Sue Boughton
Birth & Postnatal Doula
Hello, I am a birth & postnatal doula, massage practitioner and Janet Balaskas’ Active Birth Workshop © and Massage & Rebozo for Birth Partners teacher. I have been an ABM breastfeeding peer supporter, www.abm.me.uk, for many years and I completed the Breastfeeding London Diploma in 2021, https://breastfeedinglondon.co.uk/breastfeeding-course/
In 2020 I took the amazing https://indiebirth.org/birthwarriorproject -"Doula training and Transformation” course. It taught me a lot as well as reminding me of my core values, trust in birth and how important instinct is for all of us but especially birthing people!
What I offer as a PN doula:
Postnatal doulas offer support that would traditionally have been provided by your community help out around the house and look after you so you are calm and rested and have the confidence to look after your baby. Having a doula takes away the worry about all the things that you don’t have the time or energy to do in the early weeks after you have given birth. This should be, as it is in many cultures, a time of rest and recovery while you adjust to the demands of a new baby and a different pace of life. All too often new parents live far from their families and don t have much family support. They are left to cope on their own, often with no or very little experience of what life with a newborn baby is like, or without help when adjusting to extending their family with a new baby.
I support breast/chestfeeding and bottle feeding, I can help with calming and getting your baby to sleep, look after your baby so you can sleep or have a bath etc. I can do shopping, prepare food and make sure you've eaten and rested. I’m also there to answer questions about breastfeeding and baby care and to listen to your birth story. I try to boost your confidence in looking after your baby, aiming to make your transition into parenthood smoother and less stressful. I can look after your older children, help around the house with light cleaning, washing and cooking so you have more time to spend with your baby. I can be available at varied times during the day and some evenings and if you give birth over the weekend and would like help with getting breastfeeding off to a good start that's fine too. I have supported many first time parents, many having second or thirdbabies and many twin mums .