Laura Scarlett Doula

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Reviews

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  Sam Knapp

  Before meeting Laura I would say I had a phobia of giving birth and I was pregnant and it was time to face the facts, this baby was going to be born and I was going to have to face my fear. I honestly cannot recommend Laura enough, from where I was 9 months ago to now is amazing. Laura completely changed my mindset, through giving me the real information needed (no hiding the facts) to prepare for birth and talked me through every stage. Hypnobirthing is a real game changer and it really does work. My first call with Laura, just telling her I was pregnant I was crying my eyes out. By the end of the process I was totally ready to face the wonderful experience of birthing our baby boy. Laura is fun, kind, friendly, super flexible and always on hand when you need to chat. When Laura suggested my husband should get involved with the sessions I thought I was going to have a battle on my hands but he found the whole experience extremely useful in preparing himself to be a great birth partner and a supportive husband. We have found having Laura invaluable to our pregnancy journey and highly recommend her.

  18-06-2022
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  kirstyIain Murray

  Laura is an incredible doula and I highly reccomend you book her if you are considering one. She helped me achieve the birth I always wanted by being an incredible advocate for me and my husband. During the birth she was there for everything we needed to help keep us calm and in our zone. Thank you so much! I had a fairly traumatic first birth which started with a coercive induction and ended in a c section. Although I was well informed I felt pressured into the decisions I made and this time I was keen to get extra support to avoid this happening again. Because of my c section I had some horrible conversations about my birth choices and felt very limited. Laura was there for me throughout and helped me complain which led to me having all the right conversations and finally feeling listened to. This was all pre birth! For the birth itself I went overdue as expected (same happened with my first) and Laura again helped me find the strength to trust my instincts and block out all the negativity. In the end I had a very positive v bac. It was one of the hardest most intense experiences of my life and I felt like a superwoman. Laura was there with us at home and in the hospital supporting both of us to make the decisions we wanted to and ignoring pressures for things we didn't. I finally got the birth I always wanted and I couldn't have done it without her

  18-06-2022
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  Sophia

  It is not easy to put into words the positive impact Laura has had on my pregnancy, birth, and, at the risk of sounding dramatic, my life. This was my second birth and after a fairly unsupported naive experience the first time round which resulted in a pretty traumatic birth and postpartum period, I decided to seek out a doula. I came across Laura after perusing doulas in the South East. I opted for a hypnobirthing, support throughout pregnancy, and postpartum package. Hypnobirthing was a game changer! Having had every intervention under the sun - bar caesarean - for my first birth, with my newly acquired hypnobirthing knowledge, support of my husband and Laura, this time round, I had a natural birth with gas and air being the only intervention. I know that there are often other factors at play that impact the type a birth a woman will have so I do recognise that I was also lucky in this sense. Laura and my husband advocated for me when needed, but we worked with the midwives as a team and it felt brilliant. I am someone who needs to be told "you can do this". Hearing Laura, my husband and the midwives saying this throughout labour gave me the impetus I needed to get through. I will be forever grateful. It was a genuinely enjoyable experience and now when I think back to my second birth I smile every time. We have also had Laura as a postnatal doula and the post-birth sessions when she comes over have been really invaluable - having Laura there for a chat and to look after the baby while I slept helped me recover better, but also made me fell less lonely when my husband went back to work. As part of this postnatal support, Laura supported me when I had questions about feeding. Again, my first time round was slightly tainted through lack of knowledge, but Laura has given me confidence with this and I am now successfully breastfeeding. I think everyone should have a doula because (for me at least!) it helped make my birth a very fond memory and the unwavering support throughout my pregnancy and beyond is indispensable. There is not much else for me to say other than I highly recommend Laura as a doula and if you have any questions from someone who has recently utilised the wisdom and excellence of Laura, I'm very happy to chat!

  18-06-2022
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  Tamsin Harriman

  Laura is amazing!! She was our birth and postnatal doula for the birth of our first child. The sessions leading up to the birth, where we learned about the process of birth as well as hypnobirthing techniques and how to create a comprehensive birth plan were very helpful and took away our fears about what could go wrong. I felt very prepared and calm. I wasn't able to have the home birth I planned and so, due to the pandemic, Laura wasn't able to to attend the birth. However she helped me prepare for the hospital birth throughout my long and uncertain labour, and grieve for the loss of the home birth experience. She was there with emotional and practical support. She even came to feed the cat twice a day while we were in hospital! I don't think I could have done it without her. Thanks to all this care and preparation, I ended up having a very positive hospital birth experience. After the birth, Laura came once a week to take the baby for a few hours for me to get some much needed rest, and made us delicious soups and banana bread! She is such a kind and loving person who I now consider a friend. Even our cat, who is normally frightened of strangers, took to her quickly thanks to her calming presence. I highly recommend Laura for anyone having a baby - mums and dads alike!

  18-06-2022
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  Jenni B

  Laura was our prenatal and birth doula for our first child, she was hugely supportive and ensured that our experience was intimate and personal. Laura helped us write a birth plan and understand all the decisions we may need to take leaving us feeling as well equipped as possible! Due to COVID restrictions she was unable to come in to the hospital with us however having her help during the first hours meant that we stayed home considerably longer than we would have done and avoided the stress of being sent home. I would highly recommend Laura as a calm and experienced presence!

  18-06-2022
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  Catherine Meyer

  Laura is amazing! When I was first considering bringing a doula on my journey it was quite overwhelming. There are so many qualified doulas who offer many different skill sets. However, when I met with Laura I just knew it was a perfect match. She was such a huge support to me, it was my first birth and I had a lot of preferences. Laura was realistic and so knowledgeable. She made sure that every decision I made was well informed and she supported me with my wants and desires. She made my birthing and early motherhood journey so enjoyable! I was actually looking forward to giving birth! My home birth did not go according to my ideal plan, but even amongst the changes (which included a hospital transfer) I was so calm knowing that Laura was there as a friend, professional and support to my husband! I look back on my birth and fourth trimester with joy, a huge part thanks to Laura :) She gives her all to her clients and it's inspiring to see her work. As an expat with no family around my husband and I will be eternally grateful for Laura making us feel like we were NEVER alone! I feel lucky now to call her a friend and will definitely have her onboard for my second birth!

  18-06-2022
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  Natasha Hamilton

  Laura has been amazing throughout my pregnancy. Since the first time we spoke over the phone she made me feel at ease and I knew she was the person for us. We had 1:1 HypnoBirthing sessions with Laura, I would highly recommend these. Lauras knowledge Is unbelievable, she gave us time, she listened and gave us support. Even when these sessions finished she was still there to answer any questions and support us with anything we needed. L:aura has truly been amazing and I can't recommend her enough.

  18-06-2022
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  Georgina Escobedo

  I am so glad I found Laura, she was a huge support during pregnancy and birth. She helped me heal from a negative past birth experience and helped me make informed choices during my second pregnancy. Thanks to her, I managed to have the positive birth experience that I was looking for.

  18-06-2022
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  A Ross

  Being pregnant in a pandemic with little support from midwives had left me anxious and unsure of where to turn. We met Laura in July 2020 and felt instantly at ease. Even my fiancé, who wasn’t totally ‘sold’ on the idea of a doula, came away from our initial meeting full of praise and keen to include Laura in our pregnancy journey. Laura quickly felt like a friend and became our go-to for all our questions and worries. Nothing felt off limits and we felt so supported right up to birth and beyond. She was always at the end of the phone or on hand with a comforting text when I had a wobble; particularly in my last few days of pregnancy when I felt totally out of control! Due to COVID Laura was unable to join us for the birth but she supported us over the phone throughout. Despite a very long labour, I know that Laura played a huge part in how I coped and felt afterwards. Laura worked with us as a post-natal doula for a few months and we couldn’t have managed without her! With no family nearby and no visitors due to lockdown, Laura was our lifeline - she looked after the baby, allowed us to catch up on much needed sleep and supported us emotionally and mentally. I wish all women could have access to a doula; we both feel incredibly lucky that we got to welcome her into our life.

  18-06-2021
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  Rachel Coles

  Laura was absolutely amazing at my birth. Instinctive and knowledgeable. She prepared the whole birthing area and then tided everything away afterwards. She entertained my very talkative toddler and looked after the new baby while I needed some attention after the birth. Who knew that having a doula as amazing as her could make labour less painful!? She helped me get through my surges and she was essential to me in the pushing phase. Encouraging but quiet and basically entire body support as well. She is always there at the end of the phone for support before and after birth and is just the most helpful birthing partner I could have ever imagined. I couldn’t have done it without her. She is an absolute gift.

  18-06-2021