sessions that can take place at any point during your pregnancy. I am also available via phone and WhatsApp throughout your pregnancy. I then go on call for you from 38 weeks which includes 24/7 support. When you go into labour, I will come to you whenever you need me, and be with you until after the baby is born and you have settled into your new baby bubble! I then provide 1 postnatal session. Additional postnatal sessions can be booked in 1.5 hour segments. I also offer birth debriefs, which can take place anytime after you have your baby - from 1 week to years. Other things about me My birth work is complemented by work in architecture and activism. I strongly believe that birth rights justice will lead towards a more just world, and that we can heal generational trauma through providing continuous, personalised care during the childbearing years. I am very happy to aid clients in their personal use of aromatherapy and homeopathy under the advice of a trained practitioner. I am also a yoga practitioner of 15+ years - so happy to do a session together! I have an allotment that I share with a group of friends and during the summer months my clients will often get veg deliveries as there is always more than we need. I really believe in communities coming together to support parents and children in the early years and practice this in my daily life with a close knit network of family and friends. Life takes a village. Location I live in Greenbank, Bristol. I am happy to travel up to 1 hour across the South West. I am happy to work virtually with clients if they are in locations I do not cover physically. Covid 19  I have been working with clients throughout the pandemic in home birth as well as medicalised settings. I have also supported clients virtually around the world. Current 2022 availability (as of May 2022):  Prospective birth clients: I take limited bookings with only 1 birth client every month or so. Please contact me if you are interested in working with me. As of May 2022 I have availability for October and November 2022. I am not available for on call over Christmas and New Years. Prospective antenatal clients: I have availability for antenatal preparation work for people birthing in June, July and October 2022. Contact me at mollie.doula@gmail.com Client Testimonials

"Wow what an invaluable doula service! Mollie supported my family and I in so many ways! She assisted us with a custom care package, shaped uniquely for our needs. This included aromatherapy, meditations, maternal positioning, emotional support, physical support, educational support, breastfeeding support & more. She offered me snacks and labour tea in the comfort of my birth pool. She encouraged me to empty my bladder regularly and accompanied me to the door. She fitted in perfectly with the rest of my birth team. There is so much she did 'behind the scenes' so I didn't have to worry about anything. My favourite parts were when she did the apple tree shake on me whilst I was labouring. I will forever remember her helping me get back on track with my breathing when things felt tough and her soothing caress of my back that helped bring my energy up. We are so honoured to have had her presence at our birth. Thank you Mollie <3" - R, 2019

"When I found out I was pregnant one of the first decisions I made was to have a doula. I felt this was really important for me as a solo parent. I wanted someone to support me, advocate for me and be my birth partner. Mollie was always there to listen to me and support me with my decision making, she's a pro with research and would direct me to articles and websites to help with my decision making. Unfortunately I had to have a c-section. I choose to have Mollie with me as I knew I wanted someone calm and who would advocate for me which is exactly what she did. I also trusted Mollie to be able to care for my baby if anything happened to me before my Mum was able to come and take over. Mollie was very calming and caring during the birth. While post baby support didn't quite go as we planned due to Covid, Mollie was on the end of the phone and is still in our lives 6 months on. I am forever thankful to Mollie for the support and care she gave throughout my pregnancy. As a solo parent employing Mollie was the best thing I did during my pregnancy." - E, 2020

"Working with Mollie was so incredibly helpful during our entire pregnancy experience! She is a wealth of knowledge and was able to provide us the tools to make informed decisions on all aspects of our journey, in addition to discussing them with us. Her experience was invaluable, but her kindness and support truly made a significant difference to our labour and delivery. Being pregnant and giving birth during a global pandemic was emotionally jarring; Mollie helped to normalise the situation and was skilled enough to feel like she was with us during the entire labour despite having to do so remotely. Having a doula to help you through this amazing time in your life is a fantastic idea; Mollie is brilliant and one of a kind and we will be seeking her services again should we be lucky enough to find ourselves in this position again." -K, 2020

"In these changing Covid times, the more support you can have around pregnancy and childbirth the better, especially if this is your first baby! Challenges to fulfil continuity of midwife care due to diverted resources, appointments being cancelled or moved to online / phone calls at the last minute, and the postnatal support which used to be offered being changed beyond recognition can lead to a lot of doubt and uncertainty; having Mollie as my doula brought so much of that support back. During my labour, Mollie talked and breathed me through the most intense contractions; she was on hand to offer advice, a gentle word, and refreshments whenever I needed them and enabled me to create a tranquil environment in a delivery suite labour. I was very grateful for her ability to help me turn my focus inwards to enable me to birth my baby calmly and filter out the distractions associated with a hospital delivery. Mollie was an absolute pleasure to work with. Very friendly and approachable, she showed a real willingness to work around the clock when necessary and was extremely supportive and knowledgeable throughout my pregnancy and labour journey and beyond." -V, 2020