Sophy Yildirim (She/Her)

About Me

I am Sophy Yildirim she/her. I am a full-spectrum antenatal, birth and postnatal doula & antenatal/ hypnobirthing teacher based in Portsmouth, UK. I live with my husband, our two teenage children and our dog. I started supporting parents and prospective parents as a breastfeeding support charity volunteer in 2007. I am a retired La Leche League leader. I became a doula after 7 years of running a baby sling library and information service called Southsea Slings. I continue provide Southsea Slings services. I have extensive experience of providing infant feeding and new parent support.  I have experience in supporting a wide range of different births & birthing peoples’ choices including: VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean)  as well as HBAC (home birth after caesarean), caesarean birth, home water birth, dry land homebirth, ‘high risk’ homebirth, birth without medical professionals, birth in hospital & birth in birth centres. As your doula I can assist you in preparing fully; making space and time for you to talk, think and plan for the pregnancy & birth you want. I am here to support you through your pregnancy & birth, giving you unconditional, non-judgmental encouragement and warmth. As your postnatal doula I am here to offer you essential areas of support. Simply listening to you without any agenda, providing specific practical support, e.g. infant feeding or baby carrying solutions, helping out with a baby’s siblings, or with basic household tasks. I offer companionship that boosts your confidence. Often the support I give is emotional and practical rolled into one. I studied law and anthropology, this helped to build the foundations for being a doula; especially the knowledge that our human rights are critical in making truly informed choices. Access to evidence based information in preparation for becoming parents, giving birth and caring for babies, is crucial. This preparation helps to ensure a more positive experience of birth, becoming a parent and the postnatal period. I had the honour of providing my birth-keeping support services during the COVID 19 pandemic; in person and remotely. These were both home and hospital births. I have also enjoyed providing postnatal support in-person and on-line. I am very pleased to have studied on Leila Baker’s Side By Side Doula Preparation Course. ​In 2020 I also attended online: The Queer Birth Club’s ‘LGBT+ Competency Workshop’ with AJ Silver and ‘Black Breastfeeding Week – International Online Event’ organised by Breaking Breastfeeding Barriers. ​I am proud to be a supporter member of the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services – AIMS. I was actively involved in a Portsmouth Peer-to-Peer Birth Support Group after my first child was born in 2004. I now love volunteering as the co-chair for a not-for-profit community support group called Informed Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond. If you are interested in the services I provide please do contact me, or feel free to go ahead and book a FREE discovery call with me via my website www.doulasophy.co.uk/book-online