Birth Doula & Postpartum Doula support in Richmond, South West London & Surrey
You CAN positively influence your birth & postpartum experience
And I would love to support you do just that.
Because how you get to experience your pregnancy, birth and early motherhood deeply matters and will stay with you forever, and affect you, your baby and how you go into motherhood together. And because it’s not all out of your control.
I believe every woman deserves to experience birth & postpartum from a place of calm, understanding and power, not anxiety, pressure or fear.
To be supported to build a deep sense of trust in yourself, your body, your baby, and to make the choices that feel right for you both, no matter what.
Whether you’re preparing for your first birth and feeling scared or overwhelmed by all the stats and horror stories from friends and the media; feeling lost or pressured by the UK maternity system, or hoping for a different experience after a difficult first birth, my passion as a doula is to share the care, guidance and practical support you need to help you stack the odds in your favour of a positive birth & gentle beginnings with your baby, in whichever way feels right for you.
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, Hanwell, 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 expanding my services to birth & postpartum doula support in 2024 to offer the practical, individualised care & guidance I know makes a crucial difference to women’s birth experiences.
I started on this path after my 2 extremely different birth experiences - one traumatic induced first birth, and a healing water birth - and the widely different early postpartum that followed, and have supported hundreds of women & babies on their journeys since. You can read more about my journey to doula-ing here
I support all types of births in all settings. I am deeply passionate about supporting physiological /low intervention births, including home births and vaginal births after caesarean (vbac) - and equally passionate about supporting gentle caesareans whichI strongly believe warrant the same level - if not exactly the same type - of support as vaginal births, and specialised recovery (almost inexistent in today’s NHS care).
After my own experiences, I also have a deep interest and 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 hospital, St George’s, West Middlesex, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and Queen Charlotte’s maternity.
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 will give you
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Personalised support to build your confidence
Because no two people, pregnancies, births, babies are the same
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. -
Key knowledge to best navigate your care
Because knowledge IS power and you deserve to understand the full picture
What every birthing person should really know (and not often told): about how birth works, the maternity system’s approach, all your options and their pros and cons. So that you can make truly informed birth & postpartum choices at each and every step. And never look back thinking “I wish I had known” -
Body preparation/care & mindset work
Because birth is first and foremost a body & mind process
As a yoga & hypnobirthing teacher, body ‘work’ and care, and mindset preparation is a key part of my unique doula approach. To help you stay comfortable throughout pregnancy, navigate labour & birth with more ease, and actively support your postpartum recovery.
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Ongoing guidance & presence
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.
Doula support packages
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1 initial conversation
3 antenatal sessions to prepare for birth & postpartum
Yoga for pregnancy & birth preparation online course and library
On-call from 38 weeks
Support at your birth from whenever you need me
1 postpartum visit
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 £1,899 -
All elements of the 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 £2,475
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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 £1,799
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Holistic postnatal 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 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’
- Cooking nourishing meals & snacksIntegrates my expertise in yoga therapy for postpartum recovery, pelvic floor health, bodywork, developmental baby movement & baby massage
Available as ad-hoc support or in package(s) of 15hrs
From £35/hr
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.
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.
3 hrs - online or in-person
£185
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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
£150 -
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.
3 hours - in-person or online
£185 -
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.
90mn - in person or online
£135 -
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
£150 -
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.
£90 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, informal call
for us to connect and discuss your needs