Welcome to my world…
Hi! I'm Jemma, owner and director of The Hypnobirthing Doula and The Doula Training Foundation. I provide antenatal, birth, and postnatal doula services alongside hypnobirthing in Cheshire and North Wales. I am a member of Doula UK, regional representative and mentor. My passion for supporting women is at the forefront of everything I do, from doula work to training and mentoring new doulas and helping them grow their businesses.
My journey began in 1999 as a student midwife, training in some of the UK's busiest hospitals. Whilst part of me loved midwifery there was a huge part missing for me as I realised that I would never fully be able to practice in the way that I wanted. The word midwife means to be "with woman" but, ironically this is the part that many midwives don't have time for as they are busy caring for many women and filling out the never ending paperwork. So, the constraints of “modern” midwifery led me to leave pretty quickly.
I knew I wanted to seek a more intimate connection with my clients and a few years after the birth of my own daughter in 2009 I transitioned to doula work to truly embody the essence of being "with woman." As a doula I am able to spend lots of time with my clients building a relationship with them and answering their questions about all things pregnancy, birth and baby.
Since completing my doula training, I have had the privilege of accompanying many women on their childbirth journey, each experience unique. I aim to empower and support my clients through their pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood experiences. My dedication to enhancing my skills led me to train as a hypnobirthing teacher, blending my midwifery knowledge with hypnobirthing techniques to offer a holistic approach to birth education and support. My hypnobirthing course is designed to equip you with the confidence and information needed to make informed choices about your care.
Whether you need guidance, information, empowerment, or simply someone to have your back during this transformative time, I am here to support you, your partner, and your family every step of the way.
My family and I have recently moved to a smallholding in West Wales, we love being close to nature and the many beaches. You will often find me barefoot on the beach, even in the depths of winter…it’s my happy place. I love clifftop walks with our dog, baking, growing our own food, board games in front of the wood burner and spending time with the people who make me laugh...it's all about the warm and fuzzies!
My thoughts on birth
I feel very strongly that every woman should be able to give birth in a way that she chooses and as your doula I will support that decision 100%. If you want to give birth in a woodland glen surrounded by baby animals that's fine with me. Equally, if you want to give birth in hospital with all the drugs, that's okay too. As long as...and this is the important bit...that you have all the information you need to be able to make fully informed decisions about your care. Doulas are very good at helping you with this! We have access to loads of information and can present it to you in a non biased and balanced way so that you can make up your own mind and decide what is important for you and your baby. I would love for you to feel excited about birth rather than dread it.
I believe that all women and birthing people should feel supported, cherished and be able to birth with dignity and that their birth partner should be involved and feel part of the process. As your doula I can help you achieve this by giving you the confidence and knowledge to trust your body's instincts and its ability to do what it is designed to do. Whilst things may not always go to plan I can help make sure that your birth experience remains positive.
For labour to progress naturally, the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin needs to be produced and that only happens when women feel safe, calm, relaxed and loved. As your doula I can help to create and protect this environment be it at home or in a hospital. I can give you the information and knowledge you need to believe in your body's ability to safely birth your baby. I am used to working in a hospital environment and can converse with medical staff on their level and in a professional manner. Importantly, I can translate their medical jargon in to a language that you can understand and can provide you (and your partner) with all the information you need to make the right choices for your baby's birth.
Additional training and courses
Baby loss awareness with SANDS
Biomechanics for birth with Molly O’Brien
Birthing biomechanics with Shellie Poulter
KG hypnobirthing
Wise Hippo hypnobirthing
Infant feeding- Unicef
Closing the bones with Japjeet Kaur
Deeper into closing the bones with Japjeet Kaur
Breastfeeding peer supporter course with Koala North-West
Human rights in childbirth with Birthrights
Baby loss with Beyond Bea
Leading antenatal classes with Judith Schott
Self harm with Ian Noonan
Fostering and adoption with Gill Aston
Human Biology - Open University
Lactation study day with Indira Lopez-Bassols
Birth Bliss doula course with Kicki Hansard
Women’s health DipHE - King’s College London
