Testimonials

After a traumatic first birth experience with my twins I knew that having a doula would be key to having a positive second birth. I heard and read a lot about Anne and meeting her I had no doubt that she was the perfect doula for me and my family.

My dream was to have my vbac at home, in water, in a calm and peaceful environment and Anne helped me achieve exactly that! We practiced HypnoBirthing with her which was a huge help to keep me calm during challenging moments during the pregnancy and labour and Anne was there to gently whisper affirmations in my ear, release tension from my forehead and help me relax through a quick labour.

The birth was a dream come true. We met again afterwards to debrief and remember all the little details and celebrate the arrival of my third son. Anne is definitely considered a part of our family now and we will happily remember the birth for a very long time.

Anne was very friendly, open and down to earth, and easy to talk to. Anne was organised and very knowledgeable, bringing information to me as discussed. Anne was supportive to my situation and open to changes.

I can’t recommend Anne enough for her ongoing help and support throughout my pregnancy and during the birth of my baby. Anne kept me informed about my birth options and was always on hand to answer any of my questions. She was a great advocate for me throughout the whole process and she really helped make my birth a calm and peaceful experience. She is such a lovely, warm person and I will be forever grateful for her. 

I booked Anne as my postnatal doula for my first baby and liked her so much that I booked her again for my second! My husband and I don’t have any close family living nearby, so Anne’s visits provided invaluable support during our first weeks as new parents and then again as parents of two. She was a calming, judgment-free presence, and I felt so confident leaving her with my little ones while I took a much-needed nap, shower, etc. She was always happy to offer newborn advice when I asked—not to mention all her extra gestures like bringing us food and offering to make us lunch. Don’t hesitate to book Anne as your postnatal doula!

I hired Anne as my doula for the birth of my second child (a planned HBAC) and she was absolutely amazing. Anne was with me every step of the way through my pregnancy, supporting and offering guidance to help me make important decisions.

My labour was very long, but she stayed with me the whole time. She advocated for me and made sure that every step of the way my voice was heard and that my decisions were respected.

I didn’t get the birth I wanted in the end, but I came away feeling positive about the birth. This is largely because throughout the birth I felt in control, respected and listened to and that’s thanks to Anne. I’m so glad I had Anne with me as my Doula, having her by my side advocating for me made all the difference and I’m so thankful to her!

I felt safe with Anne right from the off. She was recommended to me through another doula I went to school with and after a previous traumatic emcs I really needed a professional I could trust.

On the big day she intuitively knew when to be there and when to make the decision to go home to give me a break for a sleep when early labour progressed quite slowly. She knew when to melt into the background to give us our space when we needed it. It was great to have her help me make the decision to go to the hospital at the right time. She gave me the confidence to make the decisions when I needed to. She was great at reminding me to do the things I’d planned to do in my birth wishes plan. She also had good relaxation and painkilling skills up her sleeve!

It was such a comfort to know I had back up both at home and in the hospital, and that we weren’t alone in our endeavours to have a normal, natural birth after a caesarean. We were successful against the odds (malpostioned baby, slightly stalled labour) and Anne was fundamental in helping us create the right ambience for the job. Thank you Anne!

Anne was my Doula and hypnobirthing teacher for my first pregnancy and she was an absolute god-send. She is the most calming, patient, knowledgeable and grounding person, and is just an incredible advocate for women and their birth preferences. She made me feel really empowered and safe during what was a very overwhelming time. I’m so glad I had her with me every step of the way. My time with her prepared me for the birthing experience and gave me great tools to deal with its many twists and turns. She was there with me every moment during my very long birth experience, and there are many moments I don’t think I could have coped without her calm guidance, care and advocacy. She made sure my wants and needs were heard and adhered to when I felt at my weakest. An amazing woman with incredible knowledge and experience – I couldn’t recommend Anne enough.

RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT WITH DOULA INVOLVEMENT YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE THE KIND OF BIRTH YOU WANT AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS.

YES – add me to the statistics!!!

I credit Anne with the fact that I…:

• Birthed at home.
• Birthed without fear.
• Had an incredible positive birth that was magical.
• Had a totally un-medicated birth (something I would never have imagined possible).
• Had minimal involvement from midwives during birth.

I felt like a powerful goddess birthing my son .  It was so magical and incredible that I wish I could get to relive it again.
I highly recommend Anne (and do to many) for her Doula qualities, hypnobirthing course and for being such a genuinely lovely amazing person.
Anne gave me the birthing experience I could only have dreamed of and we shall always be so grateful to her.
She is so incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, caring, nurturing and a great advocate for women.  
I experienced a lot of opposition from medics regards birthing at home.  If I had not had Anne’s support I would not have had the confidence to push through on having a home birth.  Anne was always able to centre me and be my calm when I wobbled.  
Anne did so much for me:

• Trained me in hypnobirthing (truly amazing, amazing, amazing)
• Developed my knowledge
• Developed my skills
• Gave me confidence
• Helped de-stress me
• Informed me of my rights which led me to being able to get a good plan in place with the hospital (that was in line with my wishes and which I was in control of)
• Supported me
• Was my safe space
• Championed me
• Advocated for me
• Empowered me
• Loaned me books and birthing equipment eg birth swing, tens machine
• Held space for me when I needed it
• Made me laugh when I needed it
• Attended hospital meetings with me
• Gently and respectfully challenged medics on my behalf when I needed it
• Researched stuff for me
• Nurtured me
• Did fear release exercises with me
• Helped me with morning sickness
• Was always at the end of the phone when I needed her
• Made me delicious cake
• Gave me confidence to have my 3 year old present at the birth and ideas of how I could prepare her  (was so special that she got to be there and help daddy tie the tie cord and cut the cord)
• Helped with the set up the birthing space and filled pool
• Was on call for the birth
• Provided me with hypnobirthing meditations
• Attended my birth and instinctively knew what I needed and when I needed it
• Gave breastfeeding support
• Captured special moments of my birth and us bonding as a family via video and photos
• Called postpartum with lovely gift for baby 

I’m so thankful for Anne’s support during my pregnancy. She was so supportive to me privately as well as helping me get the midwives to listen and take my concerns seriously. My experience of pregnancy was not great but Anne made a very difficult time that much more manageable. 

The worst thing about using a doula for the birth of my second child was that I was cross with myself for not doing it the first time around. During and following the birth of my first son I felt lost; decisions  were made that I later regretted. I felt swept along by health service protocols and didn’t get anything the way I wanted it. The second time, with Anne was amazing. And it wasn’t because I was more confident the second time around. If anything I was more wound up because the first time had been so dreadful.

Anne empowered me and helped me to think logically and clearly. She was sensitive to my fears and my emotions; her wisdom helped me navigate those. She gave the right information at the right time and always in a balanced way. She helped me understand more thoroughly what the medics were telling me but also provided additional evidence-based information. Every time I felt overwhelmed her input helped me calm myself and ensure that I always felt well informed.

I had experienced five miscarriages before my second successful pregnancy. Prior to meeting Anne I was nervous about even being pregnant never mind going through labour again. She transformed the experience. I had a breezy easy pregnancy and felt that the decisions made during and following labour were mine. It was such a worthwhile investment. Having those positive pregnancy and labour experiences this time around helped me put the negative experiences of the first time to bed, but I also think that they helped me be a better and happier mother right from the start.

Anne is professional and highly competent, but more importantly she just slots in. Easy to be with. Fun. Considerate. And her presence meant my husband could focus on my other son which was crucially important to us. The only negative is that we missed her when it was all done.