About me

My Story

Back when I had my first child in 2015 I had a tough time transitioning into motherhood. I had high expectations that I would easily adapt to my new role, but I was in for a shock! I wanted to breastfeed my daughter but faced a lot of challenges along the way including multiple bouts of the dreaded mastitis! I’d also had a less than positive birth experience which had a big impact on those early months.

When I fell pregnant with my second child in 2016 I wanted something different. I started researching anything and everything to do with pregnancy, labour and birth. I felt empowered by the knowledge and confidence I’d acquired, and I was determined that I would have a positive experience this time around. Although I didn’t get quite the birth experience I had hoped for, it was still an incredibly positive one. The difference was that this time I felt I had been part of the decision-making process. I’d made my wishes clear to the health care professionals who were involved in my care and I found that they were incredibly respectful when I told them what I wanted.  Again, I had many challenges with breastfeeding but with a greater knowledge of the local support that was available, I was able to breastfeed my son for as long as I wanted to.

Once my priorities had shifted and I thought our family was complete I realised that I wanted a job that was more rewarding and flexible (I had been a Police Officer for 10 years). After many months of trying and failing to find careers that fitted the bill I refocused my search to include what I was passionate about. I realised that the biggest challenge I had ever faced was becoming a mother and that I wanted to support other women and families during this transition. I started volunteering with a national charity that supports new families and decided to take the plunge and study to become an Antenatal Teacher and Breastfeeding Counsellor at Worcester University. Studying full time for a foundation degree with two small children was challenging but I knew that this was what I wanted to do.

In 2018 when my second child had just turned one, I found out that I was pregnant again! Finishing my studies with three children (and more mastitis!) really was hard work but now that I’ve had the absolute privilege of supporting parents through both antenatal education and breastfeeding support I know that all the hard work was well worth it! The birth of my third child was transformative and healing.

I soon realised that I wanted to offer more bespoke support to birthing women and their families. Becoming a doula has been an amazing experience! I trained with doula UK and have found their support network incredible. I am now a busy doula supporting around 30 families per year. I also support aspiring doulas, forming a supportive community is essential for our role. I find it so rewarding to offer bespoke support to families that will have a positive impact on their experience of birth and early parenthood. Training and keeping my knowledge up to date and relevant is really important to me; this is a continuous process for me.

Here are my three children. Whilst being a mum is the hardest job I will ever have, it is also the most rewarding!

 Testimonials

‘‘Wow what can I say. 5 star review. I was recommended to have a consultation with Jen regarding breastfeeding before the baby arrived, Jen recommended that both my husband and I attend so that he was also familiar with positions and the support I would need. Jen took her time, answered our questions and this sessions were worth their weight in gold as we have had a completely positive feeding experience (post c-section). I would recommend that anyone thinking about feeding themselves has a session with Jen before the baby arrives. She was also on hand for support afterwards when I had the odd panic’’.

— Lucy

“I contacted Jen when I was struggling to get my daughter to latch after coming out of hospital. I was exhausted and tearful and within 10 minutes of chatting things through with Jen it seemed possible again. 6 weeks on and I’m still exclusively breastfeeding my daughter with ease. Would highly recommend.”

— Laura

“My husband and I booked the hypnobirthing course with Jen and we're so happy we did it. There are lots of course providers to choose from, but working with Jen one-on-one was definitely the right choice for us. Her knowledge, attention and very personal approach helped us feel so much more ready for the birth and beyond. Both of us would wholeheartedly recommend Jen and her services, she's contributed so much to our experience of our first pregnancy and we're very grateful for all her support.”

— Natalia

“We decided to appoint a doula when we were a couple of months into my wife's pregnancy. We'd already experienced a bit of a bumpy time, and so we were hoping that a doula could guide us to get back on track. In short, Jen proved to be everything we were hoping for and so much more. From moment one, Jen immediately understood where we were coming from and connected with our values and preferences for Natalia's birth experience.

With great empathy, amazing listening skills, and thoughtful suggestions, Jen was a true guiding force and constant source of wisdom and inspiration throughout the second and third trimesters, as well as providing invaluable post-natal support after our baby arrived. Jen is truly passionate about supporting women and birth partners to be fully aware of their birth choices and to have the most positive birth experience possible. In the build up to our son's birth, we learnt soooo much from Jen that helped us to feel mentally and emotionally prepared for the birth. From the practicalities of fully understanding our birth options, to the brilliant hypnobirthing course she delivered for us, Jen is a superb teacher and communicator.

The birth experience we ended up having proved to be quite different from what we planned or could have imagined - but thank goodness Jen was there, on-hand, to help us through it. We have no idea what we would have done without her, frankly.

Jen, you'll forever be remembered as a remarkable influence on our early parenting journey. Love, J & N xo”

— Joe

“I’ve had an amazing experience breastfeeding thanks to Jen’s support and sound advice. I’m hugely grateful as breastfeeding has been such a positive journey for me and my baby. Never preachy and always professional and friendly, our chats were very open and interesting. I’ve learnt a great deal from Jen’s knowledge and mindful approach, I’ve already shared with other women. Thank you again Jen, you really are amazing at what you do :)”

— Nicola

“I didn't need a birth partner, my husband is more than capable of that - and that's what I told Jen! I wanted her support after I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes to get the birth that both me & my baby deserved, one free of unnecessary medical intervention. Jen supported me through my consultant appointments and scans, challenging recommendations that weren't in guidelines. Her knowledge and support through these appointments were absolutely critical in us achieving a positive birth.

When I went "overdue", Jen was on hand to give words of encouragement and help me make my decisions about what interventions I was happy to accept (this ended up being "none"). She helped me stay calm in that final week of pregnancy when I had so many messages etc.

On the day of the birth, I gave Jen a call. She came over to our house and brought her calming, reassuring presence. She got my husband organised, ensuring I was comfortable on the car journey (even making sure the car was cooled before I got in). I was unfortunate to have gone into labour when there were lots of traffic issues and diversions. Jen researched the route and was like the pied piper of Leamington, taking all the stress off my husband during the journey so he could focus on helping me through contractions.

When we reached the birth centre, she ensured that my birth was free from unnecessary VEs, she held off the midwives when my labour started to stall, and she helped my husband to support me to get labour back on track. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, only using a TENS machine, in a calm, wonderful environment. She stayed with us for a few hours and helped us to get our baby to feed.

Jen came over to do a post natal visit, helping me to understand what happened during the birth and for us to re-live the wonderful day.

I'm feeling very positive following the birth of our baby and I have absolutely no regrets - Jen has been paramount in us achieving this and I will forever be grateful to her.

She listened to what I wanted, acted on my choices and was non-judgemental throughout the whole process.
Thank you so much!."

— Caroline