Hi, I'm Zoe. I live in Hersham, Surrey with my 2 boys and Dottie the cockapoo. I decided to become a doula after having my boys and having studied midwifery before having my own babies. I loved the connections I made within my midwifery studies with both medical staff, the families and women I worked with.  My aim is to empower woman and families through a life changing, challenging time and to be able to fill them with confidence leading up to their birth and in parenting, adapting to a new life. It also hugely important that new parents are provided with evidence based information throughout their pregnancy, labour and post birth. No matter how you birth your baby, support is something we all certainly need, I always say it's not a luxury it's a necessity for our own mental health and wellbeing. It's a great gift someone can give you. The support I offer is both emotional and physical, through birth and the postnatal period. Having supported women, partners and other members of the family throughout this special & emotional experience in the antenatal, birth and postnatal period, emphasises how invaluable a doula can be. I find it empowering to be able to provide this rewarding service. As women we experience many changes during both the antenatal and postnatal period, which I believe can sometimes go unnoticed or unaddressed, these changes can have a profound impact on you and your family. As a doula I try to recognise these changes, by listening and then signpost for any additional support that maybe required.  I have a huge interest in mental health during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period and will continue to explore and study more throughout my journey as a doula. I honestly believe that every doula have their own amazing qualities and I'd always say that its worth meeting more than one to establish a connection and build up trust and support with your doula. I was so lucky to have one of my amazing friends who is a midwife although very much supported me in a non medical way alongside the midwife caring for me when I went into labour with my first baby, without her my birth experience would have been different. Having experienced a challenging postnatal period myself, I have a great understanding as to how this can have a detrimental effect on your emotional and physical wellbeing.