Birth and postpartum doula

“We chose Kath as our doula when we birthed our fourth child Florence. Kath was the most amazing mix of loving support and professional knowledge. She blended in seamlessly with our care team, including our student midwife and OB and brought her own calming energy and warm gentle presence to the birth, as well as before and after care. As Florence was our VBAC after three caesareans having an outstanding care team which included Kath as our doula made this life-changing birth possible.”

“Thank you again, again and again. I truly don't think I could have delivered naturally without your support. You amazed all of us with the level of calm you helped us achieve in what ended up being such a complex birth. As a person with sensory issues alone hospital settings are difficult for me. I wish I knew you before my amputation when I had my older children. Not once did you shy away when faced with the complexity of a special needs birth. You really are an incredible person wonderful at what you do. ”

“As a dad, having Kath at both of our births meant that I didn’t have to worry, and I could be there for my wife and newborn with no interruptions. Kath helped us advocate our plan when nurses and doctors asked questions, she made sure I was eating, drinking and even resting. Although not the one going through the birth physically, the process and the emotions do take its toll on partners. Kath was a huge support to me through that time.”

“From the first time I met her, I was drawn to Kathryn’s beautiful aura: friendly, funny, vibrant and attentive. She always struck a great balance between being prepared, professional and methodical, but also relaxed and light-hearted about the ups and downs of life – which is pretty much what I was looking for in a doula. I wanted an excellent advocate: someone punctual and meticulous, that would help craft my birth plan, remember lots of little details, advocate for me, but also someone with a sense of humour and imagination, someone I could discuss lots of different silly things with, share jokes and stories, change my mind, feel comfortable expressing different emotions.

I think one of the things I liked most about Kathryn for my pre- and post – natal appointments is that I never felt rushed, and she was so focused on me during our sessions that I didn’t even really have a concept of time. This is a nice contrast to most medical appointments where you feel you’re being ticked off and moved along the line.

For my actual birth experience, I appreciated Kathryn’s calm, focused manner, how many things she remembered on behalf of myself and husband, and her harmonious interactions with my midwives. My senior midwife actually commented how impressed she was with Kathryn’s professionalism and intuition. There were aspects of my birth, such as pp haemorrhage and retained placenta that were unplanned and had traumatic elements for me such as unexpected surgery and transfer from the birth centre, but Kathryn adapted brilliantly! Even though the birth room became quite crowded at the end with doctors and nurses I was comforted by her presence. In the end, even if your whole birth plan goes out the window what you really cling to is a person, a shared vision, and trust that they will keep creating whatever space you need. I really loved Kathryn’s support for the less planned parts of this birth which allowed us to concentrate on our new baby.

Post partum, it was very important for me to have a debrief with Kathryn and come full circle in discussing the birth journey in all its aspects, positive and negative. Kathryn was generous with her post-partum visits and very helpful in the adjustment phase to my latest newborn! There will only ever be a few people that were walking beside you, and who really know the true, sacred odyssey of your pregnancy and birth, and I’m very happy that Kathryn was one of these people. I would highly recommend her as a doula.”