I had my baby on the 31st of October, in the comfort of our home, a beautiful water birth. I get really emotional saying this, but I don’t think I would’ve had the dream outcome that I had if it wasn’t for WPCTS.
Louise Clay was my Birth Keeper. An unbelievable woman who helped me so much with finding confidence in myself that I didn’t call my midwife to attend in the end. I really didn’t feel I needed the NHS present at that point, and we just had the most transcendental birthing experience. It went better than I could’ve imagined. I went from being labelled as ‘high risk’ and being led down a fearful path to fully trusting in the physiological process of my body and intuition.
There are many doulas out there that I met and spoke with, but it quickly became evident to me that I didn’t need an incense-waving doula. I always knew I needed an empowered, no- bullshit real talker. So much is sugar-coated around birthing, and much of the process
becomes pathologised that it can seem impossible to navigate when pregnant for the first time.
The catalyst for me was a horrible experience talking with midwives after declining to take aspirin every day due to a low PAPP-A result at 12 weeks. After that seed of doubt and fear was planted by the NHS, I wanted to surround myself with a more informed voice. Louise was that voice of reason that I felt I could fully trust in my space. She encouraged us to do the research, to stay empowered, and demystified so many unknowns for me, which helped put me at ease where otherwise I could’ve easily been coerced. The support was always available with regular in-person visits, texts, phone calls, and Zoom calls where needed.
Louise brought a warmth and joyful reassurance that really helped to balance mine and my partner’s energy during our pregnancy.
I realise now how important it was for me to have an incredible Birth Keeper like Lou. She
really helped to shift years of generational trauma and shame around birth for me. I was able to have more open conversations around where the fears stemmed from, and now we have broken that cycle. I hope that we can both inspire more women to take their power back with this positive story.
Thank you to Abigail who pointed me in the direction of WPCTS and to Nickita who recommended Louise to Olmo and me. May this sisterhood continue to grow.
