My name is Colette,
and I support families through the experience of birth, enabling them to overcome doubts and obstacles, connect to their intuition and come trust in their own bodies.
How did I get here?
The birth of my second child was the catalyst to my vocation as a doula, when I managed to release myself from the outside world and enter the peaceful flow of surges, like waves, totally trusting my body, without fear, calmly, unconscious of time and space, and be purely in the presence of birth. It now gives me joy to share this knowledge and make sure you arrive at that place feeling confident and empowered, in the understanding that your body is working with your baby to reach that moment when the two of you will finally meet.
During the home birth of my first child, I didn’t have the support of a doula and so didn’t understand the importance of using gravity – not sitting which puts pressure on the back as you push my baby out, requires a lot of physical effort and gives the baby less space. I didn’t know I could refuse to be led into controlled pushing, which deprives the baby of oxygen and led to me having piles and being so sore I couldn’t sit down for a week. This is known to be one of the causes of prolapse later in life. But I still felt immensely grateful that I had managed so well, and been supported so well, because I didn’t know better.
So many women don’t know better. It took me a long time to understand what had happened.
It took me a long time to hear about doulas. Once I did, it took very little time for me to understand that this was my calling.
An honest note from me
I strongly believe that natural birth is the missing link in our understanding, and the best tool to make us and our families better, happier, with less trauma, saving us years of suffering and therapy, and costing society as a whole a lot less money and pain. When I studied social anthropology I wrote my dissertation on the subject of birth and pregnancy, using real life stories and literature about historic and modern birth practices, to understand the connection and trust women have in their own bodies and how their experiences are affected by class, race and culture.
Anything else you want to know?
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In my previous occupations, my work in refugee organisations was the most satisfying. My first job was life modelling in an art school and as a creative person, I have enjoyed being a potter, a hat maker and face painting for children. Teaching French is still something that I do and find intellectually exciting, as with sharing knowledge of any kind.
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I have lived in three countries: Algeria, France and the UK, and I understand the needs, struggles and cultural richness of migrants and their families. Many of the families I work
with as a doula come from other countries or cultures. -
I love to walk in nature, swim in the sea, dance, and be with close friends, knitting, working or recycling textiles, discovering new countries usually by myself, good books and films (not Hollywood), and enjoying home-made food and music. I have a spiritual practice to help me better connect to my heart, and to be reminded of the oneness of all of life, made manifest in the profound experience of birth.