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Postnatal (Mentored)
Lives in: London SE22
Local info and availability:
South East and South London including Dulwich, Camberwell, Denmark Hill, Brixton, Clapham, Nunhead, Forest Hill, Herne Hill, Peckham, Sydenham, Norwood, Crystal Palace, Brockley, Crofton Park, Ladywell, Hither Green, Catford, Deptford, New Cross, Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, Surrey Quays, Blackheath, Greenwich, Lewisham
Other services:
How to contact Tess :
Use the Contact form below or:
http://dulwichdoula.com
tesslamacraft@gmail.com
07958961396
About Me
Hello and welcome! I’m Tess, a postnatal doula living in East Dulwich. I’m a mum of two fantastic teenagers and I’m here to help and support you through those early days and weeks when everything can be a bit upside down, unknown, demanding, not to mention…sore.
Becoming a parent is an amazing and life-changing experience. You may have immersed yourself in antenatal classes, bonded with prospective parents at NCT courses (or not), scrolled through countless Instagram posts and websites all offering tips, advice and plenty of pictures of cute newborns gazing contentedly at their parents, however nothing can quite prepare you for the reality of becoming a parent.
Those first few hours, days and weeks after your baby is born are unique. They are all-consuming. They are likely to be peppered with moments of heart-swelling joy and plenty of incredible ‘firsts’. They can also be daunting, confusing, overwhelming and exhausting whether it’s your first birth, second or third.
How I can help you
As your postnatal doula I will be a super-calm, reassuring presence on hand to give you emotional and practical support – whether it be guiding you through breastfeeding or bottle feeding, helping to provide delicious nutritious meals or looking after another sibling while you bond with your newborn or catch-up on some much-needed rest.
I will be there to listen to you and be your sounding board. I’ll support and encourage you to trust your own instincts and find your own parenting style and will be on hand to signpost you to further specialist support if you feel you need it.
Magazines and TV to postnatal doula
Prior to training as a postnatal doula I’ve enjoyed a long career working in the media as an editor and writer. I am a former columnist for Pregnancy & Birth magazine and was a contributor to Mother & Baby when pregnant with my son. It was during that time that my interest in becoming a doula was first sparked thanks to some of the amazing and inspiring women I met whose careers have centred on supporting new parents.
When not providing postnatal support I continue to work as a writer interviewing all kinds of people; from fellow mums including Claudia Winkleman, Billie Piper, Kirsty Allsopp and Paloma Faith to well-known comedians, directors, famous chefs, gardeners, sleep experts and nutritionists, parents who’ve experienced loss and people living with disability and special needs who have achieved amazing things. I’m a very good listener and pride myself on being able to connect with people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
Local connections and experience
Having lived in East Dulwich since 2006, and before that, Brixton and Clapham, I’m a font of knowledge on the neighbourhood and surrounding boroughs and will be on hand to sign-post you to all kinds of local resources and groups that you may find helpful.
I had two very different birth and postnatal experiences myself. My daughter was born at St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster and my son at home thanks to the encouragement of my amazing local midwife Mary, who gave me the confidence to go for a home birth. (That spot by the fireplace in the living room will always be rather special).
Both babies had very different needs, patterns and ways of doing things right from the start and amid all the highs there were plenty of times when I was shattered, anxious and felt ‘I have no idea what I’m doing!’ Or, ‘I know what I’m supposed to be doing but I’ve only had three hours sleep / got one pair of hands/ don’t know what day of the week it is right now!’ If only I’d had a doula or even known they existed.
I strongly believe that having someone wholly dedicated to supporting you in those early postnatal days, weeks or months can make a huge amount of difference to your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and give you the positive start you deserve.
I attended the Younique Postnatal Doula Preparation Course in in June 2022 and am now a mentored doula and a member of Doula UK.
- Doula UK member
- Younique Postnatal Doula Preparation Course, June 2022
- Younique Postnatal Planning Workshop, October 2022
- Nurturing Mums: Supporting and Understanding Postnatal Care and Postnatal Depression,March 2023
- Paediatric First Aid Training, April 2023
- Fully insured / DBS checked
If you’d like to find out more and discuss how I can help and support you then please get in touch via the form below and we can arrange a good time for a chat. I’d love to hear from you,
Tess
