Testimonials

Thank you for educating, empowering and supporting us through our birth journey, and for making the process enjoyable, exciting, magical and full of love.  I will always be grateful we found you. 

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!

Our third birth has been quite the ride, with a pregnancy through Covid, online zoom HypnoBirthing, to an induced hospital birth and emergency delivery! We know for certain we wouldn’t have got through it all as well without your influence, guidance, knowledge and presence… We are very grateful.  The involvement of a Doula is a decision we are so thankful we made, and feel very lucky that it was you!

Every woman needs Anne at their birth!! Honestly, hiring Anne early on in my first pregnancy was the best decision we ever made! Anne is just the most loving, soft, caring woman. She is full of knowledge in birth & we felt so comfortable with her from the start! Anne came to our home & did hypnobirthing with us and it was such a special time.  It was so beneficial to both me & my husband and we connected loads and learnt so much more than just breathing techniques! Anne was there so much for me during my pregnancy, especially towards the end when I went 10days over. Anne was a great support to my husband & mum during my birth and was like an anchor in my homebirth! She brought a calm, chilled & positive energy to my birth space & didn’t interfere or overstep in anyway but was 100% all there if I or my family needed her at any stage! Honestly, book Anne if you are pregnant, it’s the best money & investment into yourself & your birth you’ll ever make! Thank you Anne for being you 

We studied hypnobirthing with Anne and we cannot recommend doing this course enough. We loved that it was just Anne teaching us each week so we could have her undivided attention and ask her all the questions that came up. It really helped my husband prepare and he drew a lot  from the classes whilst he was supporting me in labour- from the breathing to the meditations and massage. My husband and I also loved spending time with Anne and felt she really supported us with questions that we had outside of the classes too which was also a great help.

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.

Having Anne as our doula genuinely changed our experience of pregnancy and birth.  From the first contact to the birth itself we felt completely comfortable with her, she truly went above and beyond to be available and supportive. She ‘got’ what we needed and we felt that however the birth went, we were in a much stronger place having her there with us.

My first birth was a very difficult experience for us and left me deeply anxious and worried in my next pregnancies. Despite a calm birth at home with our second child, I still found preparing for birth a third time stressful, so we considered finding a doula for the first time. Anne really understood where we were coming from and immediately had practical suggestions to support us through the pregnancy.

During the birth itself she kept me calm through a rapid labour, and remembered and reminded the midwives of my wishes discreetly. It made a whole hour with just us and our baby possible after our daughter’s birth, and will always be one of my happiest memories.
I wholeheartedly recommend her – whether it’s your first or fourth and wherever/however you hope to give birth having someone like Anne to support you makes such a difference. 

My first gorgeous child, a little boy of 18 months was born in 2016 at 38 weeks.  I was induced by oxytocin and it was hot and heavy.  During my second pregnancy this year, I decided I wanted a doula to keep me calm, focused and empowered, and boy that’s exactly what I got and so much more.  I gained a friend who I’m very grateful for.  My beautiful daughter was born in August 2017, also by induction, and Anne could not have done any more for me, during and after.  In fact words can’t really describe how she managed to make the clinical, sterile, unhomely, scary delivery suite magical. With each intense contraction, it was made bearable and when my little girl took us all by surprise by showing up quickly, Anne saw me panic and was my voice of reason and reassurance.

I am so grateful to Anne for all she did for me and my son, and at the awesome birth of my daughter.  It would have all been very different had I not had Motherdoula at my back and we will remember that forever!  If anyone I know announces a pregnancy, I cannot recommend Anne highly enough!

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.

I got in touch with Anne when I found out I was pregnant with our third child. My first birth was a classic ‘cascade of intervention’, leaving me with ongoing gynae issues and a complete fear of childbirth. My second was an elective Caesarian due to breech baby. So I was naturally quite anxious about how I would deliver our third, and researched doulas for some extra support.

From the offset Anne was amazingly patient and kind – we met briefly and then my husband also met her. We just knew she would make the difference and she really did; despite all my fears and worries, including Group B strep, I achieved a VBAC water birth with not one stitch!!!! I could not have asked for a better outcome and feel I’ve achieved closure after my two previous deliveries.

Anne was always at the end of the phone, offering support and guidance. She also supported me with hypnobirthing and came over for a pre-birth relaxation session. I felt more confident, relaxed and supported having her in my corner and her calm presence and unflappable nature just made me feel more self-assured.

Thank you so, so much Anne, for making my final birth such a positive and healing journey for me. I will never forget it.