Doulas are just for births, aren't they? With Charlotte Bailey

Sophie chats to Nurturing Birth Facilitator, Mentor and Doula, Charlotte Bailey about her work as a doula and how she landed in the role having worked in the third sector and as a student midwife.

Charlotte talks about her passion for supporting the postnatal period, sharing her own experience of depression after the birth of her first baby, and how she had a completely different experience with her second. She shares the research and work she did to prepare for such a radically different experience and how she supports doula clients to have a positive fourth trimester.

Together they talk about how cultural expectations come into play, how ill-prepared many new parents are in the UK, and how the media doesn't help. Charlotte shares three books which inspired her: The Fourth Trimester by Kimberley Ann Johnson, The First Forty Days by Heng Ou and The Postnatal Depletion Cure by Dr Oscar Serralach.

They discuss how many people out there describe themselves as "experts" when it comes to babies, but that a new parent's inner wisdom is key. And, as doulas we can help new parents by signposting the evidence based information that supports what their intuition is telling them. They touch on the term Matrescence, which Charlotte has written a great piece on in the Nurturing Birth blogs.

To find out more about Charlotte visit the Nurturing Birth Directory.

Charlotte's website is https://birthwarriors.co.uk

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