Following a previous traumatic experience, we felt a doula could offer both my husband and I emotional support for the birth of our second child. Kirstie was recommended to by someone in the industry, and when we interviewed her we immediately knew she was a perfect fit for us. Supportive, kind, compassionate, extremely knowledgeable and genuinely cares about the outcomes from the service she provides. We particularly had concerns about a repeat of poor behaviour from the Maternity service, and it was clear that Kirstie was perfectly placed in helping us navigate this and act as a shield for us should the need arise. She took the time to really understand our previous experience, which gave us the confidence and knowledge to support our pregnancy, culminating in an incredibly healing calm physiological planned home water birth. Unfortunately, I had post-natal complications arise some days after birth, but Kirstie was still on hand to offer support, both emotional and practical information, which was invaluable.

Choosing to engage with a doula made a significant difference to the pregnancy and birth experience, but particularly so by choosing Kirstie. The experience has helped us draw a line under the past, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what she’s done for our family.

Sean

Having a doula for birth was my first experience for my second birth. Before meeting Kirsty I knew very little about the concept of “Doula”. I had a traumatic first birth and I was determined to find the right support to achieve a positive birth.

As a birth companion I can’t thank Kirsty enough for her knowledge, support and whole hearted help before, during and after the labour.

For me, my labour was much more relaxed and positive due to Kirstie’s presence. Thank you for doing what you do. Your calm demeanour and helping hands were such a gift to our family. You’re undoubtedly highly recommended to anyone to make a difference in their birthing experience.

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Natalia

Having Kirstie as our Doula really had a positive impact on your birthing experience. We were pregnant with our first child after having a miscarriage, so naturally we were very anxious. With Kirstie’s wealth of knowledge and experience it really helped us focus and start looking forward to our birth.

What we really valued was the 121 continuous contact and anti natal sessions with Kirstie, they were really informative and educational.

We can not recommend Kirstie enough, she is so down to earth, warm, approachable and no matter what decisions we made Kirstie would always listen and support us.

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Nikita

We are so glad that we had Kirstie as our doula to support us through pregnancy and birth. We wanted to hire a doula as we were convinced by the research which shows the positive impact the right person can have in supporting a low-intervention birth, and when we met Kirstie we knew that she would be a great fit for us. Though this was our first pregnancy and we were fortunate that everything went smoothly, we moved house at 28 weeks and were concerned that we would not have much ‘continuity of care’ as a late booking with Mid Essex Maternity Service. We also hadn’t been very impressed with the maternity care in London before we moved, and so felt that the additional support of a doula would help mitigate some of the anxiety around this - which it did!

Kirstie is compassionate, knowledgeable, calm and supportive, and this helped us to approach birth in a relaxed and calm way. The antenatal sessions were really helpful, and having Kirstie as someone to reach out to throughout the third trimester was also really reassuring. When it came to the actual birth, with Kirstie’s support we achieved what we wanted - an unmedicated water birth. Our baby was born pretty soon after we were admitted to the birthing unit, and Kirstie then stayed with us throughout the morning and into the early afternoon which was great! We would highly recommend Kirstie, and just want to also say thank you so much for the care and support you gave us in welcoming our little girl into the world.

Charlotte

My wife and I decided to reach out to Kirstie through recommendation of a friend who she recently helped through their pregnancy journey. We read that parents often hire a Doula on their second birth after having a traumatic first time experience so we wanted to get ahead of the game and make sure we were prepared as best we could be and have as much support around us as possible.

As a first time parent and writing this from a husband's (birth partner) perspective, I can honestly say having Kirstie there on the day and all the support we had from her, including pre and post labour has been invaluable and looking back, we (I) would have been a deer caught in headlights without her guidance and demure presence.

I write this review as my wife is asleep on the sofa with our newborn, reflecting on that incredible day we got to share with Kirstie and honestly could not thank her enough for making our first birth experience such a positive one.

Chris, Amy & Baby Oscar

After having a traumatic first birth, we were determined to do anything possible to make it easier the second time around. A friend of mine had used Kirstie for her second birth and could not speak highly enough of her. I was also recommended having a doula by the previous maternity voices chair as she felt it would help me this time. I went onto the UK doula page to look at doulas in my area- Kirstie’s CV spoke for itself, it contained a vast array of qualifications- so many strings to her bow! With that in mind and the recommendation of my friend I contacted her. It was early days in the pregnancy but we wanted everything in place straight away. Kirstie popped round so we could tell our birth story and discuss our hopes for the second time around. She listened with compassion and I felt at ease. We booked her straight away and she was with me from then on. Kirstie had previously worked with my midwife- I felt like I had the ultimate girl gang supporting me.

My husband and I enjoyed the birth Prep sessions and both exclaimed how positive we felt after each one.
Kirstie was a source of constant contact and guidance throughout the process and labour. She was a calm presence and explained everything to me as well as helping me to understand what needed consenting too.

She made the room prettier with little candles and made it less clinical- there were some really beautiful moments in my labour and afterwards that I shall never forget.

We also enjoyed the debrief session as we all know childbirth gets hazy!
I wholeheartedly recommend her.
We couldn’t have done it without her!
We also laughed a long the way, I think that’s important! :)
How can we ever thank you enough!

Kirsten

We wanted to thank Kirstie for being part of Marlow's arrival at home.

We had such a great experience in her care and appreciated that she was respectful of our wishes and helped us labour in our bubble while being a reassuring presence.

I felt listened to and respected at my most vulnerable moment which made the experience extremely positive. I appreciated that she made it easier for me to cope with labour in general, for example by keeping conversations out of the room and I felt like she knew exactly what to do at the right time.

I'm so grateful Kirstie was also able to record and save these precious moments for me to cherish.
We couldn't have asked for better care throughout the pregnancy up until the birth on the 26th July,
Many thanks for your kindness, outstanding care and professionalism Kirstie. 

Laura, Ramz, Maeve and Marlow

We cannot recommend Kirstie enough! She made our second birthing experience peaceful & calm. We felt supported, educated & well informed from the get-go, so we were able to make the right decisions for us every step of the way. We felt prepared for every situation & more importantly, we felt confident to go into our birth with an open mind. Thank you Kirstie for your guidance, your support & your calm approach. We couldn't have done it without you!  

Nicola

After a traumatic birth with my first child I decided to use a doula for the birth of my second. After talking to Kirstie on the phone I instantly knew I wanted to have her as my doula. She is so knowledgeable and has such a kind friendly manner and really listened and helped me through every step of my pregnancy. When arriving at my home when in labour I felt so relaxed and reassured with her presence, she new exactly what to say and do at the right time and I can’t thank her enough for the time and support she has given me. She was an invaluable birthing partner.

May

I have just completed my TBR 3 step rewind with Kirstie after having a traumatic birthing experience. Kirstie was fantastic, very reassuring and has helped me get over my trauma. I would definitely recommend Kirstie if you have experienced any kind of trauma as she was brilliant.

Katie

Kirstie’s support meant that I got the birth I always wanted - calm, empowering and without intervention. She helped me face my fears of hospitals and feel able to navigate the medical system while going through my unplanned, 6 week early birth. I didn’t end up having a home birth but my experience was wonderful because of the preparation we had done together. My birth partner (husband) was so engaged with what Kirstie shared with us that he was amazing through my birth and advocated for me when I couldn’t towards the end of my labour. I can’t thank Kirstie enough for supporting me every step of the way, both emotionally and with research papers and information. I didn’t get to tap into half of Kirstie’s amazing skills due to our surprise baby coming so early but I highly recommend her to anyone wanting to feel safe, empowered and excited about their birth experience.

Frances

Kirstie was our doula throughout our pregnancy, during birth and the placenta removal. Every single time I was worried or nervous about anything, she was there for me. Kirstie has been the only consistent care I’ve received this time round. Thanks covid! So I’m doubly grateful to have found her. Where to start?! From bursting into tears reading her bio on her website, from the book she bought for our eldest. Her attention to detail has been spot on. Throughout labour she was a calming influence and also joined us for the very rare operation of needing placenta removal. Keeping our newborn right next to me, whilst Rob looked after our first. Both mega important jobs and something we discussed pre-birth in case it arose. All planned out to the last degree. I could say so much more but the words won’t come! The tens machine was blooming amazing as well. We were a fantastic team! Thank you for everything.

Danielle

Kirstie was fantastically informative about all issues relating to birth. She talked me through what to expect and used her knowledge and resources to help me deal with my consultants, even penning a draft letter for me to send. As well as talking me through birth options. When she arrived, she was such a great support to myself and my partner at every stage of the process and was able to provide respite. She was with us for 24 hours! Kirstie has no end of positive energy and support to give! I felt that I could talk to her about anything, and she lent me books, cards, TENS machine etc. She really understands and has a lot of information to give. It was very good to have Kirstie involved because throughout our stay at the hospital it was very much starting to feel like us v them, and Kirstie we could trust implicitly to be on our side, and she became another member of our team.

PHD

It was important for us a family that I had much more support the second time around. After interviewing Kirstie we knew should she would be the right fit. My second pregnancy did not turn out as I planned but Kirstie by my side gave me confidence to face the hurdles, from gestational diabetes to multiple changes to my birth plan Kirstie always adapted well and ensured I had the right info to make a good choice for me and baby, her emotional support was invaluable and certainly helped me feel stronger this time round and no doubt contributed to faster recovery. Kirstie has been my ear, held my hand and was my main birth partner. It was one of the best things I did for my mental health in this pregnancy and we cannot thank Kirstie enough for all her support and for helping us welcome our son. Thank you.

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Nicola H

Kirstie was with us every step of the way through pregnancy, birth & postnatally. Navigating pregnancy and birth through a pandemic has had its challenges. Kirstie's knowledge, the resources she provided: books, links, use of her TENS machine; the emotional (and physical!) support through my surges (think I owe her a new right hand!), the massages, the hugs, repeating my affirmations to me, the practical side of birth, keeping me hydrated, fed, keeping me cool, keeping me warm, helping to box up my placenta, breastfeeding support, handing me that double decker to inhale straight after birth - I could go on. We are unbelievably grateful to her for helping us achieve the birth we envisioned. Having Kirstie there at our side was the best decision we ever made and we cannot thank her enough for her loving support. Birth really does take good teamwork and Kirstie collaborated beautifully with myself, my husband and our Community Midwife Team.

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Laura G

We are so happy that we had Kirstie as our birth doula! During our antenatal sessions Kirstie provided us with so much useful information, allowing us to dig deeper into the rough plans we had already made for birth. The sessions also gave us the opportunity to get to know Kirstie better so by the time I went into labour it felt like we had a friend joining us which is exactly what I'd hoped for. During labour Kirstie was calm and attentive, made suggestions and helped me to make my own decisions. I unfortunately ended up having to transfer to hospital 12 hours into labour and due to restrictions on birth partners because of covid-19 Kirstie was unable to join us. I'm so sad she couldn't be there for the actual birth (just an hour after we got to hospital!) after being such a rock during the rest of my labour, but her calm and encouraging words stayed with me the entire time and were such a help.

Charlotte W

Ahead of the birth of our first baby, We knew that we needed help and support but weren't sure how best to secure it. As first time parents, once we started looking into our birthing options, we were absolutely certain we needed / wanted a Doula, And that's where the difficulty arose- finding a suitable one. We read many different bios and in time met / interviewed different Doulas. Kirstie stood out immediately and felt like the most suitable person to come with us on our journey! She is warm, kind, super professional and most importantly, non-preachy!!! It just felt like we had our best friend with us in the delivery room! Kirstie listened to us very carefully and provided us with her help and knowledge at the times my husband and i needed it most! She would get back to my emails and texts immediately which was very reassuring. For the curious mums to be, Kirstie is absolutely brilliant at suggesting excellent articles and books to read! You won't regret having her support!

Renata