Natalie Bouscarle

About Me

I am Natalie and I am a Birth and Postnatal Doula.

After having my two children I realised there was so much more parents needed during the pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Even with a brilliant husband, loving family and supportive friends, I still felt there was something missing. My aim is to provide support for women and their families and give them everything that I feel would have improved my own experiences I decided to do my training with Kicki Hansard at Birth Bliss academy and realised that becoming a doula was the natural step for me to take. I thrive on the idea of helping parents and making the already wonderful experience that much better. My main aim is to provide positive and supportive care for parents and parents to be. Encouraging you to ask questions so you are able to truly understand what you would like from the birth and postnatal experiences. From having my two children I know all too well how overwhelming certain aspects can feel and I would love to be the reassurance needed during those times.

My antenatal services include:-

• Birth preparation sessions
• Going through birth preferences
• Attending doctor and midwife appointments
• Exploring evidence based information to help you make informed decisions for your birth journey
• Helping to plan for the 4th trimester
• Help packing the hospital bags

Birth Services:-

• I will be there with you to provide emotional and practical support
• Giving you space and ensuring you have the birthing environment you desire
• On call from 10 days before your edd until the birth. 24/7

Postnatal Services:-

• I am able to help and support with all Infant feeding, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding
• Talking through any worries or concerns, researching any if needed
• Talking through your birth experience
• Help with light household tasks such as hoovering, clearing and tidying
• Prepare meals for you and the family
• Support with siblings. This can be in or out of the house and does include school pick ups or drop offs if required
• Help with the baby. looking after the baby whilst you take some time for yourself and enjoy a nap or a bath or simply sit and do nothing
• Walk the dog or feed the cat
• Help you to learn how to care for your newborn by yourself. I will always ensure that I give you the confidence to do any tasks your are anxious or unsure of yourself. I am not there to take over I am there to simply support and guide

Night Services:-

• Sleep with the baby tending to all its needs during the night
• Bring the baby to you if you are breast feeding or would like to feed the baby its bottle
• Change, wind and settle babies so that you can sleep
• Replenish mother during feeds with drinks and snacks
• Look after you and your baby/ies whilst you are staying in hospital
• Sterilise and sort out feeding equipment ready for the morning

 

Natalie came to help me postnatally as a Doula when my son Woods was 8 weeks old. I was going through the struggle of parenting alone and sleep deprivation was at an all time high. Originally I was looking for help overnight a couple of nights a week so I could catch up on sleep which had eluded me for the past 8 weeks, but after meeting with Natalie & discussing together my needs I settled on two mornings a week so I could have a bit of ‘me time’ whilst knowing & trusting that Woods was being cared for safely in Natalie’s hands. My plan was to use these two mornings a week to have a decent nap, a hot bath, maybe go for a run, watch a movie in it’s entirety without having to pause & rewind 1000 times… In the end what I got from Natalie was so much more. Natalie helped me put in place good sleep habits for Woods from an early age meaning at 4 months old I had a pretty good sleeper! She helped me better understand his growth & development & suggested things to try to encourage his progression. She helped me navigate the world of feeding, sleeping, vaccinations, taking a baby on holiday, growth spurts (the list goes on) without having to spend hours of my precious time on Google. She was my second pair of hands when it came to making sure Woods received all the attention, nurturing & love he required during his first few months in this world. And above all, Natalie was a friend to me at a time when I needed emotional support, & a friend to Woods who absolutely adored her. I feel that if I hadn’t have had Natalie’s help I wouldn’t have had the mental & physical strength to bond with my son in the way that I have. I wouldn’t have ‘got to know him’ as quickly as I did. She empowered me as a new mother and for that I am forever grateful. Natalie continued to help me twice a week until Woods was 16 weeks old. She gave me all the help I needed and so much more than I ever expected. It was totally worth it and I wouldn’t hesitate to have Natalie as a doula again. Motherhood for me is an amazing, thrilling, tiring, emotional experience but when women come together to help each other on their journey I feel that we all get so much more from it, a benefit to both mother & child who form a bond which sets them up for life. Ash&Woods

Thank you Natalie so much for everything you’ve done for us over the past 3 months. You’ve been brilliant all hours of the day and night! You’ve been my google when I’ve had a question about anything at all, you’ve prepared me for every possible problem I could face and most importantly you’ve been such an amazing friend. It’s been so lovely having your reassurance and knowledge to not only help us in the early stages but also prepare us for what’s to come. Thank you for making our first memories even more special and I can’t wait for you to be every step of the way next time round Alex&Ellis

Natalie supported us as a postnatal doula immediately after the birth of our twin boys and for four months after.  She played such a vital role and supported our new family of five in so many different ways. Some of these include staying with me on the postnatal ward following my Caesarean section, helping practically with the babies and allowing me to get vital rest, helping with light domestic tasks and making me some food which was a great help.

Natalie provided me with such nurturing support at an amazing but also emotional and exhausting time as I recovered from caesarean section and adjusted to being a mother of three.  Her approach was spot on. She was caring, friendly, nurturing, thoughtful, gentle natured, resourceful and informative. Natalie was punctual, reliable and flexible too. We are so thankful and are blessed to have had Natalie support us and would highly recommended her! Elisa & Ben

Our experience with Natalie was beyond what we could have imagined. From our previous birthing experience with our first son who was delivered by an emergency csection, this second birth was magical. My first pregnancy was straightforward and low risk and I was encouraged to have a home birth because of this. Being first time parents we didnt know our rights or what to expect. At around 35 weeks with both pregnancies i was subjected to 2 glucose tests and multiple growth scans which were discouraging and depleting to my mindset. I refused to speak to a consultant because i knew that they would have tried to sway me away from my birth plan. Natalie was behind me encouraging me and informing me that i dont have to attend if i dont want to which was very true. With my first pregnancy i got a sweep and my waters broke that night and while being monitored at the hospital because baby was distressed they realised it was a chord prolapse and i was rushed into theatre. A mask was forced onto my face and my clothes cut off my body. I was alone with strangers my partner wasnt allowed in. The last thing i remembered was someone asking what blade they should use to cut me open. Then waking up and asking if my partner was sure thats our baby. With my second pregnancy i made sure to keep my anxiety low and take life a lot easier. I hypnobirthed throughout my pregnancy as well as my delivery. Natalie was behind my wishes, she educated me along the way. She also shared with my helpful links and a birth plan as well as a guidelines. Natalie to me was that second person that believed in me as much as my partner did. She was my security blanket and someone else who had my best interests at heart.

Kami

If you are looking for a doula who is positive, reassuring, knowledgeable, kind and caring (among many other things) then I can’t recommend Natalie enough. As a first time mum I had the most amazing, calm home birth thanks to Natalie’s support and am so happy that I made the decision to hire her as my doula. This is the doula you’ve been looking for!! Email her, you won’t be disappointed:)

Lucy