The Doula Club (2025)

13/11/2025

“Normal” birth – whatever that means – is now the exception, not the rule.

Less than half of births in the UK happen spontaneously.

Caesarean rates sit around 40-45%.

Another 10% use instruments.

And with roughly 40% of labours induced, truly physiological birth is rare. (and that doesn’t account for sweeps and augmentation during labour!)

Not because women’s bodies stopped working - but because the system around them did.

Physiological birth, when it’s possible, remains the safest kind of birth. That’s not ideology. That’s evidence.

If you’re pregnant: you don’t need to become an expert, but you do deserve to understand the system you’re stepping into. Ask questions. Ask for evidence. Know your rights.

Birth isn’t something to fear. It’s something to prepare for – with confidence, support, and truth.

Check out my preparation course - Ready Birth Go - it’s everything you need to get ready for birth. And there’s a whole section dedicated to helping you navigate the challenges of the maternity system. It’s shaped by my 10+ years of supporting birth in all settings, and you’ll love it. I promise

10/11/2025

This weekend’s headlines will have left a lot of people wondering who to trust. And probably a little bit scared 😟

The evidence is clear: unnecessary intervention increases complications. Timely, individualised care leads to better outcomes. That’s not ideology - it’s decades of research.

So instead of letting fear drive your decisions, focus on what you can control. Understand your rights. Ask lots of questions. Build a team that trusts you as much as the process.

Because the safest births aren’t the most medicalised ones. They’re the ones where women have time, information, and people who listen.

09/11/2025

After over a decade of supporting births, these are the things people rarely believe me on - until they’ve had their baby.

Most of what we think we know about birth is either outdated, medicalised, or designed to make us comply.

And sometimes, things that feel like ‘right’ decisions? They’re often the ones making birth harder.

Which of these surprised you? Or is there any that you still don’t believe?!👇

Save this for your third trimester - you’ll need it!

My new, comprehensive birth course - Ready Birth Go - gives you the confidence, tools, and calm support you actually need for labour. It’s everything I’ve learned over 10 years of supporting birth straight to you! - link in bio

07/11/2025

Most people have never heard of Shaking the Apples - but it’s one of the simplest, most effective techniques in labour.
It looks gentle (and it is) - but it does a lot.

It relaxes the belly and uterus, releases tension in the fascia and ligaments, and helps the baby move into a better position.
It’s brilliant in late pregnancy to encourage engagement, in early labour if things feel tight or slow, and especially if baby’s back-to-back or second stage feels stuck.
You don’t need a rebozo. A scarf or even hands work perfectly. The key is soft, rhythmic movement - think gentle wobble, not bounce.
It relaxes your body, switches on your parasympathetic system, and often brings a visible sense of release and calm.
Think of it as pressing reset on your body - a way to create space, soften tension, and help baby find their way down.
Save this one - it’s a doula favourite for a reason.
This is a clip from my brand new Ready Birth Go course. In it, I teach this and dozens of other biomechanic techniques that help you during pregnancy and birth, whatever happens on the day.

I also go into a lot more detail about how to do it, when you would do it, and why it’s sooo good!

Go to https://readybirthgo.com to learn more

Save this for the big day and send it to your partner so they can learn how to do it and remind you it’s a good option if things slow down or stall, or you want an active rest!

06/11/2025

Love this beautiful example of a calm, supported breech home birth from Lexie.

After a fast first labour, she expected a similar experience - and that’s exactly what she got, just with a twist. Her baby decided to arrive feet first!

What stands out isn’t the surprise, but the calm.

No panic, no rush. Just skilled midwives, a supportive family, and a mother completely tuned in to her body.

Sometimes, like this example, not knowing a baby is breech can work in your favour. There’s no time for panic, no “high risk label” and no “your only option is a c-section”. Just instinct, midwives using their training, providing support, and trusting the process.

Stories like this matter because they remind us that calm, physiological birth can take many forms and how powerful it can be when it unfolds without fear.

My brand new, complete birth preparation course and community covers all the “what if’s”, including what to do if your baby is breech or your birth takes an unexpected turn! - check it out at http://readybirthgo.com

04/11/2025

When labour stalls, rest can be the most powerful thing you do.

This position - Exaggerated Side-Lying - uses rest, gravity, and alignment to help your baby rotate and move down when things feel slow or stuck.

It’s simple, gentle, and it works beautifully with or without an epidural.

This is a clip from my brand new Ready Birth Go course. In it, I teach this and dozens of other biomechanic techniques that help you during pregnancy and birth, whatever happens on the day.

I also go into a lot more detail about how to do it, when you would do it, and why it’s sooo good!

Go to readybirthgo.com to learn more

Save this for the big day and send it to your partner so they can learn how to do it and remind you it’s a good option if things slow down or stall, or you want an active rest!

02/11/2025

I’ve lost count of how many women have told me they felt like they failed in birth because they ‘couldn’t say no.’

They did say no. It just wasn’t heard.

The system doesn’t always respect refusal - especially when you’re vulnerable, in pain, and being told your baby’s at risk.

Women are often told “no is a complete sentence” as though it’s as easy as that. But that doesn’t prepare you for the realities of navigating the maternity system in real time.

We’re setting women up to blame themselves when coercion happens.

If you’re planning a hospital birth, you need more than conviction. You need language that buys time, a partner who can step in, and scripts that slow the room down when pressure builds.

This isn’t about being “difficult”. It’s about questioning decisions instead of accepting them because you’re vulnerable and being rushed.

Save this post. Send it to your birth partner. Because informed consent isn’t just knowing your rights - it’s knowing how to protect them when things get intense.

31/10/2025

Tell your birth partner. Tell your midwife. If you’re pushing with an epidural, pull.

Pushing with an epidural can feel like shouting into the void. Most of the time you can’t feel the urge, the pressure, or what your body’s doing. And yet, you’re expected to push like your life depends on it.

This one technique changes everything.

I call it the rebozo pull (you can use a towel or bedsheet if needed).

You pull. Your birth partner pulls back.

It gives you resistance, direction, and power, even if you’re completely numb.

I’ve used this with loads of women. It works.

It recruits your upper body to help your core.
With an epidural, you often can’t feel or engage your pelvic floor or abdominal muscles properly. Pulling on a rebozo activates your arms, shoulders, and back, triggering an involuntary bracing response across your whole torso. That tension creates intra-abdominal pressure, which helps push the baby down.

It gives you directional focus.
When you can’t feel the urge to push, you’re forced to do it when you’re told. Even if you can feel a bit of pressure, the pull gives your body a clear line of force. You’re not just bearing down randomly. You’re pulling into the direction you need the baby to go.

It gives you leverage when you feel like you have nothing left. Passive pushing, where you’re told when to push, can be inefficient and exhausting. The push–pull trick re-engages you in the process. You’re not waiting for instructions but actively working with your body.

It can shorten the second stage.
More effective pushing means less time, which helps reduce the chance of forceps or ventouse.

If you’re planning a hospital birth or want options, save this. Because when you need it, you won’t be scrolling.

Tag a birth partner.

This might be the thing that changes your birth.

Also, I’m sorry I said “Delivery” in the voiceover. I hate that word, but I didn’t have time to re-record it! 🫣

29/10/2025

Birth partners often think their job is to talk, plan, or motivate.

It’s not.

It’s to tune in.

If you can spot the shift in her breathing, body, or focus, you’ll know whether she needs touch, space, or silence.

That awareness changes everything for her confidence, your calm, and the whole atmosphere of the room.

Don’t overthink it. Notice, match, and protect her rhythm. Protect the bubble!

Save this post and send it to whoever’s joining you in the birth room.

For more birth prep - check out my complete birth prep course on Ready Birth Go - a brand new birth platform covering you every step of the way! Readybirthgo.com

28/10/2025

What you don’t see in the photos is how many times this birth almost went another way.

After her 20-week scan, she was told I had a low-lying placenta. At 34 weeks, it had moved, but then the baby’s growth dropped from the 65th to the 17th percentile, and the induction talk started again.

She cried through those appointments. She was told it would be “against medical advice” not to book an induction.

Her husband calmly asked for more monitoring instead. Every CTG came back perfect. Every midwife she saw told her the same thing: “Trust your instincts.”

By the time labour started naturally at 39 weeks, it wasn’t just about a home birth anymore. It was about autonomy, about saying no when fear was being used as persuasion.

The midwives arrived to find a calm home, her 4-year-old helping and cheering her on. There were no monitors, no countdown clocks, just space, breath, and time.

After her birth, the placenta was described as “perfect”.

The same placenta that had been questioned for weeks.

That’s why I love sharing these stories. Not to romanticise home birth, but to remind women that evidence, instinct and advocacy can coexist.

26/10/2025

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, as it’s the same in every birth I’ve ever supported (those with epidurals and without).

UK hospitals routinely allow passive descent with epidurals - waiting for the baby to move lower before active pushing begins. It’s recognised as safer, more effective, and better for outcomes.

But in spontaneous births? The moment someone hits 10cm, it’s often straight to coached pushing. Even when there’s no urge yet.

The physiology hasn’t changed. The baby still needs time to descend and rotate. The only difference is whether the birthing person can feel what’s happening.

And here’s the thing: when you can feel what’s happening, you have the Ferguson reflex - your body’s natural signal that pushing is needed. It’s the most reliable timer there is.

Pushing before that urge arrives doesn’t speed things up. It can lead to exhaustion, swelling, and often more interventions.

10cm means your cervix is ready. It doesn’t always mean your baby is.

If you’re preparing for birth, talk to your care team about waiting for the spontaneous urge to push. Ask them what their approach is to the second stage. Get it in your birth plan.

Your body will tell you when it’s time.

Save this if you’re pregnant or supporting someone through birth.

Share it if you think more people need to know!

Fully my comprehensive online birth course which covers all of this and more - go to readybirthgo.com

The Doula Club

13/11/2025

10/11/2025

09/11/2025

07/11/2025

06/11/2025

04/11/2025

02/11/2025

31/10/2025

29/10/2025

28/10/2025

26/10/2025

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