Who Am I
Hi, I’m Leanne. I’ve been a registered nurse for twelve years, specialising in tissue viability and district nursing. The extension to train as a doula came as a calling after I had my daughter. As an experienced healthcare professional, I was familiar with medical jargon and procedures, comfortable in the hospital environment and had even worked on a labour ward in Africa as a student! I never expected to end up feeling vulnerable, misled and disappointed during my recovery after my daughter’s birth - and yet, there I was, reeling in the aftermath of unnecessary interventions and realising that even I had needed an advocate. If I’d had one, my daughter’s birth would have been very different.
Doula Diary Was Born
My Daughter was born and I needed to do a lot of Soul Searching. On my journey I learned about doulas - something I’d never heard of before - and knew that it was what I wanted to do. All of my experiences seemed suddenly to piece together into a perfect picture: my student experiences in Africa, my nursing experiences, my own introduction to motherhood - even being my sister’s birth partner five years ago. I hadn’t realised at the time, but I’d already done the job of doula, without even knowing what it was!
Maternity services are short staffed; antenatal education is significantly lacking and often delivered with questionable motives, information is regularly missed, misinterpreted and used in a misleading way. Midwives often lack the time, confidence and security to properly support their patients, not to mention staffing and resources. Families need to be empowered and helped to understand the information so that they can make important decisions and fully consider their options. Assisting with this is a highlight for me, to see families growing in confidence and mothers-to-be feeling empowered and supported. My role as a doula is enormously important and requires a huge emotional investment, but I challenge anybody to find one that is more rewarding.
