I was born in the Netherlands and moved to London in 1988 when I was 18 years old. I have always loved babies and after being a stay at home mum for many years, I became a baby swimming teacher in 2007. Since 2013 I have been a baby and child car seat advisor, trainer and independent retailer.
I have seven children myself, five of them were born in hospital and two were home births. I have had two inductions, one epidural and one breech birth. I breastfed all of them for a combined total of nine years. Doing my doula training made me realise that some of the things that I was advised to do during my own pregnancies and labours might not have been necessary and that I would have done them differently had I had the right support and been given more information. I had the privilege of being asked by a friend to be her doula when her baby was born, and when I was there the midwife said to me, “We need more people like you, you know what you’re doing!” That inspired me to become a doula, I signed up for the Birth Bliss Academy course about a week later. While a doula will never advise you based on their own experiences, I do feel that my own babies’ births have given me the knowledge and understanding to be able to support you. I live in South London with my youngest three children who are now teenagers, and my partner. |