Testimonials

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. 

After much searching and reflecting, I met with Anne, a Doula whose patience and a passionate interest, support and experience in the wellbeing of women before, during and after childbirth meant I felt connected from the word go during our initial meeting during the latter part of my second trimester.

The presence of a Doula goes beyond a birthing partner for me as also meant a gentle mothering figure, someone to reach out to for help, touch or just a glance to when having strong waves of surges (contractions). Whilst I chose to have my third baby in hospital and without knowing how or when I would give birth , it was important that I had a holistic sense of well-being and felt the natural side to the birthing of the baby even if in  what can be sometimes a clinical environment and I felt it was a Doula that can prompt you with all these things and help in any options that you may have to think about and above all remain calm and focussed.

Also having the practical help as a woman in the final stages needing extra help with the logistics of moving alongside the help and support of the midwives too. For me, it was and still is important to embrace the natural side of childbirth in all its stages in pregnancy and I found that a Doula can empower you as a woman and fill in the gaps of knowledge you may need to prepare you for birthing your baby the best you can.

I could not have managed without Anne at my side and she stayed a valuable 4 hours afterwards into the early hours of the morning and found the Doula support a healing and nurturing experience, something I would definitely have again and thoroughly recommend.

My husband and I signed up to complete a 5-week course focused on Hypnobirthing with Anne as she had been highly recommended to us by a few friends.

We are both so glad we listened and followed through as we learnt so much as first time parents and were fully informed of our choices and what to expect in terms of labour, pain relief, interventions etc. It was a great 5 weeks, and we looked forward to our Tuesday evening sessions, particularly the relaxing meditation at the end as it was great practice for what lay ahead. After completing the course we continued practising the skills that Anne had taught us, continued to develop our positive mindset so we could hopefully experience the birth as we had planned it. Overall, I had the most incredible birthing experience at the RVH in the Active Birthing Centre, which was hugely impacted by our experience and knowledge gained from Anne. My husband was confident every step of the way and gave me the support I needed throughout, this was as a result of him learning so much from Anne.

We both highly recommend hypnobirthing and Anne as her knowledge, skills and tips a long the way led us to having our son in the most beautiful way. An experience we will never forget and look forward to hopefully experiencing again in the future. Thank you, Anne!

I think that especially in Northern Ireland the conversation is more likely to be ‘have you thought about having a doula?’ as many people are still not familiar with the idea and the associated benefits. I would strongly encourage anyone to have a doula involved in their birth. I think that it dramatically reduced my fear and anxiety, contributes to fewer clinical interventions and transforms the role of the father. Dads attending births is still relatively new but there is really very little support to equip them with the skills and knowledge to undertake the role of birth partner confidently and therefore it can be a traumatic event for them. I think that Anne was a major source of encouragement and confidence to both of us.

I definitely recommend Anne as a doula, she is so considerate and is an absolute pleasure to work with. She’s friendly, energetic and makes you feel so so comfortable to be around.  From day one I knew Anne was the doula me and my partner wanted to help us birth out baby boy. She helped me to overcome fears and to make my birthing experience the best it could have ever been. Having Anne there during my labour wasn’t only incredible but also comforting, she knew exactly what I wanted and made sure I achieved that. After the birth she kept me relaxed whilst getting stitched up and I couldn’t be more thankful. When I gave birth to my baby boy she was there by my side and if I’m honest, she felt like my mother because of how comforting she was during my birth. I absolutely adore her work and I hope to have her at the rest of my births. Thank you for everything you did for me and my baby, you’re an angel

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. 

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.

I am a 41 year old first time mother and gave birth to my baby in Belfast, which is not my home city. My mother was my birth partner and I chose Anne as my Doula as my baby would be the sixtieth birth that she had attended and she had had three children herself so I knew I would benefit from her experience in something I was experiencing for the first time.

I first chatted to Anne by phone to discuss how I hoped my birth would be and the support that I would like to receive from her.  Anne then sent me lots of materials, including sample birth preferences and information on hypnobirthing.  These were very useful in helping me to think about the different aspects of birth and to consider decisions that I might have to make before and during the birth and to prepare my mind for a calm birth.

I met Anne twice before the birth – and she helped me prepare further for example by teaching me about the physical processes of a normal birth and hypnobirthing techniques. Anne adapted these sessions to fit my needs and to supplement what I had learned at other antenatal classes.  She also gave me practical help – even taking me to the hospital during my first session when I was worried about my baby’s movements and printing my birth preferences as I didn’t have a printer. 

On the night I gave birth Anne took me to the hospital at 2am and she was so calm and professional and worked confidently and respectfully alongside the hospital staff and my mother. This made me feel that I had a united and expert team looking after and supporting me.  When needed Anne gave me gentle prompts and reminders of the breathing techniques which helped me through contractions and she supported me when I needed to make urgent decisions about deviations from my birth plan. She was encouraging and calm throughout. As a result, although many aspects of my birth did not go in accordance with my plan, with hindsight I would not have changed anything, even if I had more time to make my decisions. 

My beautiful baby boy arrived at 4.41am and Anne stayed with us while he did the breast crawl to reach my breast and have his first feed and until we had feeding established. 

A few days later Anne visited again so I could chat about the birth and we could share the lovely ‘groaning cake’ that she had brought – just one of the lovely personal touches that make Anne a wonderful doula, particularly for a first time mother.

I had an amazing experience with Anne from start to finish. I would not go through birth without a doula in future. From educational support before birth (going through all the details you miss in the NHS zoom calls, taking questions, helping to create a birth plan), to practical support during birth (from ensuring I was hydrated to advocating for my choices with midwives when I was unable to speak), to emotional support before, during and after birth, Anne went above and beyond what we expected- she is very passionate and extremely knowledgeable about all things birth. I feel that the lack of information pregnant women are given actually limits our autonomy and choice during our birthing experience and can often lead to outcomes we don’t want. Working with a doula is one lever to ensure you are fully equipped with all the information you need to feel ready for birth- and that you have someone with you to advocate for the choices you have made and a familiar face to support you and your partner. Anne provides the service she describes but there are so many extra things she does to make things easier and more pleasant for you, for example, bringing us food and snacks in those first daunting weeks with a new baby, bringing little toys for our baby and never forgetting the new mum with bath herbs and special teas. We absolutely loved working with Anne and have strongly recommended her and doula services in general to all our friends. My husband said the two things we would never do without during birth are a doula and a TENS machine! Thank you Anne, we will never forget how you helped us, you really became a part of the family.

This was my fourth baby, my second VBAC and the first one to have a doula, and Anne was exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted a natural birth – as natural as I could get, as I had to have my baby in the hospital.  We were very comfortable with Anne from the first time we met.  She gave us alot of information that we didn’t know; about my rights, and natural ways to deliver, and cope with labour.

While in labour, Anne just said and did everything I needed her to do.  I had the quick natural drug-free birth that I wanted.  We would highly recommend Anne to anyone who was considering employing a doula.