ABOUT

Welcome! I am Charlotte - a postnatal doula, baby massage teacher and the founder of motherbloom. I am here to nurture, empower and support mothers and their families during their postpartum period.

My journey to becoming a postnatal doula

Becoming a mother is a transformational experience. A new side of you is born. It is beautiful yet the unknown can be scary. 

When my first son was born, I found myself caught in an emotional rollercoaster and lacking a lot of support and information. I felt somewhat unprepared and overwhelmed with the range of physical and emotional changes that I went through. I often felt torn between what my maternal instinct was telling me to do, and the amount of unsolicited advice or conflictual information I received. It affected my confidence as a new parent and it took time to embrace all these changes, trust my instincts and accept that everything I went through was quite common after giving birth.

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As the months went by, I looked back on my experience and came to realise that nowadays most of the focus is put into pregnancy and antenatal preparation, and that the postnatal period is completely overlooked. The fourth trimester can be a hard topic to talk about. Some women won’t even share their feelings and experiences with their peers, in fear of “scaring them away” or because they may feel embarrassed. On top of this, cultural and societal expectations can be very hard on women who have just given birth. They are expected to bounce back and resume their “normal” lives asap. 

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I had been thinking of working in women’s wellness and wellbeing for a while. Becoming a mother ignited something powerful in me and I found myself called to help other women in their fourth trimester. Sixteen months after giving birth, I trained with the inspiring Sophie Brigstocke at Nurturing Birth and quit my job shortly after to dedicate myself to this vocational path. 

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My philosophy and vision

Giving birth is one of the most beautiful, powerful and intense experiences in a woman’s life. Everyone’s birth experience is unique and brings about a lot of changes afterwards, both physical and emotional.

I believe the postnatal period is a very special time that should be honoured and protected. It is a time to slow things down, recover and rest. And most importantly, it is a precious time for a family to bond with their baby. I am a strong advocate of the “golden month” whereby a mother is nurtured, nourished and given the opportunity to escape chores in order to rest and bond with her baby. This also allows the baby to have a smoother adjustment to life outside the womb.

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As a postnatal doula, I want to encourage and support women to spend the first weeks after birth resting as much as possible with their baby to promote healing, recovery and bonding. I am here to mother the mother and support her and her family at the start of their parenting journey. I am committed to:

• holding space for mothers to talk about anything they want, providing a non-judgemental, listening ear

  
  

• encouraging them to trust their maternal instincts, providing reassurance and raising their confidence levels

  
  

• empowering them with evidence-based information to help them find their own parenting style

  
  

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Who am I outside of the doula world?

I’m originally from sunny south of France. I grew up in Provence and come from a large family with lots of siblings and cousins. I am a calm, caring person that loves her family and friends above anything else.

London was my home for 14 beautiful years and I recently relocated to Brighton & Hove with my family for a new adventure by the sea! Before becoming a doula, I worked as an email marketing manager for ten years in various industries. 

I am a travel addict and aim to explore as many countries as I can in life (40 so far!). I thrive in multicultural environments; I am very curious and love to meet people from different backgrounds. As a true foodie I enjoy trying out new restaurants and cuisines and spend a decent amount of time cooking at home. 

In my spare time, you’ll usually find me catching up with friends and playing board games, having a walk in the park with my husband and our two lovely boys, or binging Netflix series in the evening with a cheeky glass of wine.

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If you feel that I could be the right doula for you, please get in touch!