Natalie Harrison

About Me

Hey, I’m Nat.

I am a devoted birth and postnatal doula, passionate about supporting birthing people to be informed and empowered during their journey through pregnancy and beyond. I am blessed to be a birth worker that had the support of a doula during my own pregnancy and birth. This experience is partly what drives my passion for working with birthing people, I wish for all new parents to have the opportunity to be nurtured and supported to make informed choices during this time. As well a birth experience that is both magical and empowering, however that may look for them. I have witnessed firsthand how having autonomy during your birth experience can create real life magic! Whether that be in your own bathtub at home, in a birth centre or in hospital.

In between working with clients I’m busy chasing after my joyfully rambunctious 1 year old with my husband. We have big plans to make our little allotment thrive this year now we have finally found our feet as parents ourselves.

When I do have a moment to myself (which is rare these days!) I love to cosy up in front of our wood burner with a cup of tea and a stack of chocolate biscuits.

As a birth worker I am calm, gentle and adaptable. I adore what I do, joining parents on this incredible and deeply personal journey is nothing short of an honour. As your doula I will hold space for you, providing that much needed safe space to unpick any fears or beliefs that might get in the way of your having the birth of your dreams. The birth you deserve! Together we will build your toolkit of resources for labour and beyond, and build your community ready for the arrival of your beautiful baby. It really does take a village.

If you have any questions about how a doula can support you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for a friendly chat, I love to talk birth!

I am excited to make a connection with you!

If you have any questions about how a doula can support you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for a friendly chat, I love to talk birth!

Psst…I also provide birth pool hire, TENS machine, birth balls, books and aromatherapy as part of my birth services

For more information on my offerings head over to my website nataliemaydoula.com

Shared Care

If your estimated due date coincides with another client of mine, it is still absolutely possible for us to work together. This is where shared care comes in. Another doula and I would work closely together to provide antenatal and postnatal care, and we would both be “on call” for your birth, you can rest assured knowing one of us will be there.

I work alongside two wonderful birth workers to provide shared care for clients, I feel their values and ethos reflects my own, and although every doula is different, Michelle, Alex and I orbit around each other beautifully to provide all important continuity of care for the families that choose us. If you would like to know more about how shared care could look for you, do get in touch. 

Testimonials

“After listening to a pregnancy podcast I heard about Doulas and what they can provide during pregnancy and beyond. I felt like we both needed support beyond the relentless appointments, scans and pregnancy classes during pregnancy and found Natalie, at first my partner was unclear what role a doula would play in the pregnancy, birth and beyond but after a discussion with Natalie it was a sure thing that we wanted her by our side, just from the initial meeting it was clear that she would provide the emotional support, knowledge and strength that we weren’t getting elsewhere. Throughout the pregnancy, Natalie was a guiding force that reassured us and helped us question the medical norms and structures. Reinforcing what we wanted from the pregnancy and giving us the strength to follow our instincts and know what was best for our baby. We knew that we wanted to have a home birth with the least medical intervention, the weeks before the birth Natalie was invaluable, a kind voice at the end of the phone to guide us through the most anxiety inducing time as it drew closer to the birth window, with midwife’s encouraging inductions, she helped us both hold true to what we intended for our birth, both of us turning to her for guidance and advice about how to handle difficult conversations with health practitioners. When it came to the birth it was a relief when she was by our side, knowing that we were in safe calming hands. Whilst the midwife’s took a hands off approach Natalie was working through biomechanic methods, supporting me and giving me words of encouragement, setting up safe, calming spaces for me to tackle the contractions whilst also supporting my husband through kind words, friendship and filling him up with white chocolate buttons! Natalie preempted what we needed before we knew we needed it, being first time parents it is daunting and having that guiding presence ensured a calm atmosphere through a hard and challenging time. Having her visit after the birth was like having an old friend visit, she looked after us, bought us food, cleaned, topped us up with tea and helped us with our first hospital visit, encouraging us on the basics. Natalie made our pregnancy, birth and fourth trimester a supportive, beautiful experience. Having that support through pregnancy and beyond was the best choice we made for us and our baby and I’m so glad Natalie was there. She was a powerful presence during this transformational stage of our life’s and can’t thank her enough.”

 

“It is beyond my ability to put it in words to express how grateful I am to Natalie for being my doula. She is absolutely amazing. She is so caring, devoted and passionate about her work and what she does for mamas. She was supporting me during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. I had such an incredible birth with her being by my side all the time. I didn’t have a doula when I had my first baby and I can say that it made such an enormous difference to have Natalie by my side. I know that I wouldn’t have been able to have such an amazing experience without her. All the comfort measures and words made it possible for me to stay in my focus zone. And when things got intense her presence was just crucial for me to get through the pushing stage. I had the birth I wanted and I felt in control, so I can say that I’m really proud of myself and grateful to Natalie for making it possible. I can’t recommend her enough, she has such a warm and genuine personality and reassuring energy.”

“Natalie’s support was invaluable at the birth of my second son, being a single parent meant I was facing the real possibility I would be birthing alone. Having Natalie with me from the moment I arrived at the birth centre until my son had safely arrived and we were having tea and toast in bed, truly enhanced my birth experience. It was really great to have someone by my side to support me, Natalie helped ensure my preferences were known to those caring for me and I feel my birth was a positive experience. I’m grateful to have had her by my side.”

“Natalie has provided so much kindness, advice & support over the last 5 weeks. The care package she thoughtfully put together was such a sweet and helpful thing to receive during a difficult postpartum period. If you’re currently expecting I can’t recommend Natalie enough, she’s such a wonderful person and incredibly skilled doula who will go above and beyond to ensure you have an informed, inclusive, peaceful and love filled experience, no matter what happens.”

  “Nobody can prepare you for pregnancy, birth and becoming a mother. Reading books, social media and even the experiences of other mums can feel hugely overwhelming with the mine field of conflicting advice, opinions and comparing of notes. Chuck in a global pandemic and the whole thing loses its sparkle somewhat! Lovely Natalie soothed and supported all my confusion during pregnancy and fourth trimester. She was always able to answer any questions I had without ever making me feel that they were silly or that I should have known better. Day or night Nat checked in with me and ensured that I was able to focus on all the best bits of becoming a mum, whilst keeping myself in sight. I wasn’t able to access the level of pre and post natal support that would normally have been available due to Covid but having Nat on my team meant that I never felt like I lost out. I can honestly say that Doulas are magic; the world is extra tough at the moment and they are there to ensure that you are looked after, heard and advocated for in every step of your journey. Nat is a true testament to her profession; genuine, warm and the best support I could have asked for.”

  “have so much gratitude for Natalie’s help and expertise. Natalie visited our home weekly for about one and half years to offer support to myself and my daughter who is on the spectrum. Natalie’s inspiring positivity and upbeat energy was such a blessing to us. As a single parent, Natalie helped to create much needed social time in the home and also helped with chores. She supported us emotionally and practically; an excellent listener, compassionate and empathetic. She would show interest in our specific needs, often reading up and learning about the conditions which my daughter struggles with. Natalie is punctual, reliable, adaptable, being able to be spontaneous and go with the flow when situations change track. She possesses a natural nurturing instinct which she applies appropriately to any given situation. Natalie’s little boy is an absolute delight and testimony to her beautiful mothering skills. I highly recommend her services”

“I had a very difficult postnatal experience with my first child and was anxious not to repeat it! Knowing I had a postnatal doula booked helped me to relax during pregnancy. Natalie allowed me time to cuddle, breastfeed and bond with my baby, rather than having to worry about keeping on top of household chores and entertain my toddler. I have no idea how she managed to get so much done during her relatively short (2-3 hour) visits. I could feel the stress fall away as soon as she walked through the door. It was also an added bonus that Natalie shared the same values as we did when it came to eco living, she really did feel like the perfect doula for us.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be there for us. Natalie was so helpful and went above and beyond for us all. She was a genuine friend to us, especially when we found out we couldn’t have the birth we had hoped for. She had a very relaxing aura about her which we feel helped relax us. I think Natalie’s personality makes her perfect for her role as a doula. She clearly loves childbirth and is kind, compassionate and supportive. She really just felt like a friend from the outset… The support Natalie gave was absolutely invaluable on the day. I cannot stress that enough. She had left the most kind and thoughtful postnatal gifts, arranged beautifully in our bedroom – this was really a  special touch and I really appreciated the time and thought that had been put into it. Thank you so much for everything, Natalie.”

“Natalie was on hand to discuss any questions we had about our home birth and the choices we were making. We felt fully supported as a couple and prepared for the birthing experience ahead; Nat spent time discussing processes with us and gave us pointers for useful resources that were relevant to our choices and prevented us from feeling overwhelmed with information. Birth pools, breathing techniques and essential oils – Nat had us covered! On a personal level, I felt fully seen and supported with any questions I may have had with regard to the changes in my body. I was able to express things I was worried about and niggles in relation to the processes of birth. No question felt silly and Natalie was able to provide reassurance and guidance that was fully backed by her thorough and in depth research and knowledge.”

“Nat is absolutely fantastic; her empathetic approach means that nothing is too much trouble and I genuinely feel like my birth choices really matter to her. The passion and drive that Nat has really kept my husband and I positive during our time together; her wealth of knowledge coupled with her enthusiasm meant that we felt fully supported and looked after at every stage.”

“We hired Natalie to support us with the birth of our son, we enjoyed our time spent getting to know her and preparing for our birth. It is clear Natalie has a very high emotional intelligence, I felt truly held by her and she always seemed to know exactly what I needed. During our birth she supported me beautifully, helping me focus on my breathing and relaxation while ensuring my husband (who was quite nervous to support me during the birth) was calm and confident while in the birth room. Her support around breastfeeding was really invaluable to me. I would encourage anyone having a baby to seriously consider hiring a doula!”

“It felt very natural and easy talking to Natalie during our initial conversations over the phone. She really listened and it felt like chatting to an old friend.

During the antenatal period Natalie in was so kind, so supportive and always reached out when she felt I needed her. She even paid me an additional visit when she knew I was struggling. I felt so held, so listened to and not at all alone. It would have been a very different experience without Natalie

It feels like Natalie has become a good friend to our family. She has provided us all with huge amounts of support throughout, for which I am so grateful. She has consistently provided a listening ear, made me feel heard, sent me information to continue making informed decisions, reminded me that my dream birth was always in reach. She included my son and my husband throughout. Making them feel held and supported as much as I did. 

I feel Nat is now a friend for life, I recently said to her that doula surely can’t just be for births! When someone has been with you in such a pivotal moment, I feel she will always be a part of our family. Nat is a true gem, what a gift it was to have her at the birth of our daughter.”

“Natalie had great knowledge about birth and helped us navigate our birth preferences with great tools. During the birth she was focused on us and helped time contractions and although the birth didn’t go as we’d have hoped she really helped support through every challenge. We felt she was really focused on creating a calm atmosphere for us as well as supporting when my partner needed a break.

And once baby had arrived she really helped protect the golden hour and most medical professionals left and we had some quality time just the 3 of us. She was great in protecting the golden hour and promoting baby’s first feed and took wonderful pictures during birth and immediately after that we will treasure. I felt she was down to earth and connected with her a lot more than other doulas I had met.

Natalie was wonderful and would definitely ask her to be our doula again when we plan to have another!”

“Myself and my partner had a desire to have a doula for the birth of our son in December 2021. My partner (mum) did all the looking around and received several recommendations for Natalie. We contacted her and received a prompt reply, and shortly after Natalie visited our home near Evesham. I found Natalie to be a very engaging and knowledgeable doula who put us both at ease and was able to answer our questions really well. Our birthing plan was for my partner and I to be at home for a water birth. Natalie had supplied us with all the necessary items for this to happen and they were delivered to us by her in good time. This is where things take a turn. Although our plan was for the baby to be born at home, the baby decided that that was not going to be the case! We ended up travelling to Hospital in the middle of the night and stayed there until the arrival of our baby two days later. During our time at the hospital, Natalie was absolutely invaluable. She was a counsellor to me when I needed to know something. She helped keep my partner grounded and comfortable all the time. She was an excellent conduit between myself, my partner and the midwives. Natalie’s knowledge and experience helped me and my partner to make decisions about the path our birth of our little man would take. She did not make any decisions for us but simply gave us information that allowed us to contemplate and choose whether we would decide for certain procedures to be carried out or not. Obviously the hospital has protocols to follow and sometimes it can make it all feel a little bit rushed. Natalie was proactive in preventing that happening and created the space we needed to have discussions in private. No conflict with anyone, not once. Natalie is blessed with great communication skills. Our baby was born on Wednesday, a little after lunch. All went well but in no way did it go the way we had planned for. Natalie is there for when it goes great, but she helped us immensely when our path didn’t go as planned. She took loads of photos all the way through my partner’s labour and gave them to us at the end. They were wonderful. We could not have done this and to have both of us in the photos was brilliant. As a dad, you will have someone who can keep an eye on mum to be when you need the loo, a coffee or to go and update the relatives. As a mum, you won’t regret having Natalie as your doula. Thank you Natalie, you were ace.”

“We had the pleasure of having Nat with us in the role of postnatal doula for the fourth month after the birth of our daughter. We had been working with a colleague of hers up until this point who recommended Nat to us when I wasn’t quite ready to give up the beautiful support that comes with having a doula in your world. Nat was able to come into our home and find her feet immediately, being an extra pair of hands around the house and taking the baby for me whilst I rested and took some sacred time for myself. Nat has a caring and nurturing energy and having her with us twice a week felt like having the best type of visitor come over in this early postpartum time-making tea, doing the dishes and holding the baby whilst being a great listening ear and fantastic company. We debriefed my birth and it was fab to have someone to discuss everything baby with.Nat is a beautiful soul and we wish her all the best on her journey as a doula, it’s serious and important work helping birthing people and supporting the early postpartum days and she is gifted in this sphere.

“I have found the best things about Natalie to be her empathy and her non judging support. She would just come in and get on with being helpful and kind. I have felt very supported by Natalie and I will really miss her visits. I would 100% have both a birth doula and a postnatal doula. Natalie really has made these early months so much easier to manage. Emotionally, physically, practically.”

“Our dearest Nat, It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are for being the best support throughout my pregnancy and labour- and thereafter as my friend. I will always remember you dancing around our lounge to lift us and the energy! Thank you for being by my side whilst we waited for baby to arrive. We were so grateful to have you as part of our support team in the lead up to A’s arrival. And then on the day, night then day itself- we honestly could not have done it without you.Thank you for empowering us both and believing in my ability to absolutely smash it!!Thanks for being my cheerleader throughout and making me feel like a superwoman, for helping me believe in myself and for comforting S when he needed it. We really appreciate you holding space for us after the birth to debrief what happened and fill in the gaps for us. Your energy and determination to help me have the birth of my dreams means the absolute world, you will always be in our stories we tell our daughter.Can’t wait for you to be at our next homebirth!”

“Well where do I start……..From the off Natalie filled me with ease, it was like I had known her all my life. Natalie was always there with any questions I needed answered and helped me soldier through the system with what I wanted and what my rights were. I don’t think I would ever have had my home birth I had wished for if it wasn’t for Natalie’s expertise & knowledge! Nothing was ever too much for Natalie, she was always by my side when I needed her most. I couldn’t of wished my journey with Natalie to be any more perfect than it was. Natalie was also fantastic with my partner who was super nervous. We have had lots of laughs throughout our journey together & I’m sure Natalie has also left with some great stories from this mad house hold! This lady has a beautiful soul & is so understanding. I actually can’t wait to have her at my next birth!“

“Natalie, We want to say a huge thank you for all your support these last few months, it is hard to put into words how much we appreciated you. We found your support during our birth critical and we really felt the power of working as a team, and we especially appreciate the great rapport you created with our midwives. We are so grateful for your support in the lead up to our birth and your truly non-judgemental approach. You really do amazing work and we will never forget your support at this time.”

“My husband and I met with Natalie and instantly liked her and thought ‘we wish she could be a full time nanny for us’ as she is warm, kind, patient and fun. Natalie is really easy to talk to and open and honest about life. Natalie would arrive and instantly take a baby, feed and change him and let me chat / sleep or shower, whatever was needed so that for the hours she was here I felt the time was my own. Natalie was not only there for me to talk to but for my husband as men often get neglected. In hospital he was almost blanked my midwives who focussed purely on me and the babies so it was nice for him to have someone to chat to as it’s an emotional experience for men too. It was brilliant that Natalie would also help with my 2 year daughter who thinks Natalie is wonderful, this took extra pressure off me and I felt totally relaxed leaving her and the boys with Natalie while I slept. My 2 year old daughter LOVED Natalie’s visits, her approval speaks volumes. I could easily sit and chat to Natalie all day and having her to talk to was such a benefit in the first few weeks after having the boys as I didn’t get out much and so it was so nice to have some social contact with the outside world. Natalie also arrived one morning with the most delicious cinnamon buns, a winner! Natalie was there for the whole family as well as me which was brilliant and we all miss her!”

“I honestly don’t think I would have had such a positive experience without Natalie. Firstly I wouldn’t have even considered a homebirth. Although I didn’t give birth at home, doing the majority at home was so lovely.

100% recommend. Best money I’ve ever spent. My outcome could have been very different had Natalie not been there, maybe still positive but having a level headed person advocate for you and your partner and support you both emotionally was invaluable.

Nat’s knowledge about biomechanics helped my birth so much! Those sideline releases that got me from 8 to 10cms in no time were so amazing and gave me extra time to try for the home birth I dreamed of.

Natalie is so lovely and bubbly, she’s a ray of sunshine. But then can be firm when needed, she helped us to advocate for ourselves and ensured our wishes during birth were always met. She managed to create a great report with midwife’s as well, no conflict just gentle, kind and firm when needed, a tool not many people have! Then having her for additional postnatal support was so helpful, it’s been a pleasure to chat and just have support. Debriefing about the birth was really helpful for both me and especially my partner.

Natalie is very easy to talk to and has very similar values and thoughts to us which made it even better. Both myself and my husband enjoyed our chats. She was very supportive. She was helpful without ever crossing any boundaries. Natalie always made us feel so comfortable to ask questions and was very open to all our thoughts and opinions. There was no judgement when our house was a mess or I wasn’t dressed and she encouraged me to sleep! It’s so comforting to trust someone with your newborn and saved me in the early days so much.

We are so grateful to have had her as part of our journey to becoming parents.”

Personal Development

Red Tent Doulas Advanced Certification- Facilitated by Nicola Goodall 11/19

Aromatherapy Oils For The Childbearing Year- Facilitated by Nicola Goodall 04/19

Closing The Bones and Rebozo bodywork – Facilitated by Elizabeth Russell 11/18

Introduction to Infant Feeding Peer Support- Facilitated by New Baby Network CIC 10/20

LGBTQ+ Competency in Birth and Beyond- Facilitated by The Original Birth Connection and The Queer Birth Club March ‘21

Caesarean Birth Masterclass – Facilitated by The Original Birth Connection and The Caesarean Birth Specialist March ‘21

Advocacy and Cultural Competency- Facilitated by The Original Birth Connection and Illy Morrison March ‘21

Biomechanics For Birth- Facilitated by Optimal Birth April ‘21

Cultural Competency & Safety- Facilitated by Project Mama and Sheffield Maternity Collective October ‘21

Childbirth Physiology- Facilitated by Dr Rachel Reed February ‘22

Human Rights in Maternity Care- Facilitated by Birthrights and Doula UK June’22

Preparing for Birth without a Midwife or Doctor- Facilitated by Joy Horner October ‘22