"You are the giver of life.

May the optimism of tomorrow

be your foundation of today.

And if we must wait for the salvation

may your temporary forever feel much less than a day.

‘I’ is ‘we’ and ‘we’ is power

And WE are powerless if we just become nothing

But you and they.

May peace be in your hearts" 

"Because of Scarlett we were able to make all the right judgement calls at the right time" Anastasia in COVID time.   

I am now only doing antenatal education & postnatal support. If you would like to know more about home birthing please do not hesitate in emailing me. 

Whatever your circumstances are, I customise my service to your needs.  Even after over 40 years working with parents and babies, I never cease to be amazed at the power, resilience and love that women have at every birth.  

I am passionate about supporting mothers and fathers to be able to feel confident in their decision making for themselves and their children. The act of physical birth is deeply entwined with the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the woman and the event. When we acknowledge this, the woman and her family are empowered to be able to direct the course of events to their own satisfaction. 

I am a New Zealand educated midwife, now practicing as a doula here in the UK. I have been involved in women’s physical, mental and emotional health for over 40 years. On arriving here in the UK, via 3 years in Bali, I discovered that continuity-of-care was not an option for most pregnant women in the larger cities. I consider this to be one of the most important things for a happy outcome for mother and baby through the birthing process and the first few weeks of the babe’s life. 

I first heard of doulas back in the 70’s but they were unknown in New Zealand at that time (they are still rare) Upon coming back to the UK, I found that doulas had become very popular with the decline of continuity-of-care within the high density cities. So I made the decision to become a doula here as this fitted perfectly with my philosophy on childbirth and infant care. 

My first doula assignment was in the early 70's with my friend in Los Angeles.  I then became a mother in the late ‘70’s at the age of 22 and it was after attending many births in the 80’s I was invited to be the birthing companion to my friend and her husband in the early 90’s… for her homebirth…. which turned into a BBA.  This coincided with a desire for a career change at the time. 

The desire to support and empower women in their right of choice for childbirth called and I went down the path of midwifery and counseling. I found that I was counseling women more and more, listening to their birth stories and supporting them through some traumatic experiences. The first-time parents also needed lots of support and coaching through the antenatal period & birth and then most importantly – the postnatal period.... now what do we do with this beautiful little being that they had created together?  

This role earned me the title of a spiritual midwife and that in turn led me to a greater education in women’s mental and emotional health. I also realised after becoming a grandmother – that the doula role perfectly fits the Grandmother archetype. I am a passionate advocate of the bonding of baby and the mother (or main caregiver) after birth as I feel this leads to a more balanced, healthier and connected adult in later life. (This is now being researched extensively in the present day). 

I have lots of ‘tools’ in my toolbox and lots of experience to draw from… however I cannot ‘tell’ you what to do – what I can do, is to suggest many options to help you make your own decisions about what is right for you and your family, thereby enabling you a better opportunity to live a more full and enriched life. 

I have attended natural births, home births, cesarean, ventouse, forceps and VBAC deliveries. My qualifications as a midwife are not valid here in the UK so i cannot be in a place of responsibility for any medical decisions or advice. At present I am booked up for birth attendance until Sept 2025..  However I am happy to offer antenatal & postnatal support with the possibility of virtual birth attendance. 

I support and study Ina May Gaskin, Frederick Leboyer, Michel Odent, Dr Gabor Mate, Gordon Neufeld, Dr Bruce Lipton, hypnobirthing, , waterbirthing, La Leche League, breastfeeding support groups. Plus many complimentary therapies such as Bach Flowers, Homeopathy, aromatherapy, massage, placenta encapsulation, Closing The Bones, 3 Step Rewind, plus more. I am happy to do your baby’s Human Design chart for a small fee. 

As well as doing my doula training with Conscious Birth, these are some of the courses that I have attended Ellie Cook - 3 Step Rewind 

Molly O'Brien - Biomechanics for Birth & upgraded course 

Penny Simkin - Doulas from a Distance 

Sara Wickham - Gathering in the Knowledge & Vit K 

Aromatherapy for Childbirth - Lindsay Woodman & Jude Davis 

Kicki Hansard's Antenatal and Preparation Course 

Ofsted First Aid Paediatric Certificate - 2018 Infant Nutrition - CPD certificate 

Closing The Bones - Sophie Messager 

Grief Recovery Training 

Suicide Bereavement Training 

Tide - Trauma Informed Practise - Kate Woods - 2019 

One Of Many Coaching (for women) 

Cultural Safety 

Holding Space for Trauma - Dandelion Trust 

Supporting Parents through Loss and Bereavement - Sands 

I was trained as a midwife in NZ thou have not been directly practicing midwifery for a few years. I am also a NZ trained counselor and a trained coach from the only program in the UK that was designed by women for women. - One of Many. 

For several years I facilitated and coached groups and individuals that supported women with emotional, mental and sexual issues. 

REFERENCES: Scarlett both educated me and empowered me to have the birth I wanted to have.  Spending time and learning from her before and after my labour felt like I was better connected to, and learning from the ancient wisdom of motherhood and birth.  As a result I felt so well prepared emotionally and physically to do something I'd never done before.  I felt held supported and encouraged to trust in my body and to connect to my intuition.  I loved that Scarlett actively welcomed and included my partner Sam in the whole experience and preparation of the birth and as a result my relationship with Sam deepened and I felt I was part of a supportive and loving team to bring our baby into this world. - Lucy Foster-Perkins 2022 

Scarlett had so much wisdom, loving support and empowering confidence.  She was such a special and important part of our experience of bringing our daughter into the world.  We are so grateful to have her to guide us throughout. 2022 

We are so grateful that Scarlett was our doula for our first baby, or as we like to call Scarlett, our fairy godmother! Being pregnant and giving birth during a pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty as the rules in the hospital and birth centre were always changing. However one thing always remained the same, and that was the level of support and guidance that Scarlett provided the entire time. Overall we had such a positive birth experience, and that is really attributed to Scarlett’s calming demeanour and her wealth of experience. We truly believe our birth experience would not have been as positive if it wasn’t for Scarlett. Melissa &  Brett - 2021 

Scarlett was there for me when no one else was. She made me feel important and I would not have been as well supported not even by my own family. Her past experience as a midwife helped me a lot by providing me the best advice for my baby as well as for my health. As a new Mum I faced a lot of uncertainties as regards to the baby, I thought I cannot do the best for my son. Scarlett helped me change that opinion. She convinced me I can do it, I can be a very good mother. My relationship with her is deeply positive as she was the best support throughout my hardest time. This is something unforgettable. She helped me a lot in the hospital, she acted on my behalf with the nurses and doctors there by asking them question in order for me to get the best support available. She was a great support with breastfeeding and how to look after myself and my baby when we arrived home. E -  March 2020 

Having Scarlett as your doula from a new Dad. As a couple who had never been through the birth process before, my main priority was to ensure that we had done everything we could to make the birth a positive experience for my partner and for her to feel that I had been a real support to her. Interestingly, one hypnobirthing practitioner that we met, said that she didn’t suggest engaging a doula for her own births, as she was worried that her husband might feel sidelined...NOT SO, quite the opposite! Scarlett’s presence both in preparation for and during the birth, gave me the added confidence to step up and play the active part in the birth that I had always hoped I would. Scarlett is enormously experienced having previously been a midwife in New Zealand, something that we felt set her apart from other doulas, and Scarlett also has knowledge and experience in other areas such as counselling, womens’ mental health and aromatherapy, that we felt added depth to what she could bring to our journey as a first time birthing couple. If we had not had a doula, our birthing team would have been my wife, me and the midwife, and as a first time birthing partner, despite having done as much homework around birthing as I could, I still would have felt unsure of myself as to how best to support my wife. When Scarlett arrived at the hospital, she immediately brought her loving personality and maternal / professional confidence into the room, and I felt straight away that no matter which direction our birthing experience took, we would be supported and cared for. I felt that we had a true ally in the room. Part of working with a doula is having some preparatory meetings prior to the birth and this made all the difference. It gave both me and my wife a great deal of security and confidence to feel known at this deeply personal time. The midwife that we had was fantastic but the dimension of having someone in the room with you, who knows you and whose role is to look out for what you want is an amazing boon. Knowing one another in advance of the birth enabled us to work together as a team that had trust at its centre. Scarlett not only supported my wife magnificently during the birth but also guided me as to how best to encourage and love my wife during this dramatic, amazing and precious time. With all our heart...thank you Scarlett. P & O – 2019 

Scarlett was amazing, its incredible to think that one person can transform your home into a spa, there was an air of serenity for both my baby and I. It was the first day since I could remember, that i felt relaxed and was able to indulge in some much needed me time, without having to worry about anything. She instantly connected with my baby and gave me helpful guidance throughout the day which made me feel more confident as a new time mother. Delaine Surani Pandit - 2017 

Scarlett was confidant, very experienced and has lots of knowledge in natural/alternative remedies, which I found very helpful.   She was also very respectful of mine and my partner’s wishes and relationship. During my labour, which was intense with no breaks, Scarlett didn’t leave my side and was intuitive as to what I needed to help with positions and pain. She also helped with the baby’s latch, took wonderful photos and made a placenta smoothie for me. She queried the midwives decision to admit me to hospital, after a normal water birth at home, which made me feel someone was standing up for me. Iona – 2018 

We would like to thank Scarlett for all her support and for making the whole experience very special. She allowed me and my husband to focus on the moment and to embrace the beauty of labour and bringing baby to the world. We loved her positive, holistic approach and soothing voice. Aromatherapy, sound therapy, massage and huge focus on mental support were my favourite. With her extensive knowledge and experience we felt safe and well looked after. We highly recommend Scarlett to anyone looking to go through easier and less stressful labour and first few days of being a new parent. Maria K. – 2018 

Scarlett was highly supportive and a wealth of experience.  She has a good listening ear, was calming and reassuring and gave good directions. I liked her midwifery background with her spiritual outlook on life. She was a ‘mother’ figure for me. A one-size approach doesn’t work and Scarlett offered different ways to look at things.  She was good at encouraging me to listen to my instincts.  She was very empowering and gave lots of options. She fulfilled anything that she was asked to do. Layla – 2018 

I was very glad to have Scarlett during the first few weeks, as I was a first time mum. She gave a lot of guidance, was a great counselor and gave me practical and emotional support.  When I had to make difficult decisions, she was very insightful in matters of birth and babies.  Scarlett was a great listener. When I felt stressed and emotional she provided a lot of comfort and encouragement. She was also very patient.  I had a great rapport with her. I was able to be very open and also liked listening to her. I would recommend her to other mothers.        Elena - November 2018

 Scarlett was a great help - she had lots of tips and suggestions but i never felt like she was telling me what to do. She was so understanding in helping me to breastfeed and very sympathetic when hearing about our negative experiences we had in hospital. She was so nice with our baby - a bit like another grandma - albeit a much more experienced one - and one I could hear suggestions from, which I can't with my own mother! She is also a very interesting person to chat to - so we did that too! CA – 2017 

Scarlett has a wonderful skill to calm you down as a first time mum, make you more confident and provide you good suggestions. She was available on the phone and eager to address baby-related concerns which is of great support. Scarlett is great in every respect – she is very caring, attentive and supportive. She is very experienced, definitely knows her job and has a great personality. J.P. - 2017 

“It is a matter of the woman being comfortable, not stressed, in a place where she feels safe, without people fussing, without other people stressing, without anyone else trying to have her baby for her, no clocks, no timing, no telling her what her body already knows.” Libby Williams