"Having a baby is one of the most wonderful and, at times, scary, experiences you can go through, which is why having a real professional on hand made the whole experience even more precious. Kedi was with us every step of the way, from helping us to prepare, psychologically and practically for the impending birth to being with us during the life-changing days following the birth of our little boy. Kedi went way beyond what we expected, and was a constant source of great advice and support. For any couple seeking expert support throughout the process we would totally recommend Kedi."A doula is a non-midwife birth attendant—a special friend with a special interest in birth, who will support you through the experience on an emotional level. NHS maternity services are usually unable to offer continuity of care and a doula can sometimes be the only professional that you can be sure you know during the birth of your baby!

We will have up to three meetings in the third trimester of pregnancy, during which we can talk through your plans for the birth in detail. I will then attend your birth, whether at home or in hospital, and visit twice postnatally, to give you a chance to debrief the experience, and provide any other postnatal support you need, including also making myself useful with basic housework and childcare for older children.

I do not go on call for more than one family at a time; please contact me in the first instance to discuss availability. I am willing to travel up to an hour from my home in North Oxfordshire to provide doula services. I work closely with my friend and colleague Helen Cuthbertson, and we provide back-up for each other. You can visit her website, My Birth Matters, for more information about her services. For other local doulas, visit Doula UK.

'After 24 hours of contractions, Kedi arrived and provided a sense of calm and focus that enabled me to cope with the remaining labour'. Laura Wood, mum to Bertie, born January 2009

"Having a baby is one of the most wonderful and, at times, scary, experiences you can go through, which is why having a real professional on hand made the whole experience even more precious.  Kedi was with us every step of the way, from helping us to prepare, psychologically and practically for the impending birth to being with us during the life-changing days following the birth of our little boy.  Kedi went way beyond what we expected, and was a constant source of great advice and support.  For any couple seeking expert support throughout the process we would totally recommend Kedi." Miriam and Mark, parents to David, born September 2009

'Knowing that Kedi knew me and what I wanted for my birth, and also knew about birthing put her in a unique position that neither my partner nor the midwives could be in. This gave me the confidence to relax and let my body do what it needed to do.' Cara, mum to Katherine, born January 2008

'We wanted Kedi to be at the birth of our first child, but it never occurred to us we would need help and support afterwards too. Kedi gave me lots of time to talk through the birth, ideas to aid breastfeeding and helped me work out what was important to me in bringing up a new baby.' Karen, mum to Lizzie, born December 2005