Helen Discombe is a Doula & Perinatal Mentor offering pre and post-natal care across Buckinghamshire & Berkshire.
T: 07882 918715 / E: helendiscombe@seedwellness.co.uk
What is a Doula?
A Doula is a trained companion who offers support to a woman (and her family) through a significant health-related experience – usually childbirth.
During Labour a doula provides emotional and practical support to their client while providing them with useful information and advice. A doula helps their clients to prepare for a calm, confident and joyful birth.
Doula’s can also support their clients through miscarriage, induced abortion or stillbirth.
In Helen’s own words:
“I am a doula, mentor and alchemist. I combine many tools as I support a variety of families in their journey to parenthood. Many of the families I support have been experiencing fear or anxieties around pregnancy, birth and even parenthood and I am able to provide bespoke support to each and every family I work with utilising a variety of tools helping to dispel those fears and anxieties so you can feel calm, confident, nurtured and supported as you meet your baby for the very first time.
I believe birth to be a Rite of Passage and a deeply spiritual experience. After all “It is said that women in labour leave their bodies… They travel to the stars to collect the souls of their babies, and return to this world together.” And I support families in honouring this by undergoing spiritual preparation, as well as understanding and preparing for the physiology of birth, or whatever path your birthing takes.
I have experience of supporting a variety of families with different needs including those who have had previous difficult birth experiences, those who have previously experienced a loss and those who want to birth their way – perhaps outside of NHS guidance (eg, a homebirth while under consultant led care).
Following the birth of my son I came to understand the need for continuous support throughout the perinatal period and recognised how beneficial this support would be to whole the family. The way we prepare for birth and how we’re supported through this makes a huge difference to how we feel as parents.
I am incredibly passionate about my work and honoured to be invited to support a family as they grow into their power as parents. I love seeing the families I work with go from perhaps feeling slightly nervous or apprehensive to really standing in their power and being filled with confidence as new parents.
- Women who received continuous labour support may be more likely to give birth ‘spontaneously’, i.e. give birth vaginally with neither ventouse nor forceps nor caesarean.
- Women may be less likely to use pain medications or to have a caesarean birth, and may be more likely to be satisfied and have shorter labours.
- Postpartum depression could also be lower in women who were supported in labour.
- The babies of women who received continuous support may be less likely to have low five-minute Apgar scores (the score used when babies’ health and well-being are assessed at birth and shortly afterwards).
As well as being a fully qualified doula registered with both Doula UK & The Doula Association, Helen is also able to provide support including aromatherapy, hypnobirthing, rebozo, reiki and Shamanic practices throughout pregnancy and the birth.
In addition, Helen also provides mentoring for those who are looking to prepare for pregnancy, those who are pregnant and also those who are already mothers. She offer Mother Blessings (an alternative to a baby shower that is all about honouring the expectant mother and reminding her of the Circle of women who are holding her) and Closing the Bones (a postnatal healing ritual), as well as standalone Reiki sessions and sessions to encourage your baby into an optimal position for birth utilising the Rebozo, biomechanics (gentle exercises / movements to encourage space in the pelvis).
Location:
Helen Discombe, Doula & Perinatal Mentor, support families across East Berkshire, South Buckinghamshire and South Oxfordshire. As a doula she supports births at home and hospitals including (but limited to) John Racliffe, Royal Berkshire, Stoke Mandeville, Wallingford Birth Centre, Wexham Park and Wycombe Birth Centre.
Fees:
- Doula support starts from £1660
- Mentoring from £375 for a series of five 1 hour sessions
- Ceremonies start from £280
- All other services / therapies start from £75 per hour
Find out more about Helen Discombe – Doula & Perinatal Mentor
Helen Discombe, Doula & Perinatal Mentor is also part of The Seed Childbirth Collective
Helen also offers a monthly Home Birth Support Group
I brought on Helen as my doula for the birth of my second daughter. I really couldn’t recommend her more, she brought with her such a wealth of wisdom and experience. Her knowledge of all things birth is expansive and she gave me very valuable guidance on how to navigate dealing with the NHS when I was running well past my due date and was very keen to avoid induction and have an intervention free birth at home. My birth experience was really amazing, I honestly don’t think it could have been more positive, and I know this was largely due to Helen’s consistent support, encouragement, sage advice and all round wonderful service as doula for the birth of my baby. Thank you so much Helen.
Helen was everything we needed her to be – positive and reassuring, while also being practical by providing massage, and keeping me warm in the birth pool using a towel. Helen was such a dependable, kind and reassuring presence throughout the whole birth and supported me in having the home birth I wanted, with minimal medical interference. Helen has an excellent way of being positive and uplifting, while making you feel heard and empathising completely, offering practical solutions and ideas. We both found Helen to be very trustworthy and easy to talk to.Elen
Having a doula was important to me due to some negative experiences in hospital in the past. Immediately I felt a connection with Helen and from the very start her knowledge and warm manner gave me confidence. It was also very important to me that my husband’s role wasn’t undermined in any way and Helen was just as much a support for him as she was for me. She played such an important part in both of our experiences during the birth of our daughter.
The birth of my daughter had its challenges, but I felt so supported by my birth team that I am able to look back positively. I would highly recommend Helen as a Doula, she helped me achieve a positive experience in less than ideal circumstances and I am so grateful for this.Holly
I’d had a hard time in my previous pregnancy. And because of that discovering I was pregnant again did not fill me with the joy I should have felt. I was left feeling anxious and as though I did not want my baby. I knew I would be forced into the same hospital and if it weren’t for Helen I probably would have accepted that. She was an excellent source of strength that I needed. She guided me into a sense of calm and security and soon enough I was excited. I was going to have the birth I wanted my way! And I did get that. It was amazing and I am forever in Helen’s debt! I couldn’t have done it without Helen’s guidance.Holli
When I was in labour Helen answered the phone straight away and came to us as soon as we asked her to. She stayed with us for 24 hours in total! Helen set-up a cozy environment in the hospital and was encouraging and patient throughout. Following the birth, Helen was in touch almost every day to check in and offer advice. Helen is amazing. She listens and gives appropriate advice without judging. Easily available and happy to help, even when she wasn’t on call.Marie