“Women are not meant to shoulder the responsibility of motherhood alone. In an ideal situation the extended family would be able to provide continuous support at this early stage of parenting, but now most people live far away from their families.  Parents often have no previous experience of newborn babies until they are holding their own which can be daunting to say the least !  Postnatal Doulas specialise in guiding the newborn parents and baby through these early experiences as a new family by offering help and support once the baby is born.” Doula UK 

What I offer as a Postnatal Doula

I support breast, chestfeeding and bottle feeding and I can support your physical and emotional postnatal recovery. I can help with calming and getting your baby to sleep, look after your baby so you can sleep or have a bath etc. I can do shopping, prepare food and make sure you've eaten and rested. I’m also there to answer questions about breastfeeding and baby care and to listen to your birth story. I try to boost your confidence in looking after your baby, aiming to make your transition into parenthood smoother and less stressful. I can look after your older children, help around the house with light cleaning, washing and cooking so you have more time to spend with your baby. I can be available at varied times during the day and some evenings and if you give birth over the weekend and would like help with getting breastfeeding off to a good start that's fine too. I have supported many first time mums and birthing folk, with second & third babies and many families with twins.

Postnatal doulas basically help out around the house and look after you so you are calm and rested and have the confidence to look after your baby. We help with newborn baby care and can look after your baby while you rest. Having a doula takes away the worry about all the things that you don’t have the time or energy to do in the early weeks after you have given birth. This should be, as it is in many cultures, a time of rest and recovery while you adjust to the demands of a new baby and a different pace of life. All too often new parents live far from their families and don t have much family support. They are left to cope on their own, often with no or very little experience of what life with a newborn baby is like, or without help when adjusting to extending their family with a new baby.

Alexy 2014: "Our daughter was born slightly early and we were somewhat unprepared, Sue's help was invaluable right from the start, she came to visit me in hospital, provided great advice and support with breastfeeding as well as keeping our 2yr old son entertained. Sue managed to get hold of a lactation consultant when we realised our baby had a tongue tie, even though it was 24th December!" 

Naomi 1st time mum with twins: "Sue was an amazing help to me and I honestly don t know what I would have done without her!  At times when I felt exhausted and lonely, Sue would arrive and brighten up my day with chat, support and laughter"

Anna 2019 “I wanted to say a really, really big thank you for all you have done for us….Your support and input made all the difference …Thank you for making it possible for me to make the choice I wanted and have such a different birth experience … And afterwards, again, you’ve enabled me to recover in a way I didn’t before…I don’t think we’d be standing right now without you “

Breastfeeding

One of the most important things for a mother who is breastfeeding is to make sure that she has good support in the first few days to help get breastfeeding off to a good start. Many problems can be avoided by looking at how to encourage a good latch and positioning and attachment in the first few days after birth. Sometimes assistance is needed a few weeks or even months into a breastfeeding journey, it is not only for the early weeks…

Most people give birth in hospitals now where the postnatal care is often less than optimal due to midwifery shortages and a general lack of knowledge around breastfeeding. Hospitals vary hugely with the postnatal support they offer, some have a dedicated breastfeeding support team, some have volunteer supporters and others only overworked and exhausted midwives…I am passionate about supporting new parents with breastfeeding, whether it’s optimizing a newborn’s latch and milk transfer or helping the breast/chest feeding parent working through any issues that arise during their breastfeeding journey. I completed a wonderful and informative course on Breastfeeding & Human Lactation [www.breastfeedinglondon.co.uk] it’s been so useful to have more in depth knowledge and it is already helping my work as a postnatal doula

There are many amazing and free breastfeeding support groups and charitable organisations such as La Leche League - http://www.laleche.org.uk/ Breastfeeding Network https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/ and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers - http://abm.me.uk/ who have experienced volunteers on their free helplines, organize free breastfeeding support groups as well as having lots of information on their websites.

Emily Feb 2021 1st baby 6 days old “…I also wanted to say a massive thanks for your support on Friday, I have successfully breastfed every time since you left!! You really helped give me a confidence boost, he’s now opening his mouth really wide and feeding so well. Plus no pain for me! It’s amazing, thank you so much…”