Who is ClarityDoula? Welcome to my Blog!



ClarityDoula and kids
Hi there! If you’re reading this then you may be a pregnant mother or expectant father in Greenwich, Bexley or Bromley, childbirth professional with your eye on networking or one of my lovely supportive friends or family members. Welcome all!

I hope to use this blog to share my thoughts and opinions on issues related to maternal wellbeing, childbirth and childcare issues in the media. I feel as if I am at the beginning of my learning journey, so am magpie-like in picking up any interesting nugget I find without a great deal of premeditation , so apologies if it’s all a bit random!
I completed my training to become a birth and postnatal doula with Nurturing Birth in 2017. Prior to that I worked as a Science teacher in a number of comprehensive and grammar schools around the South East in North Kent, Bromley and Bexley. I have three children, a 20 year old daughter who has recently started at Liverpool University as well as two younger children, a 10 year old daughter and a 7 year old son who attend our local primary school. 

Clarity with her big girlWhen I had my eldest daughter I was the first of my friends and close family to have a child. I didn’t know anyone else in the same situation and my mum was my source of guidance and advice. I didn’t read any books about childbirth or caring for babies and this was in the days before the internet (imagine!!), so to a certain extent I went with what felt right and worked for me. Once my friends and sisters started venturing into parenthood, and when my husband and I joined a local NCT antenatal group, I was considered an ‘old hand’ (although, frustratingly incapable of remembering exact details of what pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding etc. etc. was like!) so was often asked for advice and reassurance.  Possibly because of my inability to recall exact details of my own experience (extended mummy colander brain!), but also because of an awareness that each mother’s values and situation is unique I was always slightly loath to offer absolutes. I preferred to suggest options and signpost sources of advice whilst offering reassurance and an empathetic ear. 

As more and more of the couples in my family and extended friendship group, both real and virtual, have travelled the journey of pregnancy, labour, childbirth and parenthood (with some rocky patches and losses along the way) I have continued to listen to all the stories, concerns and dilemmas and never cease to find them fascinating. Each journey is unique and precious in its own way and watching individuals come together and develop into families is wonderful and awe inspiring.

I feel so fortunate to have a supportive family, particularly my husband, who have enabled me to take this fascination with all things related to childbirth combined with my love of science, facts and data and to embark on a new career as a doula. I chose the name ClarityDoula because ‘My Clarity’ is my husband’s pet name for me (on special occasions!) and also because I feel that I can help to offer clarity to pregnant women and new mothers in this modern era of information and advice overload. I hope to be able to help guide women and their partners towards the journey that feels right for them, to tread the path of parenthood with the reassurance of knowledge, purpose and clarity of mind.


Thank you for reading,
Clare x

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lewisham Birth Centre at Lewisham Hospital – a Doula’s viewpoint

Image
If you are pregnant and live in one of the South East London areas such as Lewisham, Greenwich, Catford, Blackheath, Mottingham, Hither Green and New Cross you may be considering birthing your baby at the Lewisham Birth Centre. This is an option for women who have had straightforward pregnancies and are expected to be able to birth their babies without medical intervention. It’s a really good idea to look at the Which? Birth Choices guide to where to have your baby, and do a tour yourself, but to give you another point of view, this is the second in my series of reviews of birth locations in South East London from a doula’s viewpoint.   The Birth Centre opened in 2010 and offers tours on Thursdays at 10am and 1pm. I attended the 1pm session and there were 4 pregnant women, two of whom had brought their partners. Parking on the hospital site is limited and rather expensive so I parked in a side street with a RingGo meter. When women arrive in labour, their partners are advis...
Read more

Pregnancy Information Evening at Lewisham Hospital

Image
Having been fortunate enough to complete tours of the Birth Centres at Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth hospitals previously (see my earlier blogs for my viewpoints! QEH Lewisham ) I was interested to attend the Pregnancy Information Evening at Lewisham hospital. These evenings (which are also held at QEH) are aimed at expectant mothers, where they can find out about a wide range of maternity services in their borough and surrounds and include a brief tour of the Birth Centre and Labour Ward. The evening takes place at 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month at Lewisham Hospital and on the 3 rd Wednesday of the month at QEH. I decided to attend the Pregnancy Information evening at Lewisham hospital on Wednesday. University Hospital Lewisham I arrived at the Women’s Health Centre around 15 minutes after the evening had started; it is straightforward to park in the local streets and parking restrictions have lifted at that time in the evening (at the date of posting). I was buz...
Read more

The Greenwich Birth Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich – a Doula’s viewpoint

Image
If you are an expectant mother in South East London you may be trying to make the important decision of where to birth your baby. The Which? affiliated Birth Choice website is a very good place to start, but it is also helpful to have information from ‘real’ people. Having completed the Nurturing Birth doula training course and as part of my continuing professional development I plan to tour the delivery suites (and labour wards if possible) of my local maternity hospitals. The first of these to submit to my scrutiny is Queen Elizabeth Hospital, near Woolwich Common in South East London. The entrance to the hospital is quite attractive from a distance, with a large grassy space dotted with trees, but closer to it is unfortunately, despite very clear signage, a gathering spot for smokers and vapers. After ‘running the gauntlet’ it is very easy to find the Birth Centre on the first floor. It is adjacent to the labour wards, but these are not accessible by tours. I was welcomed ...
Read more