Testimonials - words from parents
The joyful Karin Chandler was my doula for my birth and her services are something I couldn’t really put a price on. My experiences have left in me a feeling of awe and wonder surrounding birth and breastfeeding and in the power of women’s bodies. They have also left in me a desire to see all women supported in a way that acknowledges, trusts and encourages this power rather than dismissing or diminishing it.
Danielle Gilmour, 2016
If there was one piece of advice I could offer a woman during pregnancy it would be to enlist the help of a doula. Karin helped to heal the pain of a traumatic first birth experience and empowered me to achieve a positive natural second birth. The sharing of her knowledge and quiet, tender support during labour enabled me to make informed decisions whilst being comfortable. Even after a surprise diagnosis of obstetric cholestasis in the late stages of my pregnancy, Karin’s guidance empowered me to assert my wishes and trust in my inner voice. She had an ear to listen, a hand to hold, a wisdom to share. My husband and I will forever be thankful of her help in bringing our beautiful baby into the world.
Sarah-Jayne Kyte, 2017
THANK YOU KARIN A MILLION TIMES OVER! You were a massive help and great support. Your incredible loving holding of us both touches deeply. We are so happy that you were our doula.
Wayne Sequoia, 2017
Thanks to my fantastic doula Karin holding firm with my wishes and standing up for what she knew was possible. I would recommend a doula a hundred times over… at times I thought she cared about the detail more then I did… I now see that it the face of the craziness which is childbirth, that’s exactly what I needed someone doing and the end result means that I didn’t have to settle for less then I was truly capable off. My vagina was made to push him out.
Laurel Tester, 2016
When my wife suggested we hire a Doula to help with the home birth of our first child, a number of questions came to mind…. “What’s a doula?”, “Why do we need one?”, “How much is it going to cost?” On reflection three months after the birth of our son, it was a fantastic decision to hire Karin and we would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone considering a more natural approach to birth.
Through a series of professional, yet relaxed meetings ahead of the birth, we worked together to help us build a better understanding of what’s involved and to make informed decisions about how we were going to approach the preparation, birth and after care, as well as how we would interact with numerous health professionals.We attended NCT classes and did a lot of pre-reading, but having quality one-to-one time with Karin was hugely beneficial – she’s well informed on a host of baby related subjects and was non judgemental and impartial in the way she shared the information; giving us the confidence and space we needed, to define what worked for us. If she didn’t know the answers to our questions, she would clearly say so – and then follow up with factual research or informed conjecture, always being clear which was which and recognising that what works for some people might not work for others.
Throughout the birth, she worked closely with the midwifes to ensure our birth plan was followed and provided invaluable support, comfort and hands-on help. We’re lucky in that it all went to plan and that success was in no small part down to Karin being there. The mid-wives were fine, but Karin made sure everything ran smoothly and calmly and in the way we wanted. I don’t know how or whether we would have coped so well without her.
Post birth, Karin continued to provide support and guidance with the practicalities of looking after a small human – breast feeding, sleeping, awareness of social/support groups etc. Importantly, she also provided a wrap-up session where we talked through our choices and how things went – providing effective closure. In short, Karin was fantastic and excellent value for money; we are so glad we asked her to help us and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to others.
Elliot Hepburn-John, 2017
The inner strength, beauty and love created in our birth blessing was amazing. I felt so held and nurtured… The preparation during that evening, for the wonderful home birth we had, will be with us always. Thank you
Bella Cohen, 2013
Karin was just what we needed. We both got on with her really well and found her support, patience, understanding and wealth of knowledge invaluable. She worked so hard to make sure that things were good for us.
Helen Al Magrani, 2016
