Victoria Greenly – West Sussex

About Me

Becoming a mother is a momentous experience and one that needs lots of nurturing and support.  Our culture does not often revere and respect the precious time after a baby is born or the mother who has birthed her child.  With my focus on supporting families postnatally, I hope to make this time as rewarding and positive as possible.

Babies don’t come with manuals is an often used phrase. And whilst this is true, there are many books out there telling you how you should care for your new baby. My ideal is to help you find your own path through all the confusing and often conflicting information and advice given by health professionals, friends, family and books. As a postnatal doula, I will help you understand the choices on offer to you so you can feel confident about the way you decide to care for your newborn.

I also feel it is very important to protect a family’s ‘babymoon’ and even create a bespoke and cherished ‘mother and babymoon’.  In the past, new mothers often stayed in hospital for longer periods of time postpartum or had communities that would rally round them, so that they could be cared for and given the space to recuperate from what is in no uncertain terms a huge experience. I will be present for your new family so together we can all create an environment that is conducive to rest, bonding with your baby and free from anxiety.

As an experienced postnatal doula, I can offer emotional support: help you explore your birth experience and tackle any trauma, be a listening ear to any concerns or worries you may have after your baby’s birth and ride the rollercoaster of any downs and ups!  If you think you are developing depression or anxiety, we can work through this together.  We can keep checks on how much you are looking after yourself mentally.

On a practical level I can: look after your baby for you and your partner to have a sleep/rest/bath/shower so you can recuperate and recover.

I can look after older children, go shopping/run errands/tidy up/wipe down surfaces/load and sort washing/load dishwasher and wash up and cook healthy and nutritious meals, so you can feel like your home is running how you would like and you are nourished to aid your recovery.

I can also give you confidence in caring for your newborn by exploring with you all the information out there about feeding/sleeping/baby rhythms and development from up to date and accurate research sources as well as observational experience. I am happy to talk through product options eg types of nappies, baby slings etc, signpost you to helpful organisations/groups for further support/activities and help you with the transition to parenthood.

I can support you in your physical recovery and explore ideas which can benefit you.  I offer a postnatal recovery treatment with some abdominal massage to help you recuperate and relax.

I have supported a wide variety of situations postnatally including surrogacy, babies conceived through fertility treatment, older mothers and women who have experienced multiple miscarriages and stillbirths before giving birth.

I have also supported families with twins and realise that there is a huge amount of support needed after birth.

My rate as an experienced postnatal doula is £25 ph plus travel costs dependent on location, minimum of 2 hours for walking distance journeys and 3 hours for journeys over half an hour from my home.

Many mothers can find breastfeeding tricky and may have a lot of questions, or find their baby is not feeding in the way they expected. As an experienced breastfeeding and infant feeding counsellor, I offer a 2 hour breastfeeding visit package for £60-£75 dependent on location. In this session we will look at your baby’s feeding patterns, milk supply, optimal positioning and attachment as well as any other issues you may be experiencing. I have supported many mothers whose babies have reflux and take a special interest in helping you through what can be a worrying and tiring time.  I have extensive knowledge of expressing and bottle feeding, both breastmilk and formula and can give you the confidence to help you feel like you are bottle feeding your baby in the best way possible.

I completed my Nurturing Birth doula training in July 2012.

Basic First Aid knowledge.

Extensive breastfeeding support experience, breastfeeding and infant feeding counsellor.
Tongue Tie and Breastfeeding Seminar: options for dealing with tongue tie and post operative healing, allergy in the bf baby, antenatal expressing, drugs and breastfeeding, King’s College Hospital, September 2013.
Breastfeeding Study Days with Lactation Consultant, Anna Page, October 2013 and January 2014.
Tongue Tie Talk with midwife and IBCLC, Hilary Myers, September 2014.

Jack Newman Conference, Sept 2019

Since September 2011, I have supported many mothers with breastfeeding and postnatal care in Wandsworth’s baby clinics and children’s centres and have qualifications as a breastfeeding counsellor.
I have lots of experience with a multitude of breastfeeding issues including: tongue tie, flat/inverted nipples, insufficient glandular tissue, reflux, colic, food intolerances, thrush, mastitis, milk supply and sore/cracked nipples.

Of great importance to me is guiding parents to make their own choices on how to feed and care for their baby.

Great interest in lactogenic foods, herbs and postnatal nutrition. I can cook some lactogenic recipes for you if desired.
Postnatal herbs, nutrition and mother warming practices – Wysewomen, July 2015
Continued personal development and study in postnatal care.

0-5s Parenting Course with the Family Caring Trust, completed January 2013.

Twins and More Workshop – Younique Postnatal, September 2015

Postnatal Recovery Treatment – Sophie Messager, Dec 2019

Holistic Sleep Mini Course – Lyndsey Hookway, 2020

Give Relief with your Debrief and 3 Step TBR Rewind Method – 2020

Supporting Every Birth Workshop (focusing on miscarriage and baby loss) – Michelle Every, May 2015

Introduction to Hypnobirthing with Lisa Jackson, October 2013.
‘Giving Mothers a Map’ during Labour and Birth – Natalie Meddings, October 2015
Rebozo for Pregnancy, Labour and Beyond, Clare Blake, October 2015

Being Present with Mark Harris, November 2015

Vaginal Breech Birth – Michel Odent, Feb 2016

‘Recipes’ for Normal Birth – Sara Wickham, Feb 2016

Sacred Pregnancy workshop – March 2016

I am currently training to be a fertility doula with Sacred Fertility and would like to support women in all stages of their fertility journey.  The rollercoaster of trying to conceive a baby can be draining and full of disappointment, so I would like to be present for you as you experience your journey and support you through the ups and downs, as well as sharing the knowledge and tips I have for trying to conceive.

I also offer full spectrum care particularly during miscarriage or stillbirth.  Having experienced both myself, I feel it is hugely important to get positive support through both of these devastating experiences.

I also have basic counselling skills and am happy to talk through any emotional worries a mother may have or feelings of depression. I am a good listener and have a calm, empathetic and warm manner.

In 2015, I partnered up with Sally-Anne Holman and Naomi Kemeny to launch Younique Postnatal – a course provider to prepare and develop postnatal doulas in the UK – website www.youniquepostnatal.co.uk.

Testimonials:
“Thanks so much for all your care and support over the last few weeks. You have been amazing and can’t thank you enough. Justin will miss you!” Milla, Tom, Justin and Poppy

“Victoria helped me with information on ideal feeding positions as we were bottle-feeding our daughter, practical things such as wind and digestion, general discussions on baby development, next steps and expectations as well as being kind enough to help me with many, many books. She is very good in terms of offering pros and cons of various issues i.e. dummy use, yet lets you decide what you believe is the best for your baby. My experience has been excellent.”
Simona, George and Eva, 3 months