Meg Barrett Doula Service

With my defence husband deployed overseas and no close friends or family nearby, I knew that I needed some reliable support for my second pregnancy. Thankfully I found lovely Meg. I was hoping for a VBAC and was so glad I had someone who had experience with the whole birth process! While my husband did make it back on leave for the birth, Meg was invaluable in her support to both of us: pre, post and during labour. Labour came on a lot faster than expected and we had to change hospitals mid drive. Meg was on the ball every step of the way, meeting us at the new hospital. She calmed me down and provided such a great guidance and reassurance to both my husband and I during the birth. Without her, it would have been a very rushed, confusing and stressful birth experience in an unfamiliar and busy hospital. Meg and I got along easily from our first meeting. She is so kind and caring, strong, compassionate, knowledgeable and really empowered my through my labour. I cannot recommend her highly enough for anyone wanting personalised support through pregnancy and birth.

Meg was absolutely amazing. We came across Meg through using the SheBirths doula service. Of the doulas we met we were instantly impressed by Meg's doula experience and felt completely at ease in her down to earth and friendly presence. Having gone through a medical trauma at 8 weeks pregnant we were keen to have someone in our team to provide knowledge, support and calm. Meg brought all of those things and more! Meg was always 100% on our side, no trying to sway us in any particular direction but listened to our birth preferences and supported them fully with no judgment. On the day of the birth, Meg came to us when we needed and supported with birth with enthusiasm! She was both a comfort to me but also to my partner. She was like Mary Poppins with her bag of tricks pulling out various useful things for the birth (from clary sage, spikey ball to grasp during labour (or in my case bite into! Sorry Meg!), LED tea candles, a hand held fan and even a straw for water). She stayed with us for as long as we wanted after the birth without hesitation and continued to follow up with us post birth to check in and offer support. I have no doubt that the calm and enjoyable birth of our son was because of Meg. We would definitely have Meg again for any future babies and would recommend her to all my friends.

Testimonial by Claire, solo 45-year-old first time mum. Having Meg with me during my birth journey was the best decision I could have made, As my age is advanced for a first time mum, 45 years old, I was closely monitored by the hospital and given all sorts of warnings, as statistically speaking I would be more likely to have complications. But I felt healthy and very much wanted a natural birth without pain relief, preferably a calm hypnobirthing water birth when the time was right for my baby. i remember reading how high the chances were that I's end up with an emergency caesarean and asking my midwife if I should hire a doula. She said empathically "worth every penny". I was recommended Meg by another doula and straight away when we met up she made me feel comfortable with my decisions and her years of experience shone through. Meg was supportive of the possibility of having the birth I wanted and helped me work on my plans and preferences. She was kind and encouraging, and when I made the decision to accept an induction, she assured me that everything I wanted was all still possible. And it was! Although we didnt manage the water birth because of the monitoring, we did manage everything else and I put that down to how Meg worked seamlessly between me and the lovely midwives in the hospital. She set up the hospital room to make it a calm and comforting space and had a bag full of tricks with her for every stage, finding what worked for me. She negotiated with the medical team with kindness and understanding throughout, many times managing to head-off situations where it may have fone in the direction I didnt want, whilst always staying by me. I remember afterwards thinking, she has so much stamina! Ultimately, I felt fully supported and like she was in it for the long haul, no matter what happened. The final gift she gave me during the birth was making sure I got my immediate golden hour with my baby, whilst letting the medical team do their best jobs. She is a master navigator. Afterwards, her visits at home were just as lovely and useful, always bringing round handfuls of tricks to make those first few weeks smoother for me and my daughter. Meg went above and beyond to help me have the birth I wanted and Im forever grateful. My baby having the best start in life, with the happiest mum, is the highest gift.

I am happy I found Meg to be my doula, she was a great fit my my partner and I. Meg took the time to understand out birth wishes and helped prepare us for may different scenarios. When I went in to labour Meg was amazing, she remained calm throughout and was there to help guide my partner and I, never overtaking or trying to dominate. but a great support when we needed it, not just on the day of birth either, she would check in with us prior and after birth too. Meg is a very knowledgeable and experienced doula, we loved her support so much she was our doula for our second birth as well! Meg took the time to get a great understanding of what was important to myself and my partner which meant on the day she could help guide and in the heat of the birthing moment, remind me of these priorities which was great as without that my birth experience would have been quite different.

Dad: I would recommend Meg wholeheartedly. She was an amazingly calm and reassuring presence during labour as we laboured at home. Her lovely sense of humour also helped punctuate some of the more stressful moments. Meg is kind, generous and practical in her approach, and having her with us leading up to the birth and during the birth took the pressure off me feeling like I needed to be an expert - she brought peace of mind to me, and reassurance to my wife, enabling me to be involved in the experience and enjoy it, adjusting to both mine and my wife's cues. Even though she was unable to be in the hospital with us due to COVID restrictions, she enabled my wife to feel strong, confident, secure and focus on contractions to support natural birth. Mum: I was anxious for my husband to be highly involved in my birth experience, and also prepared, so I ws very glad that Meg struck a really great balance of supporting me, enabling my husband to support me from morning till we went to hospital at 1030pm. From the very start, I felt comfortable with Meg - we could be open with concerns and questions and Meg had a quiet confidence and lightheartedness that helped create the environment for my labour. Meg prepared tools for us to use during labour and her guidance during my labour was just what I needed. I was disappointed that the hospital didnt let Meg be present to support due to COVID, however I was glad Meg was able to help me through till 8cm dilation! I would gladly birth with Meg again :)

I cant imagine birthing my two babies without Meg by my side. Her incredible support was truly invaluable. With her expert hip squeezes, heat packs, and thoughtful suggestions for positioning, she halved the intensity of my contractions and made the experience so much more manageable. But beyond the physical comfort, Meg was my anchor. She instilled a deep trust in myself, my baby, and the entire birthing process, helping me achieve the birth of my dreams. I genuinely cant fathom how women manage labour at home without a doula, or how partners can support a labouring woman without the guidance of someone like Meg. Her calm presence and empowering energy transformed each contraction into a moment of strength. Having Meg in the birth space made all the difference, and I am forever grateful for her support and wisdom. Love you Meg x

I wholeheartedly recommend Meg to anyone looking for a Doula!! She was invaluable during the birth of my daughter. Meg had agreed to be my doula as a very last minute back up for somebody else that couldnt be with me that night. She dropped everything to come immediately in the middle of the night, and even upon meeting her for the first time, I was instantly comfortable with her. I was in so much pain and getting scared when I entered the hospital, but the moment she was there to greet me, with such a lovely and guiding presence, it was a huge game changer and really made me feel like it's going to be okay. She came with a bag of helpful comfort items and also respected my wishes throughout the birth. I had a water birth, she was an angel pouring warm water on my back and also keeping the space quiet and calm during my contractions. Its so lovely to have the photos she took from the birth. Thank you again, Meg