When I found out that I was pregnant, just a few short months after miscarrying my first child, I took a long time before thinking what to do for labour and delivery. When I finally did get around to thinking about it, a good friend recommended that I look into hiring a doula and after reading up on what doulas do, I thought it sounded like a good idea.

My husband wasn't so sure! For him the added expense was a worry but eventually I talked him around to agreeing to meet with several doulas in the area. Nikki ended up being the only one who had time available to work with us and from our first appointment we immediately felt comfortable with her! My husband is very squeamish, so having the reassurance that she could act as a primary support for me while he was able to leave the room if he felt too upset was wonderful. For me, the knowledge that having a doula would dramatically improve my chances of having the natural birth that I wanted was important too.

My labour was long and difficult, coming after several weeks of having a baby that kept changing position and causing fears of an emergency Caesarean! As it was he ended up head-down but posterior, meaning that I had nearly two days of extraordinarily intense back pains. They started on Friday evening and by Saturday evening I knew that I needed Nikki - she came out as soon as she could and instead of going into hospital then and there, as I'm sure I would have done without a doula, she was able to help me continue labouring at home until early Sunday morning, when I felt that I needed more pain relief than massage and warm baths could provide.

I had hoped for a water birth but when I was told that I would not be able to have one and that after all that time I was only 3-4 cm dilated, I might well have opted for an epidural right then and there, something I had been passionately against before going into labour because of the risk of it bringing a chain of cascading interventions. Nikki, with her experience and calm nerves, convinced me to try pethidine in combination with gas and air instead - it let me get an hour of rest that I desperately needed, not having slept since Friday morning, and I rapidly dilated to 9 cm.

At that point the baby was in some distress, so they had to perform a procedure to test his blood oxygen level. This took over an hour and was very painful indeed. I remember that at one point the midwife exclaimed that she would have opted for an epidural herself by then but despite the discomfort, thanks to Nikki's reminders to breathe through the pain and continue with the gas and air, I did not opt for any further pain relief than I had already had. While my husband was in the room during this procedure he felt uncomfortable and was able to turn to Nikki to give me the support I desperately needed during that time. Thankfully it was decided that I could push out the baby naturally, which I did - at that point my husband felt that things were too intense and stepped out of the room. Nikki remained with me, continuing to be a strong and vital support, while my husband was able to sit in the hallway knowing that I had someone there for me.

My baby was in slight distress as he was born and needed to be suctioned before he could be passed back to me for skin-to-skin contact. Nikki again was able to hold my hand while watching what was being done to my son and reassuring me that he was well. When at last he was placed on my chest, she encouraged me to hold him and offer him the breast when he started to root; I nursed him off and on for nearly an hour, something that greatly impressed the midwives and that I am certain is directly due to Nikki's help!

All in all I look back at my birth experience and am quite certain that without Nikki's constant support and encouragement it would have been very different and much further from my ideal of an unmedicated birth. I didn't realise how remarkable my experience had been until my mother-in-law, who is a nurse, mentioned that a friend's daughter had had an epidural because she'd been in back labour and her baby had been posterior, just like mine. She said quite confidently that women with posterior lying babies had to have epidurals! Without Nikki's support I know that I probably would have had an epidural too, despite having been so against it to start with, and I will always be grateful for her help not only for myself but for my husband, who had the freedom to help me when he could and step away when he felt that things were getting too much for him.

Our son is lovely and healthy and I still try to send Nikki pictures of him, even a couple of months along. I like to think that in addition to being my doula, that she has become a friend and I hope that if my husband and I decide to have future children that she will be there when they are born too. I cannot say how glad I am that she called me right back when I made that first call to book an appointment with her - it was definitely the right thing to have done!

Heidi

From a father to all fathers to be, at first when my wife booked a Doula I didn’t know how much of a life saver she would be, I thought I would cope. When the time came she was there for both of us. It was our first baby and I am so glad she shared in our experience, without her we couldn’t have coped.

Elyes

Nikki was worth her weight in gold and we couldn’t of done it without her.

Sally

Nikki was fantastic support and I feel I couldn’t have got through this experience without her, particularly as I do not have a partner. It really made a difference to me, she was always there for me and had my best interest at heart. I can’t thank her enough.

Sharon

Nikki made my whole Pregnancy/birth and post natal period much easier and more enjoyable than I feel it would have been without her. I feel that she is a particularly good Doula due to her accuracy to perceive peoples needs and to judge situations and deal with them and all involved with tact, diplomacy, understanding and TLC.

Angela

Having Nikki as a Doula was a fantastic support throughout the pregnancy, labour and birth. It was brilliant to have her at our house during labour, which gave us the confidence to stay at home longer than we would have done on our own. Nikki was an amazing support during the final stages of labour and birth, giving me and my husband reassurance and encouragement.

Louisa and Mark