Step by Step Doula

After a traumatic second birth with my daughter, I decided to look for a doula. I wanted someone in the room who could advocate for me and help me feel truly cared for and Anne-Marie did all of that and more. I had shared care with Anne-Marie and another wonderful doula, Kate. We met around four times during my pregnancy, talking through any concerns, worries, or fears I had. They guided us through hypnobirthing techniques and helped us create a birth plan, leaving both my husband and me feeling confident, prepared, and in very safe hands. Anne-Marie was always available at the end of the phone, no matter the time, whenever I needed reassurance or had a question. When the birth came, Anne-Marie brought such a calm and reassuring presence to the room. My husband and I were so grateful to have her there, we felt supported every step of the way. I finally understand what women mean when they say they enjoyed their birthing experience and felt empowered. Thank you so much to Anne-Marie and Kate for helping me achieve the birth I truly deserved.

Anne-Marie helped me and my husband a lot before, during and after birth of our son. While preparation period she told us a lot of useful information about birth, getting ready for it, initial care for baby (special thanks for wonderful books and interesting articles). Anne-Marie was constantly “online” for my queries (eg my labour started spontaneously before term, but at 4am we were discussing what’s going on with Anne-Marie). During day X she provided both of us a lot of support and helped making all this journey easier and more comprehensive. Even after birth of our child Anne-Marie assisted us by giving emotional support and helpful advices - I know that she is always there for me and could rely on her. Her knowledge, kindness and soft approach are the main reasons why Anne-Marie was the best choice for us!

I genuinely cannot put into words how much Anne-Marie has changed our lives, but I’m going to try. 
We hired Anne-Marie to be our doula for the birth of our baby and to support us post-natal. My birth was long and complicated and her presence kept me calm where I would have otherwise panicked. My hospital stay was extremely challenging and I am pretty sure that her support and advocacy kept me alive. In the post-natal stage, she has helped us around the house, with childcare, emotional support, guidance around the healthcare system, learning how to look after our baby and bond with him, buying the right stuff for his needs, learning to play with him and support his learning... anything we have needed, Anne-Marie has been there every single step of the way. She has been supporting us and helping us raise our baby for 9 months now. The baby adores her. The cat adores her. We adore her. I cannot imagine not having her in our family, she has earned a lifetime of birthday party invitations.

After a difficult first birth, I was determined second time round that I wanted to birth at home, with support. I am so grateful that I found Anne-Marie, maybe one of the kindest humans you will meet. She helped me walk through my apprehensions about going through labour again. We talked about how things went wrong the first time and she held space to walk through the emotions of it all with me. We talked about how we’d like things to look this time round, what were the non negotiables and who could make decisions. Yes we touched on the process of birth, but for me it was all about informed choice. Just knowing someone would be there to be my advocate and not let the medical system steamroll me meant the world. I wish I had met her when I was pregnant with my first! I had my dream birth, a water birth, at home and my little boy has been flourishing ever since, which I 100% put down to his calm birth. Anne-Marie, you restored my confidence in my body, you gave me peace when I was fearful or uncertain, you kept the midwives in line and to top it all off wrote out a timeline of events to mark my boys arrival that I will treasure forever. Thank you for healing a part of me that I felt had been stolen during my first labour. Thank you for loving me during our visits and texts in between. Thank you for being there when I needed you. And thank you for helping me believe that I can trust my body. I had a healthy happy boy, no trauma and a good recovery and I completely put that down to your guidance, love and support. I cannot recommend Anne-Marie enough to be at your side for your pregnancy, labour and post natal support. She is incredible, knowledgeable, compassionate and loving. Everything you’d want in a doula!

I really couldn’t recommend Anne-Marie enough, she listens to absolutely everything I wanted throughout my pregnancy and got to know me so she could assist me through birth my way. I ended up birthing mostly with Anne-Marie, my mum and sister when midwives didn’t turn up. Anne-Marie not only comforted me but my birthing partners when they started panicking. She provided us with as much information as I needed to help me make informed decisions both during pregnancy and labour. Every time I would tense up or panic, Anne-Marie was there to remind me to calm down, chance positions, listen to music etc which inevitably made my labour so much more calm and enjoyable as I was able to relax and not be constantly thinking throughout labour. She also stayed with me when I transferred to hospital after birth, made sure the health care professionals listened to my wants and still supports me to this day when I need her.

We would absolutely recommend Ann Marie. From the preparation and support through pregnancy, to her presence and support at the birth, to the support and chats we had post natally. Ann Marie was absolutely fantastic, worth her weight in gold! She helped us advocate for what we wanted and supported during labour to move things along. 100% my labour experience wouldn't have been so positive without her there.

I highly recommend Anne-Marie as a postpartum doula. She has positively influenced my journey into motherhood. In the very early days, she helped with tips on how to breastfeed more effectively and was very knowledgeable about the proper nutrition needed to keep up milk supply. She was the cheerleader I needed when I became frustrated with breastfeeding and reassured me that I was doing things right (which is what every new mum wants and needs to hear!). Her gentle and calming nature has eased both my husband's and my anxieties. Anne-Marie has helped us understand the different phases our son is going through and is a consistent support system we need. We feel extremely comfortable leaving our son in her care while we were able get a few hours rest. She also kindly helps us with food prep so the entire family is fed and cared for.

Have you ever talked to someone for the first time and instantly felt at ease? From my first phone call with Anne-Marie I knew I wanted her to be my doula. She is understanding and non-judgmental. She supported me throughout my pregnancy and helped me prepare for labour when due date was approaching. My partner works outside the country so Anne-Marie supported both of us. I had a long labour (27hrs) and she was there from 4am until baby was born. My labour didn’t go as I had planned but i felt fully supported and confident. I can’t imagine having going through pregnancy and labour without Anne-Marie and I can’t thank her or recommend her enough.

I can not recommend Anne Marie’s doula services enough. She’s has been on hand through out my pregnancy to offer kind words, evidence based knowledge and general advice and support of how to best juggle a very boisterous toddler, pregnancy and work. Anne Marie was amazing during my labour and her tools really helped me feel relaxed and calm. Although my birth didn’t quite go to plan, with the help of Anne Marie it was calm and gentle and my postpartum recovery has been so much better this time around because of it. My baby girl is thriving and feeding is going well, I truly believe this is partly due to her calm and gentle start and being born when she was ready. My husband wasn’t sure about having a doula but even he has said he couldn’t have done it without her . I am really going to miss her.

I would advice anyone who wants the most magical birth experience to look into getting a doula. Anne-Marie was a vital part of my pregnancy birth and beyond and I couldn’t have done it all without her. During the birth she made me calm and used essential oils at the perfect times to enhance my environment. She worked so well with the midwives and made my boyfriend feel at ease too. Is so important to have the perfect birth team and Anne-Marie was definitely a valued part of the team. She is so informative and will always be there to answer any questions with so much knowledge and honesty.