- Postnatal (Mentored)
- Birth (Mentored)
Lives in: Rayleigh SS6
Local info and availability:
Essex, London, Greater London. Open to other areas, please get in touch to discuss. I will Support your chosen environment (Hospital, home birth and birth centre). Packages can be tailored to suit individual needs and one off sessions are available. I can also support virtually.
Other services:
Hypnobirthing Instructor
Overnight Postnatal Doula
Antenatal and Postnatal Workshops
Birth Preparation Workshops
Birth Pool Hire
How to contact Nikki:
Use the Contact form below or:
http://www.diligentdoula.co.uk
diligentdoula@gmail.com
07932164303
About Me
Hello I’m Nikki,
I’m an accredited Birth and Postnatal Doula and Hypnobirthing Instructor. I’m from London but moved to Essex when I decided to start a family. I’m full of energy, understanding and passion with empathy and a huge zest for life. I love animals, especially dogs and love to spend my free time reading as many birth and baby books as I can!
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated about anything pregnancy, birth and baby related. Following the births of my own two daughters, it only increased and ignited this passion. A desire to enter into the perinatal world grew and grew and finally I took the plunge and followed my heart in training as a Doula. It was the best decision I have ever made, offering complete, unconditional support to families on their journeys is an absolute joy and privilege. One that I never take for granted. To listen: offer a helping hand, a kind word, making sure you are totally informed in all areas, hold no judgment, made to feel confident, empowered and in control is my promise to you.
Birth is a journey. We start out roughly knowing the route we would like to take but like every walk in life, there can be twists, turns and unpredictability. My role is to never advise but to support and give you confidence in your own ability to achieve the experience you want, regardless of which route it takes. To make you feel prepared and heard with your questions answered and feel totally calm and in control.
My own experiences of pregnancy and early parenthood have shown me just how different the journey can be. It doesn’t matter if its a first, second or sixth baby, no two are the same and one size doesn’t fit all. It’s such a unique and life changing experience, which can feel very overwhelming at times. I definitely felt this emotion along with a lot of others. “Am I doing it right?”, “am I allowed to do this?” and “is it normal to feel like this”. I felt all of these and a lot more. So I know just how important it is and valuable if someone is there to answer these questions.
As your Birth doula I offer unconditional, informative support, not just to you but to your partner. What their role is and how I can support them and they can support you, helping to achieve the birth experience you want and deserve. I have attended births where I have been the sole birth support and I am completely comfortable and ready to hold your hand that little bit tighter if needed.
I offer two antenatal sessions, which can be tailored to suit your personal needs. For instance, if you would like to incorporate Hypnobirthing into your preparation or would just like more sessions, this can all be arranged. I cover a wide range of topics and full birth planning. From the practical subjects like options of where to birth and knowing your birth rights, to why and how your body is doing what it is. Creating a positive and calm birth environment, your physical and emotional well being and how to recognise the early stages of labour. Coping mechanisms to use when labour progresses and use of my birth ball: peanut ball, TENS machine, aromatherapy oils, a wide range of books and other birth aids. I cover the postnatal period in sessions too as its such an important time and like birth the experience can be positive, calm and what you want with a little information and preparation. We will discuss bonding with your baby, feeding options and how I can support you and your family if this is something you would like. I will create a WhatsApp group at the time of booking and it will include anyone you would like to be involved. My on-call period is from 39 weeks until baby arrives and during this time I am available 24/7. If baby arrives before my on-call begins, I will of course still be there. I include one postnatal visit, usually within a week after baby is born, and arrange this for when it is convenient for you. We will debrief and discuss your birth and how you are feeling, how the baby is settling in and if anything is coming up for you that you want to discuss. I can signpost or we can discuss how I could support you moving forward.
Postnatal care comes in different shapes and sizes for different families. I know from my personal experience that during this period I felt extremely vulnerable and in need of reassurance and guidance. It’s a daunting time, coupled with sleep deprivation it can soon feel very overwhelming out of control. A helping hand, someone to listen and hold space and give you what you need cannot be underestimated in setting the foundations for a positive postnatal experience. I offer emotional and physical support, complete baby and feeding support, help to establish routines and carry out light household chores. I want to provide you with the confidence to believe in yourself, that you are doing a fantastic job and that a little self care is imperative in order for everything else to run smoothly. I offer one off sessions, but typically book a block of 21 hours which is split over a 4-6 week period. Which can be arranged between us and tailor the package to what you need and will most benefit you and your family. I also offer over-night postnatal support which can be booked as a block or a complete one-off.
I feel very passionately that everyone should have the pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience that they deserve, desire and want. For I know that it’s completely achievable with the correct information and loving support. So, if you feel that I could help you on your journey please get in touch. I offer a non-obligatory get to know each other chat where we can talk a little more in depth about what you want. You can ask me anything and we can see if we fit and if I am the right Doula for you.
Thank you for visiting my page, congratulations on this amazing, life changing journey, its certainly and exciting ride.