Optimum Doula

29/10/2026

My friend and colleague, The Mother Rite, gifted me this mug ⭐️ 🌈

26/10/2026

I am not sure where this is from (although I am certain it's not from the UK) but if your hospital or birth centre had this written anywhere, I would absolutely be looking for somewhere else to give birth.

It basically says, "During your time in our institution, you will have no say in your 'care', will not have the option to decline any interventions/medications, or to have or do anything that deviates from what we want, and you will not be allowed to have anyone with you who may have the audacity to advocate for you!"

It's this kind of attitude towards those giving birth which makes doulas a necessity!

25/10/2026

There is a misconception that doulas are only for those who want home births; for those who want to have drug-free, water births surrounded by candles, with whale music playing in the background.

But doulas are for anyone giving birth. They are for home births, birth centre births and hospital births. They are for natural, drug-free births, induced births, epidural births and caesarean births.

Whatever way you are hoping/planning/expecting to give birth, there is a doula for you.

A doula's job is to help you get the birth that is right for you. And what is right for one person may not be what is right for another. And that includes doulas. Just because a doula is the perfect fit for you does not mean they are the perfect fit for your friend, sister or work colleague.

Some doulas specialise in supporting specific types of people, or specific types of birth. Some specialise in caesaren births, twin births or VBACs, or in supporting teenagers or those belonging to the LGBTQ community. Some doulas only support births in their specialist area, whist others support any type of birth. Even doulas who support all types of birth usually prefer supporting certain types of birth, or certain types of people over others. Just as every person giving birth is different, so is every doula.

21/10/2026

Optimum Bumps is a free antenatal support group, which I run. It allows anyone with a baby bump the opportunity to meet others, in a friendly and informal setting, while learning a little something about pregnancy, birth and babies along the way.

Each week we cover a different topic. You can choose to come to every meeting or just to those that are of particular interest to you. Our upcoming topics are breastfeeding, hospital bags and birth physiology.

The meetings are from 7:30pm to 9pm on Thursday evenings, at Optimum Corner.

Although the group is free to attend, you do need to book, as places are limited. Please follow the Eventbrite link to book your free places

To book your free tickets, follow the link: www.eventbrite.com/o/39763881283

05/10/2026

Today, I have completed the The Lullaby Trust's 'SIDS and safer sleep for babies training' course. It was for the most part, just a good recap of what I have already covered on previous training courses. But it's always good to keep up-to-date with the latest research.

27/09/2026

I don't work normal office hours.

Obviously when it comes to actual births, they can and do happen any day of the week, and at any time of the day or night. They have even been known to happen on Bank Holidays!!

Antenatal appointments are booked in advance, at a time to suit both myself and the expectant family. Sometimes this is during normal office hours, but more often it is an evening or weekend, as many expectant familes (especially those expecting their first baby) work during normal office hours.

Postnatal visits are more likely to happen during office hours, but I do still do some in the evenings and at weekends. This is particulary true when it comes to 'emergency' postnatal visits. If a family of a new baby find themselves unexpectedly in need of urgent support (usually in relation to feeding) I will try and get to them as quickly as I can, whether the next available time to do so is a Tuesday afternoon, a Wednesday evening or a Sunday morning.

Today (a Sunday) I did a sling consult, in Swindon, and a bra fitting in Purton.

24/09/2026

This morning, I am at the Wyvern Club, in Devizes. I have my Babywearing Consultant hat on, and am holding a slingmeet. For more information on slingmeets and general slingy stuff, visit the Swindon and Devizes Sling Library page, or www.swindonslinglibrary.co.uk

20/09/2026

All ready for this morning's Little Pickles Markets Somerset And Wiltshire market, in Swindon.
Drop in between 10:30am and 12pm, to grab some baby bargains and/or chat to me about doula support, slings, breastfeeding, nursing bras, Optimum Bumps, the West Swindon Family Hub, home birth, birth pools or TENS hire.

14/09/2026

"The focus is on women who are recovering from vaginal delivery. It's not geared towards women who are recovering from major abdominal surgery." - With half of births locally being caesarean, the support given postnatally needs to reflect this.

Mothers have described being left to recover from caesarean sections with "no support".

13/09/2026

My husband was recently injured in an RTA. If you were unaware of this, and are interested in knowing more, do scroll my Page, for earlier posts on the subject. If you already knew and want to know what's happened since my last update, read on. . .

Just over a week ago (after 3 weeks at home) my husband started having severe abdominal pain. A CT scan showed that the emergency repair to his spleen had not been successful, and it now needed to be removed. The surgery was done just hours later, and he has been in hospital ever since.
After the surgery he was not in a good way. For several days he was in lots of pain, unable to eat, losing lots of weight and not seeming to get any better. But gradually things have improved, and he is now in a lot less pain, and able to eat small amounts of food.

I'm not sure how much longer he will be in hospital, although I'd imagine (barring any unforseen complications) it won't be for more than a few days.

With him being in a more local hospital than previously, it's not caused quite as much upheaval. I have still had to cut back on work, but nowhere near as much as before.

Hopefully my next update will be to tell you he has made a full recovery (or as full a recovery as can be expected after having an entire organ removed) and that our lives are back to relative normality.