About me...
I am a mother of three (vibrant, headstrong, individual) humans, and we live in the beautiful market town of Sherborne in Dorset, with our Springer Spaniel, Coco.
A big fan of babywearing, extended breastfeeding and bed-sharing, my parenting is gentle but real. Above all things, we are happy and kind.
Before having my own children 13 years ago, I worked for many years as an agency nanny and as an activity class play leader from birth to 4 years. I also went on to run my own company as a Children’s Party Entertainer!
Over the last 10 years, I have worked in creating digital content for entrepreneurs and luxury brands, and have a passion for start-ups and individuals who want to make a stand in the world. I am a huge advocate for education which drives a passion for local politics and governance. Community is everything - connected we grow.
I am a certified Nurturing Birth doula and qualified life coach, with a passion for nutrition, gut health and holistic practice. I’m also a bit of an advocate for the infant microbiome.
I am also an illustrator and collector of stationary, art materials and haberdashery.
I love fashion, especially when it’s bold and colourful and wild around the edges.
I don’t do perfect, I do real.
I also do quirky and eccentric.
I love my garden - it may be small but it is full of herbs - and my kitchen; as is with many kitchens, it is the very heart of my home.
I am a great believer in coming back to the now through the power of relaxation techniques, mindfulness, energy movement and clearing; connecting to our intuition and opening our hearts. I am a fully qualified hypnobirthing teacher with The Calm Birth School.
I am a doula because;
When I was nine years old I watched my mother do something remarkable. It was powerful, raw and wholly feminine.
She gave birth.
She laboured throughout the afternoon and into the evening, and just after 10pm, my brother came into the world.
Until then I hadn’t considered what it meant to be a mother. Or a woman even. But as birth changed her, so it did me.
I can see that day in full clarity like a silent film, buzzing with gentle movement, understanding and love.
The women at his birth held my mother in her power.
They embraced her space and lifted her calmly through the natural, most magnificent event that is childbirth.
For years afterwards my dream was to be a midwife. I read books and books and books on the subject. But life hasn’t taken me down that path.
Today, I embrace the mother, without judgement, however she needs me.
We are the guardians of all the magic that happens within a woman’s body during birth; a guardian at the gateway to this world for the precious beings that arrive.
I am a doula.
“Taking care of yourself means nourishing yourself within to be able to take on the world out there.”
- Nikki Banas
