WHAT IS A DOULA?
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to individuals during significant life transitions, most commonly childbirth. Their role is to offer comfort, guidance, and advocacy, helping to create a positive and empowered experience for the birthing person. By offering techniques such as relaxation, breathing, and pain management, along with compassionate emotional support, doulas help ensure that their clients feel safe, informed, and supported throughout labour and beyond. Some doulas also integrate spiritual or holistic practices, tailoring their care to meet the unique needs of each individual.
“If a woman doesn't look like a GODDESS in labour then someone isn't treating her right.” Ina May Gaskin
Hi! I’m Charlotte, a doula, energetic healer, and mum of two beautiful daughters, based in South West London. After the birth of my first daughter in 2020, I was struck by the incredible power of women during birth and postpartum. That experience helped me realize I had found my true purpose. I retrained as a doula and have since supported many families in welcoming their babies, whether during pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period. I’ve seen firsthand how deeply the birth experience impacts your journey as a new family, and I believe the transition into parenthood deserves to be honored as the sacred rite of passage it is.
No matter how you choose to birth, I’m here to make sure you do so with confidence, knowing that you have someone in your corner—providing you with all the information you need, and offering the warmth and reassurance that can be so valuable during this time of uncertainty. I completed my training with Developing Doulas, and have since gained further certifications in hypnobirthing, breastfeeding support, babywearing, and reiki. I offer a holistic and bespoke package of support, tailored to meet you where you are—whether that’s practical, emotional, or spiritual.
As your doula, my role isn’t to influence your choices, but to ensure they are entirely yours, based on solid, evidence-based information, free from fear or external pressure. I care deeply that the birthing person feels at the very center of everything, that they feel loved, and that they trust in their body’s ability to birth their baby. My support is client-led and respectful of your personal choices, regardless of my own beliefs.
In short, I offer you the chance to explore what your perfect birth looks like, and I’m here to walk beside you as you achieve it. I’ll be by your side during antenatal appointments, on hand for any doubts or questions, and a calming, supportive presence during birth and those first precious hours. I also strongly believe in planning for the postpartum period, offering practical and emotional support when the time comes.
MOTHER-CENTRED & EVIDENCE-BASED
Having the continuity of care provided by a doula who works with you during pregnancy, birth, and postnatally may seem like common sense, but the strongest argument for having a doula isn’t just gut instinct. Research findings from trials involving tens of thousands of women has proven that having a doula at your birth results in:
– A 50% reduction in caesarean rate
– 25% shorter labour
– 60% reduction in epidural requests
– 40% reduction in synthetic oxytocin use (induction hormone)
– 30% reduction in analgesia use
– 40% reduction in forceps delivery
*Cochrane Reports 2017 & 2019
GET IN TOUCH
If you’re interested in working with a doula for your birth and the postnatal period, or perhaps you’d just like to learn more - let’s have a chat. Call, message on WhatsApp or email and we can meet for a coffee or arrange a Zoom to discuss.
