Hello there...
I'm Carole, a birth and postnatal doula, totally outnumbered living with my husband, three lively boys and a crazy dog on the beautiful East Sussex/Kent border.
When we had our first child way back in 2002, I had never held a baby, never changed a nappy and lived hours away from any family. We laughed our way through pregnancy, remained in denial about giving birth and assumed breast feeding would be a doddle! Our gorgeous boy then came into the world and turned our world upside down. Although those first few months were wonderful and full of love, they were also exhausting and often overwhelming.
Over the next 6 years our family grew and we went on to have two more children. Our confidence as parents grew, but as each pregnancy, birth and baby were wildly different, each new baby brought new experiences, and I appreciate how fulfilling, yet demanding raising children can be.
I have been interested in doulaing for many years but it wasn't until 2017 that I felt my family were old enough for me to commit to becoming a doula. I passed the Nurturing Birth doula preparation course in the summer of 2017 and completed my Nurturing Birth mentoring in October 2018. I am now a recognised postnatal doula and a mentored birth doula with Doula UK.
I am passionate about supporting and empowering Mums and families through pregnancy and their babies precious first days/weeks/months. I want to be the doula that I wished I had had all those years ago - providing hands on practical support, reassurance, and helping Mums relax and gain confidence in their new role. Please click here to have a look at the packages page and see how I could support you and your family.
Outside of doula life I love yoga and walking our pampered pooch. I also love cooking (especially anything with chocolate as a main ingredient!) and, much to the embarrassment of my boys, love singing loudly in the car!
Relevant Courses, Skills and Qualifications...
Birth & Postnatal doula course, facilitated by Sophie Brigstocke, Nurturing Birth (May 2017)
Paediatric First Aid for Parents and Carers (November 2017)
Twins and More Workshop facilitated by Naomi Kemeny, Younique Postnatal (December 2017)
Understanding Newborns workshop facilitated by Victoria Greenly, Younique Postnatal (December 2017)
"Understanding The Infant Microbiome" Webinar (November 2017)
Nurturing Birth Mentoring Programme (October 2018)
Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Training, MIMHS (September 2018)
Daisy First Aid Gold (March 2019)
Waterbirth Study Day, facilitated by Dianne Garland (February 2020)
Postnatal Mental Health: How to support families after birth, Your Birthright (April 2022)
DBS checked
Full Driving license
