My name is Shahanara Begum. I am a poet, a wife, a mother and now a doula. I live in South London with my family and our spur-thigh tortoise, Kiseki.
I am currently being mentored as a birth doula. After 11 years of motherhood, I decided to train with Doula UK to support pregnant women at this exhilarating milestone. Giving birth is a triumphant new beginning.
This phase of life is transformative.
I aim to give my all in providing continuity of care and individualised support tailored to the needs of my clients. I am ready to attend to and absorb their experiences, to hold space for them throughout the ebb and flow of emotions, physical changes and dynamic needs, specific to each woman around birth.
As a writer first and foremost, my poetry and spoken word inform my motherhood. My work as a birthing doula is an extension of this, a celebration of how we are both incredibly delicate and powerful. I believe I have the requisite skills and the openness of mind to fully take on this role.
My approach to birth is holistic and my methods, hand on, encompassing physical, mental and spiritual health. I use herbs and spices for their healing and nutritional properties. My interest in life lies in recognising how we are more alike than we are unalike, entering motherhood, we all seek a spiritual experience by which to honour the new family. In this, I see my role as that of a birthkeeper.
