About Me
I’m Philippa (she/her), a Continuum Doula & TBU Hypnobirthing Instructor in the South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire area.
I’ve always been drawn to caring vocations, working as a registered Dental nurse for over 10 years. After years of infertility and fertility treatments, a really tough pregnancy in which I suffered with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, I finally got the opportunity to make being a doula my career.
I tend to describe myself as an ‘all-things birth and bodies geek’, so my job is a great excuse to get stuck into the latest articles, studies and courses. When I’m not doing that, you’ll find me in the kitchen baking cakes or out in nature with my husband and little boy.
I love being a mum, and my friends and family will tell you I was mothering them all long before I was one!
Why I became a doula
What really ignited my passion for the birth world was watching my sister birth her first baby. Watching her not being listened to and having procedures done to her without informed consent really got my cogs turning. We’ve been conditioned for years and years, by horror stories around birth and awful dramatised births on the TV, that this is what birth is like. But I couldn’t get my head around that. If my body was literally built to grow and birth a baby, then why is it such a medical event that needs so much “help”?
I soon become obsessed with learning all things birth and bodies, and I quickly realised that this is where I needed to go with my life. I wanted to help parents navigate all the realities of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, without shame or judgement, and to help them find the answers they were looking for.
The more I looked into support and the more I got stuck in to the idea of becoming a Doula, I realised that there is massive disparity in all things concerning women’s health, birthing, and infant feeding. I believe it should be taught in schools! There is a severe lack of education, and it dawned on me that this is because all of these things would be taught to you by the “elders” of the village and the wise-women. So that’s why I decided I needed to do everything I could to help other pregnant folk and new families navigate such an important time of theirs and their babies life.
My training and continuing development
Continuum Doula Training, January 2022
Aromatherapy for Childbirth, June 2022
Breastfeeding peer supporter, ABM, January 2023
Consent: Rights in Childbirth, Emma Ashworth & Developing Doulas, March 2023
Rebozo biomechanics, Sophie Messager, April 2023
Vaginal examinations in pregnancy workshop with Emma Ashworth, April 2023
Hypnobirthing Instructor, The Birth Uprising, May 2023
Postnatal Planning Workshop for Birth Workers, Sarah Tessier & Younique Postnatal, October 2023
Full enhanced DBS
Full indemnity insurance
My Customers Lovely Words
"Philippa was a very good listener, extremely empathetic, and helped me get through some of the low points of the first few weeks. It was extremely comforting to have her advice and knowledge when we had doubts. I always felt comfortable sharing my fears or worries or failures and I could trust that she would offer different forms of advice.
She was particularly good at helping us navigate different issues around breastfeeding even over whatsapp. She also never came off as judgy of my decisions which was extremely important to me. She offered a mix of personal advice from her own experience as well as the latest thinking from RCOG and other sources that I found particularly reassuring when there is a wave of competing advice."
"Philippa had an uncanny sense of when to help us out and talk and when to go into the kitchen or living room and take care of left over dishes or laundry. She was extremely efficient in this regard but never at a degree where I felt that she was out of the picture.
It was impeccable to be honest - my husband and I miss her visits already! She had an intuitive sense for where we put things and how we washed things so it never felt that there was a stranger in our house or someone imposing their way of doing things. We have even adapted some of her styles of housekeeping for ourselves."
"My husband and I think Pip is a great doula given her enthusiasm for the field, her extremely high levels of professionalism, her balance between compassion and formal knowledge.
I think any family would be lucky to work with her."
"She listens intently, is empathetic and really considers her responses to ensure her support is maximised at all times. It is clear she is extremely passionate about supporting and empowering women and mothers throughout their pregnancy and beyond."
"I honestly cannot speak highly enough of the emotional supprt provide. Philippa was sensitive to our situation and was there every step of the way through the pregnancy and postpartum. I never once felt that she was trying to enforce her own views on me and she fully supported me in all of my choices and preferences. That being said, Philippa is very up to date on the latest guidance and evidence. With Philippa, no question is a silly question and I felt like I could ask her anything."