Samantha French Blackwell

About Me

As a lifelong passionate advocate for human rights (really – I was attending anti-genocide protests with my family from toddlerhood), my fire for advocating for women in the perinatal period was stoked during my pregnancy with my daughter, Lucy, in 2019.

Having spent most of my life being dictated to by medical professionals due to my autoimmune condition, I knew from the day I took my first positive pregnancy test that I wanted to be absolutely in charge of my birth and my decisions in the pre- and postnatal period. Thus began a 7 month-long journey of intensive reading, listening and learning, doing everything I possibly could to become as informed and empowered as possible so that I could give myself and my baby the birth I knew we were capable of achieving.

As part of this journey, I hired a doula of my own who played an invaluable role in helping myself and my husband feel grounded and supported in our decision-making along every step in the road, even when things took unexpected turns. It was through my time with my doula and through seeing the very palpable difference she made to my birthing experience that I was inspired to become a doula myself and to use my background in human rights law and teaching to offer loving and empowering support to expectant mothers and their families. I trained with Continuum Doulas in Frome, Somerset in April 2021 and look forward to a long career spent supporting families through this most incredible, exhausting, rewarding and life-changing time surrounding the birth of a new little soul.

As part of the Continuum model, I offer my birth clients six antenatal sessions and six postnatal sessions, as well as, of course, attendance at the birth itself (for which I will be on call from 37 weeks until birth). The antenatal sessions give us a chance to get to know one another, for you to communicate to me what support you feel you will most benefit from, and for me to talk you through the process of birth and signpost you to helpful resources so you can make informed decisions about your care. Postnatally, I can be there for you in whatever capacity you need me to be. Whether you need me to cook you a hot meal, to cuddle the baby so you can have a shower, to take your dog for a walk, to entertain your older children, or to run a load of laundry, I am on call to help and support you as you find your new rhythm as a family. I am also a trained and experienced yoga instructor, having taught since 2015, and would love to lead you through one-to-one ante- and postnatal yoga should you wish.

“A-la-carte” antenatal or postnatal sessions can also be arranged if you feel you’d benefit from standalone support (or additional support if you’re already a birth client).

I am CRB checked and have a full, clean driver’s license.

My dearest wish is for every client who works with me to feel self-assured and excited as they approach giving birth, for them to embrace the postnatal period in all its bleary-eyed and messy glory, and for them to never feel the need to ask the question, “Am I allowed?”

Please don’t hesitate to email or give me a ring to set up a free-of-charge initial meeting to see if we’ll be a good fit together. I so hope to have the joy and privilege of supporting you along this journey.

What clients say…

“Sam attended my birth in December 2020 and supported me prior to labour by writing my birth plan. Having had a traumatic experience with my first birth, I was really uncertain about what I wanted to my second (feeling like I could make plans but surely they would be unrealistic). Sam asked questions that helped me realise I did have preferences and wrote up the plan for me to discuss with my midwife.

“On 31 December, 2020, my waters broke around noon. I kept Sam updated throughout the afternoon and she arrived around 6 PM just at the start of active labour. Sam supported me through the contractions by suggesting different positions, ideas for pain relief, breathing counting, etc. This enabled me to stay at home for a longer period of time (part of my birth plan). This also allowed my husband to get our son ready for bed and kept the atmosphere calm.

“Shortly after our son’s bedtime, the contractions started to pick up and Sam encouraged us to call the birthing centre. They got our room ready and we left the house around 8:30 PM. Once at the birthing centre, I got into the pool and Sam worked with my husband and the midwife to coach me through the contractions as they got more intense, and then through pushing. Our daughter was born just after 11 PM with New Year’s Eve fireworks going off in the background!

“Sam made us feel significantly more confident in our decisions that evening and was a reassuring, calm presence throughout labour. Due to Covid, Sam had the leave shortly after our daughter was born, but still helped us by quickly talking to the midwives and making sure we had everything we needed before she left. Sam had such a positive impact on my labour experience and I feel incredibly lucky and grateful she was there.”

– Samantha Lock, mother

“Sam came to our home when my wife was in established labour. She helped set up the room to be as calm and relaxing as possible and gave my wife support and encouragement during the contractions. This helped me a lot, too, as I was able to get everything prepared correctly for the hospital, as well as put our two year-old son to bed in his usual way, which meant he was also relaxed and not worried about his mum.

“Once the labour progressed, Sam drove separately to the birthing centre and joined us in the birthing suite. My wife was in labour in the birthing pool for three hours before our daughter arrived and during that time, Sam let my wife and I ‘be in the moment’ together and offered help and support as and when we both needed it (e.g. if I used the bathroom, Sam stepped in to hold my wife’s hand and offer encouragement.

“Sam really helped me to stay focused during an emotional time and was there to remind me of all the little things that would help my wife through the birth, like giving her lip balm after she used gas and air.

“Sam stayed with us until after the birth and made sure we had everything we needed and were comfortable.

“This was the birth of our second child and it was significantly smoother and quicker than the birth of our first child. Sam definitely helped in making it a much nicer experience for both of us.”

– Richard Lock, father

“My wife and I were very lucky to be able to visit England at the end of 2020 for the birth of our second grandchild. We were unfamiliar with doulas at this time.

“Sam worked closely with our daughter at home, keeping her comfortable, helping her with her breathing and getting the baby into a good position. Sam had soft music playing and candles burning providing a calming atmosphere for our daughter, and us!

“Our daughter managed the entire process without meds which would not have been the case without Sam’s wonderful help and care. In fact it went so quickly and smoothly that our daughter and granddaughter were home the next afternoon by 1 PM. I accused them of going through the baby drive-thru window!

We were blessed to have Sam help bring our granddaughter into the world. She is a wonderful, caring person who now feels like part of our family. We highly recommend her to anyone needing help with the birth of our child. She is a five-start hero in our world!”

– Don & Rhonda Allen, grandparents