Hello! I'm Olivia, birth & postnatal doula & women’s health massage therapist
Firstly, a very warm welcome to you. If you are considering your options for a birth or postnatal doula or you are feeling drawn to booking a massage therapy session with me, then I'm so pleased you have come to this decision. I am here to listen to your needs and work with you to curate a personalised plan for you and your journey.
I love working with women, nurturing and supporting them through all stages of their lives. I have the honour of working with women during the most wondrous, and sometimes most difficult, time of their lives and I founded Be Birth out of a deep desire to offer my care to as many people as I can. I want to enable families to have positive birth experiences and a calm entry to parenthood as well as supporting and holding the body using massage to aid deep rest and healing.
my journey
When I was 28 one of my closest friends fell pregnant quite unexpectedly. We were living together at the time and I became intrigued and amazed as I watched her grow into her new role as mum-to-be. The inner strength and the calmness that her and her partner showed whilst journeying with so many unknowns was completely inspirational.
When I then fell pregnant myself a few years later I completely immersed myself in all things birth. I gorged on books about the power of women and hormones, took classes and did a lot of inner practise. I learnt how important a positive experience of birth and the postnatal period is for parents as they emerge into their new set of family dyads and how crucial a solid support team around that new family is.
Following the birth of my first child in 2016, I decided to change the direction of my work and took a leap of faith to train as a birth and postnatal doula and I haven’t looked back!
In 2017 I trained to be a Hypnobirthing Practitioner and in 2018 I completed my doula training with the amazing Kicki Hansard at Birthbliss Academy where I now coach newly qualified doulas.
I continued to expand on my knowledge and began drawn to how I can best support the body physically, on a bio-mechanical level as well as on a spiritual level. I completed my holistic massage diploma with BCMB in 2022 and then honed in on my pregnancy and postnatal massage skills with the incredible Suzanne Yates - delving deeper into the world of traditional Chinese medicine and shiatsu.
I am a Mother Companion for Project MAMA, a Bristol-based charity run by an incredible group of doulas, midwives and other birth professionals supporting women refugees, asylum-seekers, survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking and other displaced women. We work with women who struggle to access our maternity systems and provide them with additional support to encourage independence and bolster resilience.
I have experience of working with solo parents, couples and surrogates and I have worked with clients birthing twins, having home births, hospital births and abdominal births. I am continuously learning from my clients and I never cease to be amazed by the strength and commitment that they bring to their individual journeys.
my personal life
I spent my teen years in Bristol and after moving to London for 10 years we relocated back here in 2018. I live with my partner, Jack, our 3 children and our big fluffy cat. We live a fairly slow-paced life, enjoying cycle rides, walks around Bristol and the countryside, camping and hosting friends.
Prior to being a doula I worked in London in Executive Search where I spent a lot of my time listening to the stories of people's lives, researching and providing a consultative approach - very much like being a doula, just without the magic of birth!
my training
Katherine Graves Hypnobirthing - practitioner training (The Royal College of Midwives accredited course), 2017
Birthbliss Academy - birth and postnatal doula training, 2018
NCT - access to birth diploma, 2018
Biomechanics for birth with Molly O’Brien - RM BSc (hons) - of Optimal Birth, 2020
BASIS - SIDS and sleep safety & normal infant sleep 2020
Pelvic Health workshop for doulas, 2021
Advanced Biomechanics for birth with Molly O’Brien - RM BSc (hons) - of Optimal Birth, 2021
Trauma Informed Hypnobirthing, 2021
Level 4 holistic massage diploma, awarded by MTI (massage training institute) at Bristol College of Massage & Bodywork, 2022
Pregnancy massage & shiatsu diploma with Suzanne Yates, 2022
testimonials
“Olivia created a warm and welcoming environment where we both felt comfortable to express any worries we had surrounding the birth. She helped us understand where these thoughts came from and to reframe them in our minds. Another discussion we found super helpful was around how to create a positive and homely birth environment, which was especially important for our planned hospital birth. The method of teaching was always varied and engaging, we even watched a few birth videos which were beautiful and inspiring - something I didn't realise birth could be.”
— first time mama & papa : hypnobirthing : 2021
“As a single mum to be, I wanted a birth partner who I could trust and who could support me with a hypnobirth, I found that in Olivia. After each pre-birth visit I felt more and more excited about giving birth and I now feel so lucky to be able to say that I loved my baby’s birth. We had a beautiful home birth and it was better than I had ever dared dream would be possible. I would recommend Olivia to anyone looking for a doula, even the midwives who attended my birth said she ‘was the best doula they had ever worked with”
— first time mama : solo parent : homebirth : 2020
“Having had a very positive birth experience with my daughter in 2016 following a straightforward pregnancy, when I was told I required additional scans and that my dream of home birth for my second baby might not be a reality, I enlisted the help of Olivia. From the get go Olivia researched all she could about my circumstances and was extremely supportive during our antenatal sessions. She helped me feel like I was back in control of my birth before I went into labour so that I was in the best possible mindset.”
— second time mama : homebirth : 2019
“Olivia was the shield and sword of my wife’s ‘wants’ and knew her role prior to the all night shift at our birth so she didn’t have to ask any questions. What I didn’t foresee was the support I also received. I was emotional, tired, worried, stressed and anxious. Olivia made me feel strong, positive, supported, calm and collected. She will never truly realise how important she was for me.”
— second time papa : homebirth : 2019