Birth Doula & Postpartum Doula support in Richmond, South West London & Surrey
Birth & postpartum is big.
But it doesn’t have to feel all out of your control.
And you don’t have to navigate it alone.
There are many things you can do to positively influence your birth & postpartum experience, with the right guidance & support, and I’m all about helping you do that.
You deserve to experience your pregnancy, birth & postpartum from a place of calm, knowledge, confidence and excitement. Not anxiety, discomfort, pressure or fear (unfortunately well too common these days).
Whether you already know what you want (or really want to avoid) for your birth & postpartum, or still trying to figure out your options and which might serve your needs best;
Whether you had a previous difficult birth, or navigating it all for the first time and feeling a little lost, pressured, treated more like a number than an individual or simply keen to avoid the pitfalls, blindspots and overwhelm;
as your doula, I will strive to help you gain - or protect - confidence in your body, the choices you’re making, and your ability to birth & look after your baby in a way that feels right for you. A precious confidence that will keep serving you and bolster you as you go forward into motherhood.
And ultimately help you stack the odds in your favour of a positive birth & gentle beginnings with your baby, where you feel safe, informed, heard & supported at every stage, no matter what.
What clients have said about Amelie’s doula support
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Amelie’s ability to support us has been nothing short of amazing. When we navigated a change of plans in our birth, she helped us adapt and supported me to trust my instincts whilst also remembering my birth preferences. She made me felt held, even when I was ambivalent about certain decisions, helping me never feeling rushed or pressured. She was upbeat and positive, fierce enough to protect our birth space without causing friction with birth care staff. She has lots of knowledge and deep empathy, and proved to be a strong emotional pillar throughout birth & my early postpartum. I couldn’t be more grateful!
— Charlie, Wimbledon, SW London
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Amelie was instrumental in helping us to prepare for our son's birth, and supported us to have a beautiful home birth. She helped us to explore our birth preferences and worries through the antenatal planning sessions which gave me the confidence to change my birth plans. She went above and beyond to help us achieve this, even liaising with the midwives to help me move hospital midway through my pregnancy.
I also attended her antenatal yoga classes which were a highlight of my week and helped me to feel physically prepared for birth. On the day, she worked closely with my mum & husband to ensure they felt confident in their role as birth partners, providing guidance & reassurance as needed. We couldn’t have wished for a better birth experience and Amelie was a massive part of making this happen.— Alissa, Ealing, SW London
Amelie Cresswell - experienced birth doula & postpartum doula in Richmond, South West London & Surrey
I’ve been supporting women & families in pregnancy, birth and postpartum for more than 12 years.
First through pregnancy yoga & active birth preparation, postnatal yoga and baby massage, then integrating this deep body of knowledge and expertise into full birth & postpartum doula support.
It is my own 2 extremely different birth experiences - one traumatic first birth, and a healing second - and the widely different early postpartum that followed that set me on this path, and I have supported hundreds of women & babies on their journeys since. You can read more about my journey to doula-ing here
My support applies to all types of births, in all settings, with no judgement. I do believe that birth can be uncomplicated if it is well understood and supported, and am deeply passionate about helping women prepare for and stack the odds in their favour of a physiological or low intervention birth. This includes home births, birth centre births, and vaginal births after caesarean (vbac), whilst always helping them prepare to navigate a different path if it becomes needed.
I’m equally passionate about supporting the elective caesareans some women know they want or need. I strongly believe planned c-sections warrant the same level - if not exactly the same type - of doula support as vaginal births, including expert, specialised postpartum recovery support (which is almost inexistent in today’s NHS care) which I love providing.
After my own experiences, I also have direct experience supporting women during anxious pregnancies, including after a long conception journey, loss and/or IVF, and a difficult/traumatic birth.
I am based in Richmond, London and serve most areas of South West London, West London and Central including: Richmond, Twickenham, Isleworth, Barnes, Ealing, Kingston, Wimbledon, Westminster, supporting births at many hospitals including Kingston, St George’s, West Middlesex, Chelsea & Westminster Hospitals and Queen Charlotte’s maternity.
I also offer my birth & postpartum doula services in parts of Surrey, including Surbiton, Esher and Weybridge, supporting births at St Peter’s hospital, Epsom and St Helier hospital, and Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guilford.
I am a Recognised Doula with DoulaUK, am fully insured, and meet the requirements of private insurance such as Carrot & BUPA.
French-speaking doula in London & Surrey (Doula francophone à Londres)
A native French speaker having had my two babies in the UK, I am also able to offer doula support in French, helping you better understand and navigate the UK maternity system and postpartum care, which can be so different from France, and signpost you to French-speaking and French private maternity care options if this feels appropriate to you.
My doula support is built around
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Giving you the keys to navigate your birth & care
Because knowledge IS power and you deserve to understand the full picture
Highlighting the facts & knowledge that every birthing person should really know - about how birth works, the maternity system’s approach, all your options and their pros and cons - to inform & empower your decision-making at each and every step .
So you don’t look back thinking “I wish I had known” -
In-depth body preparation & mindset work
Because birth is first and foremost a body & mind process
A key part of my unique doula approach, integrating my expertise and own designed resources in yoga, pelvic biomechanics, bodywork, hypnobirthing & mindfulness. To support your comfort & well-being throughout pregnancy, navigate labour & birth with more ease & calm, and actively support your postpartum recovery.
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Ongoing guidance, presence & advocacy
Because how you feel & are made to feel along the way matters most
From the moment you book me until your baby is a few weeks old, I’ll be here for you. A dedicated ‘go-to’ for questions, judgement-free guidance and reassurance whenever you need on this rollercoaster journey. And a constant ally before, during and after birth, ensuring you feel fully heard, supported and respected no matter how things unfold.
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Personalised support to build YOUR confidence
Because there is no ‘one size fits all’ (not in my book, anyway)
We’ll explore your unique needs, beliefs, wishes & fears, pregnancy and journey to this point, so we can focus on the information, support and tools most relevant to YOU, to help you develop a deep sense of trust in yourself, your body, your decisions, and the path you’re taking.
Doula support packages
I’m always happy to create bespoke packages to meet your specific needs.
If cost is an issue, I offer payment plans and discretionary discounts where appropriate. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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My starter package includes 2 antenatal birth preparation sessions to explore your journey so far/ any past birth experiences, understand the birth process, work out your birth plan/preferences, and prepare practically for your labour & birth so that you feel ready & best supported on the day.
We will also have 1 additional session to prepare for the first few weeks postpartum, or you can opt to use this session after birth instead, for more postpartum support once baby is here.The package also includes access to extensive body & mindset preparation tools and resources to explore in your own time to complement your preparation in between our sessions together, including my Yoga for pregnancy & birth preparation online course, body preparation guide, and and hypnobirthing and mindfulness tools & resources.
I’ll go on call for you at 38 weeks, come support you at your birth from whenever you need me until about 2 hours after birth, and will visit you once postpartum when you are back home with your baby (usually in the first 1-2 weeks).
The package also includes:
continuous WhatsApp / phone support until 2 weeks postpartum
Extensive resources to help you with birth planning, preparation and decision-making
I have a TENS machine, Yuula balls, birth ball and a peanut ball for use to use during labour
Prices starting at £2,050 depending on location & options -
This most popular package includes 2 additional antenatal sessions on top of all contents of the Essentials birth doula package, to allow us to dive deeper into body preparation, biomechanics, hypnobirthing & mindfulness, designed to increase comfort levels in pregnancy, effectively support labour progress, and positively impact your birth experience.
There is no need for you to do an additional hypnobirthing course with this package.
We can of course use the time to also explore further any other aspects of your birth & postpartum preparation if you prefer.
We’ll also have an additional coffee catch-up if you pass your ‘due date’ and need some reassurance or want to review your birth plans.
More sessions together (a total of 5-6) enable us to build deeper rapport and trust, which makes doula support so effective.
From £2,350 depending on location and options
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All elements of the Essentials or Enhanced Birth Support package + 15 additional hours of postpartum support designed to soften your landing into motherhood, actively support your initial postpartum recovery, and gently grow more confident with your baby and as a mother/parent in your fourth trimester
Support sessions involve:
baby care guidance & support
feeding support (breast &/or bottle)
bodywork for postpartum & pelvic floor recovery (stretches / massage / yoga)
mother care practical & emotional support, including cooking & enabling you to rest
Prices start at £2,650 depending location
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2 antenatal sessions to prepare for and navigate your caesarean birth, immediate recovery and early postpartum with more calm and comfort
In-person support on the day,
1 visit on the postnatal ward the day after your birth
2 postnatal visits at home, including specialist support with scar healing
Extensive support resources
WhatsApp/ phone support whenever you need me from booking time to 6 weeks postpartum
Price starting at £1,800
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One-of-a-kind holistic postpartum support to care for you as a new mother, help grow your confidence with your baby, navigate early challenges and actively support your postpartum recovery. Sessions might include:
- Reflecting on your birth experience & chatting through concerns
- Breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding support
- Essential baby care, including winding, first bath, carrying, and soothing
- Therapeutic postpartum yoga & rehab exercises to support your physical recovery & pelvic floor
- Bodywork and guided rest to address exhaustion and/or overwhelm
- Baby massage and stretches/movements for digestive comfort
- Looking after your baby so you can rest, spend time with older siblings, or have uninterrupted ‘me-time’Integrates my expertise in yoga therapy for postpartum recovery, pelvic floor health, bodywork, developmental baby movement & baby massage
Available as ad-hoc support or in packages of 15hrs
From £40/hr
Smaller doula support offerings & consultations
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We’ll explore all the birth choices and care options open to you, their pros/cons and implications, to help you work out your birth preferences, put together a birth plan that stacks the odds if your favour, with considered alternative scenarios if birth takes a different path.
2.5 hrs - online or in-person
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The mind plays a huge role in your birth and in how the body works during labour.
We’ll explore your birth beliefs, fears and anxieties, and reframing, anchoring & relaxation tools & techniques
2 hours - online or in-person
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Helping you and your partner visualise what labour & birth might feel & look like on the day(s), and ways for each of you to navigate each phase with more confidence, in a way that supports labour progress and avoids common ‘pitfalls’
We cover key need-to-know about how the body works in birth, many calming and comfort tools (including breathing, positioning, movement, massage, biomechanics, use of props), as well as tips & tricks for transfers, labour stalls, epidurals, etc.
2.5 hours - in-person or online
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What you do with your body in pregnancy & during birth has a huge impact on how labour unfolds.
We’ll explore supportive movement, positioning, bodywork and biomechanics techniques to use throughout pregnancy, and during labour if the need arises.
2 hours - in person or online
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Understand what to expect from the postpartum period (from your body, your baby, your daily life, and more), essentials to set up for success if you are planning to breastfeed, and make plans for a gentler, more supported first few weeks with your baby and transition into early motherhood/parenting.
You will receive a journal-style handbook and supportive resources to use both before and once your baby has arrived.
2.5 hours - online or in-person
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For any questions/worries on your mind, either antenatally or postnatally, you would like to talk through and receive evidence-based, nuanced, information around, non-biaised support finding the right path ahead for you, and how to advocate for your choices if needed.
For example, navigating a change of birth plans or recommendation that have been made to you (including induction), understanding situations and ‘diagnoses’ such as GBS, gestational diabetes, ‘big baby’, ‘small baby’, breech baby, etc.
£75 for 1.5hrs - online
If your antenatal course has left you wanting for more, or would like to dive in more specific aspects of your birth and postpartum preparation.
All consultations are redeemable against doula packages.
“We are so grateful for the incredible support we received from Amelie. She was a calm, reassuring presence throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Her knowledge, encouragement, and ability to listen without judgment helped us feel confident, supported and positive at every stage. Even just talking with her made such a difference.
We can’t recommend her highly enough. She truly brings together compassion, knowledge, and steady support in a way that makes all the difference for expecting and new parents.”
— Kaley & Jack, Weybridge, Surrey
get in touch
to arrange a free, no-commitment call for us to connect, discuss your needs & wishes and how I could support you