This year I've officially been doulaing for 16 years. And just like my real 16th year, it was full of love, adventure, awkwardness and a looking forward with excitement to what the future brings. There has been joy and heartbreak, beginnings and endings, and most importantly, this year has been Continue Reading
Gentle Birth Companions, 2nd Edition: A Review
I am ashamed at how long it's taken me to start writing this review. My head space and time has been taken up with the publication of my own book on doulas, so I come to this later than I wanted. I have to start by being transparent. This probably won't be the most objective review you ever read. Continue Reading
Why Doulas Matter: the book is born! (well, nearly)
So, some of you will know I've been writing a little book. It'll be little in size and word count - just 40,000-odd rambling words about what it has meant to me to be doula and what I have learned about how doulas make a difference. It's a little peek behind the scenes of our rather obsessive, crazy Continue Reading
Spoilt For Choice?
Ahhh CHOICE, what an emotive word We live in a world full of it and I sometimes wonder if there is't too much of it - especially when I'm in a supermarket or am flicking through my 100+ TV channels. So I felt moved to look up the definition - so here you are: 1. The act of choosing; Continue Reading
Gentle Birth Companions
Gentle Birth Companions: doulas in the UK by Adela Stockton SYNOPSIS ‘doula’: lay birth and postnatal companion, provides sustained emotional and practical support to expectant women, new mothers and their families, during the time around childbirth Marking ten years since the arrival of the doula Continue Reading
Breastfeeding Support-Doulas: Boundaries and Benefits
I've spent my working life thinking about boundaries in one capacity or another and have been through the pain of working out why it's important for me to understand where my role begins and ends as a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and doula course leader and believe me, sometimes it's difficult to Continue Reading