Doula | Photographer
Client Experiences
Parents share what my support meant to them
Sarah
After a traumatic first birth experience, my partner and I knew we wanted the support and involvement of a doula for our second. We researched and spoke with a few doulas, unsure initially how to choose, but as soon as I had the first virtual meeting with Lorraine, I knew she was the right fit for us.
The most important thing we needed was someone who was clued up on birth rights and who could help us advocate for the birth we wanted and felt we deserved. Lorraine was the perfect person for this. Whilst I was pregnant, she supported us to really push and challenge the ‘system’ to ensure our birth preferences were respected. I don’t think we would otherwise have had the confidence or knowledge to do this. This continued during the birth itself – Lorraine was there throughout quietly nudging us to stand up for ourselves, as well as directly advocating for us with care professionals when needed.
Although a rights-based, advocate-style doula was what we wanted (and what we got!), Lorraine actually gave us so much more than this. She was also an invaluable source of therapeutic support and wisdom throughout my pregnancy, and a calming and caring birth partner on the day itself. Her gentle and well-timed assertive kindness when my self-doubt would creep in, and her humour and sense of fun when we all just needed a laugh, were just two of many facets of her support that made my birth experience such a positive one.
After what happened last time, I never thought I would feel safe during labour and birth, but Lorraine was a huge contribution in making this happen. Even when things took an unexpected turn and my birth plan went ‘off piste’, I felt that I was not just able to cope with this, but also to still feel safe and in control. This was in no small part thanks to Lorraine’s support – both in helping us build our resilience and confidence ahead of time, and in assisting us make decisions ‘in the moment’ during the birth itself.
We will be forever grateful to Lorraine. It is genuinely hard to put into words our deep debt of gratitude for her contribution to such a special and positive birth experience.
Vic and Jamie
We would highly recommend Lorraine for support during pregnancy and birth.
Lorraine was calm, containing, and kind. Whether we were talking about the challenges of breast feeding, or when she helped us to feel confident and safe during our home birth.
Her presence during our home birth was invaluable. Our baby arrived before midwifery services, and Lorraine’s care during this time contributed to us being able to maintain a calm environment while we greeted our baby. She also supported us in a quiet and respectful way to communicate our decisions to the NHS services. This was very much needed where our informed choices were outside of NHS protocols.
Lorraine’s expertise and balance was crucial in working out what our boundaries and rights were in a system which seems increasingly rigid. She gave us time to think through our choices and feel confident in our decisions.
We also particularly valued the space she provided to think about the emotional impact of becoming parents a second time round.
We would not have had the experience we had welcoming our son into the world at home without Lorraine. We all deserve the space and support to be able to make informed decisions about our babies and our bodies, and working with Lorraine provided us that opportunity. We will be forever grateful.
Mona
Oh god, the first weeks after birth now just seem like such a blur! But what I do remember specifically, was my 10-day meltdown when baby started cluster feeding and I thought I just couldn't produce enough milk and wasn't sure what to do. That combined with the pressure I was under from our health visitor that baby needed to pile on more weight was awful at the time and when you just rang me in the middle of the night, talked me through what was going on for baby and explained just how common it was to feel the way I did has stuck with both me and Steve forever. You helped us more in that moment than you'll ever know! It was so empowering!
Felicity
I am an 'all eventuality' planner and appreciated that Lorraine did not push any one way of labour and birth and ignore others. This meant we spent time on helping me understand induction, caesarean, emergency caesarean. When these things became part of my pathway, I was able to pivot from my ideal plan to the new from a position of calm understanding rather than fear and confusion.Thank you. I had dreamed of, and practically, mentally and emotionally prepared for a calm labour and birth at home. While the eventual course of events couldn't have been further from what I'd dreamed of, throughout I felt confident I knew what was happening, what my choices were. So, while best laid plans etc, actually my main hope and plan was to be empowered and confident in making choices, so thank you so much mama2mama for helping me get to being so that even when everything was going off track I felt secure in my power, and my birth partner was right there with me, calmly able to navigate the choices we were being asked to make.
Laura and Stephen
I have no way of knowing exactly how our birth experience would have played out without Lorraine, but I am sure that a lot of the positivity and joy that I feel when I think of it was because of something Lorraine did either directly or indirectly.My husband had been supportive of me hiring a Doula but I would say he didn’t quite see the benefits as clearly as me beforehand. He is now the biggest advocate and I have heard him say on several occasions that it was the best money he has ever spent. During the last stages of my labour, I had my husband on one side of me and Lorraine on the other. It was my husbands first birth experience too, as well as mine, and he has said that in those moments when things felt more intense he looked to Lorraine who gave him a reassuring smile or nod and it brought him back down from being worried and meant he was better able to support me.
Ramsey and Suki
The moment that Lorraine arrived, I felt very emotional due to the physical sensation of relief from seeing someone that we knew and trusted. We could now relax and focus on the birthing process…You see, Lorraine was not there as a replacement for me or a booster for my wife. She was there as platform to elevate both of us to use the resolve of our relationship to excel in the birthing process.Lorraine helped me to keep focussed and ask the right questions at the right time to ensure that all the decisions made during the whole process were our own and made for the right reasons; not a coercive dictate form the medical staff we had to deal with.Quite simply the whole process and our performance as a couple would not have been the same without the support of Lorraine.We supported ourselves by creating the right support structures around us.If you are planning to grow your family, then I would strongly recommend that Lorraine be considered as your Doula angel of choice.
Rasheeda
I wanted to find a doula who was able to support me as a black woman navigating the NHS (particularly as I have been living away from the UK for the last few years) and have found she is so knowledgeable and approachable it has calmed my nerves and has made me feel very prepared. We have bonded over both virtual and face to face meetings (including chai lattes) that worked super well around my availability. Dedicated sessions have allowed me the space to find the questions I wanted to ask and be reassured without judgement to find what will work for me in terms of preparing my birth plan and antenatal education - where no question is to silly to ask! Lorraine has great tips and recommendations which will add to your toolkit preparation both before and after birth also which have provided really helpful resources I might not have found otherwise
1 hr 30 min
295 British pounds
1 hr
65 British pounds