Lisa Sykes joined Nurturing Birth’s doula training course facilitator team in September 2021. We’re delighted to share Lisa’s story of her journey to doulaing! I am a trained birth and postnatal doula focused mostly on birth and offering postnatal support specifically for my birth clients. I can’t actually remember exactly when I first heard about…
About Doulaing
Doulas only support natural birth … and other myths
By Sophie Brigstocke I had a conversation the other day with someone who really wants to be a doula, but she was doubting her ability because she ended up having a caesarean when her baby was born – not the birth she had planned. She felt that somehow she wouldn’t qualify as a doula because she hadn’t had…
He Didn’t Get It (What is a doula?)
By Sophie Brigstocke A couple of years ago I went to a party where I was asked by a stranger what I did for work. When I replied that I was a doula the man looked baffled – he clearly hadn’t heard of doulas before. When I attempted to explain my role to him he replied with…
What is Mindful Hypnobirthing?
By Sophie Fletcher You may have come across hypnobirthing before, but what is the real difference between hypnobirthing and Mindful Hypnobirthing? Quite a lot really! As a hypnotherapist, my first introduction to hypnobirthing was pure hypnosis with some relaxation, breathing and knowledge about your body, which is brilliant for re-framing. A reframe is when you take…
How To Create A More LGBTQ+ Inclusive Doula Business
By Sarah Taylor How can you be an LGBTQ+ inclusive doula? Sarah Taylor shares her thoughts. The world of LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality can feel like a minefield full of acronyms, labels and changing legislation and rights for LGBTQ+ people. It can often be difficult to keep up, let alone learn about it all! One…
Birth Rights and Birth Choices
By Sophie Brigstocke This week the press reported a legal case involving a young woman who has agoraphobia. In advance of her birth her NHS care providers went to court to get legal consent to transfer her to hospital (against her wishes and with “proportionate” force) prior to labour. Whilst we can only rely on the media story…