Doula
Postnatal & Birth Doula Support in St Albans, Hertfordshire
Support for birth, recovery and finding your feet with a new baby.
Pregnancy and birth come with an enormous amount to think about. But support shouldn't suddenly stop once your baby is here.
I offer warm, practical and non-judgemental doula support to families in St Albans and surrounding Hertfordshire, through pregnancy, birth and the early weeks and months of life with a new baby.
Whether you are preparing for the birth of your baby or adjusting to life on the other side of it, my role is simple: to help you feel supported, informed and a little less like you have to hold everything together by yourself.
Support shouldn't stop when your baby is born
So much attention is placed on preparing for labour and birth.
Then your baby arrives, everyone asks how they are doing... but who's there to ask about you?
Suddenly you're navigating recovery, feeding, sleep, hormones, visitors, washing, meals and an entirely new version of everyday life.
That is where postnatal doula support can make a real difference.
A postnatal doula isn't there to take over or tell you how to parent. I am there to support you while you work out what feels right for your family.
Sometimes that means reassurance.
Sometimes it means practical help.
Sometimes it means holding the baby while you shower, making you lunch and putting a load of washing on while you finally sit down with a hot cup of tea.
There is no one-size-fits-all version of postnatal support.
We start with what would make today feel easier.
Postnatal Doula Support
An extra pair of hands.
A listening ear.
Someone firmly in your corner.
Postnatal support is completely shaped around you and your family.
It might include:
Rest and recovery
Time to sleep, shower, eat or simply switch off for a little while knowing your baby is being cared for nearby.
Feeding and newborn support
A calm, reassuring presence while you get to know your baby, navigate feeding and build confidence in those early weeks.
Practical help at home
Making lunch, loading the dishwasher, folding washing, preparing food or taking care of the small jobs that can suddenly feel enormous with a newborn.
Emotional support
Space to talk honestly about birth, recovery, feeding, sleep, parenthood or whatever happens to be taking up space in your head that day.
Support for the whole family
Helping partners and older siblings find their feet too, so the whole household has a little more breathing space while everyone adjusts.
What could a postnatal doula visit actually look like?
There’s no need to get yourself or the house ready before I arrive. Come as you are, washing pile and all.
I might make you a cup of tea while you feed the baby and we talk about how the last few days have been.
Maybe you want to hand me the baby and take some time for yourself, whether that means having a shower, eating something properly or simply sitting down without someone needing you for five minutes.
While you do that, I might unload the dishwasher, put some lunch together or fold the washing that has been sitting in the basket since yesterday.
Maybe you want some reassurance around feeding or settling.
Maybe you want someone beside you for that first trip out with the baby.
Or maybe you've barely slept and the most useful thing I can do is care for your baby nearby while you get some much-needed rest.
Postnatal doula support isn't about arriving with a checklist.
It is about looking at what you need that day and starting there.
Birth Doula Support
Calm, continuous support as you prepare for and welcome your baby.
Birth doula support focuses on pregnancy, labour and birth.
We spend time getting to know one another before your baby arrives, talking through your preferences, your options and what matters most to you.
When labour begins, I am there to provide continuous emotional and practical support to you and your birth partner.
I won't make decisions for you or tell you how you should give birth.
Instead, I can help you understand your options, create a calm and supportive environment and feel more confident making decisions that are right for you.
Your birth partner is very much part of the team too. My role isn't to replace them, but to support both of you so they can concentrate on being your partner rather than feeling responsible for remembering everything.
Birth doula or postnatal doula?
Birth Doula
Support focused primarily around pregnancy, labour and birth.
This can include:
Antenatal preparation
Talking through birth preferences
Emotional and practical support during labour
Supporting your birth partner
Helping you understand your choices
Support as you settle immediately after birth
Postnatal Doula
Support focused on the days, weeks and months after your baby arrives.
This can include:
Rest and recovery
Practical help at home
Newborn support
Feeding reassurance
Emotional support
Support for partners and siblings
Helping you find your rhythm as a family
Looking for support through both?
Absolutely.
If you would like continuity from pregnancy and birth into your postnatal period, we can talk about creating support that works for you and your family.
Why Strong Birth Club?
Support that centres you, not somebody else's idea of how things should be done.
I believe good doula support isn't about telling you what the "right" choice is.
It is about making sure you feel listened to, respected and supported while you make the choices that are right for you.
As a mum, hypnobirthing teacher and doula, I know how much difference it can make to have someone beside you who understands your options, listens without judgement and isn't bringing their own agenda into the room.
Birth and early parenthood can be unpredictable.
You don't need someone promising you a perfect experience.
You need someone who can support you through the experience you are actually having.
Doula support in St Albans and Hertfordshire
Strong Birth Club is based in St Albans and I support families across St Albans and surrounding areas of Hertfordshire.
Postnatal support takes place in your own home, allowing the help you receive to fit around your baby, your recovery and real family life.
I currently support families in and around:
St Albans • Harpenden • Wheathampstead • London Colney • Radlett • Hatfield • Welwyn Garden City • Hemel Hempstead
If you live slightly further afield, please get in touch and we can have a chat about whether I am able to travel to you.
Not sure what kind of support you need yet?
You don't need to know exactly what you want before you get in touch.
You might be pregnant and thinking ahead.
You might already have your baby and have suddenly realised that an extra pair of hands would make an enormous difference.
Or you might simply want to understand what having a doula could look like for your family.
Tell me a little about you, your due date or your baby's age, where you live and what kind of support you are considering.
We can take it from there.