Birth Story – Holistic support for pregnancy, birth and new parenthood

Skip to content

Home
About
Services
Testimonials
Resources
Contact
- facebook
- instagram

Holistic support and preparation for pregnancy, birth and new parenthood.

I can join your team, making sure you get the birth you want and need, then help you to ease into parenthood on the other side.

About Birth Story

About Anna

Birth Preparation

Doula

Birth Trauma Recovery

Dads and Partners

birthstoryanna

Okay so I'm a bit late to the party (everyone else

Okay so I'm a bit late to the party (everyone else has 'been there/done that') but due to me having Covid (finally), I supported a birth over the phone last night.

These beautiful souls had been through the toughest journey, we got to know each other at the beginning of the year, and they were well prepared and ready to welcome this little one, they knew what they needed to do, and they did it!!!

I held on the phone, with her, until the midwife arrived. Not ideal at all, not being there in person, but it's what we had - a familiar voice, reassurance, belief.

#birthafterloss #physiologicalbirth #birthpower #healingbirth #understandingbirth

A pregnancy ending too soon is one of the most vis

A pregnancy ending too soon is one of the most visceral, painful experiences in life.

To go through it is to feel that terrifying point where you don't know if you can go through it. How and where is the 'out' exit?
Remove me now, I can not do this, the pain is bigger than me.

With my own stories of loss (miscarriage and ectopic) I can only say now, nearly 20 years later, that the deep and dark experience of my grief, is still breathtakingly painful to think back on. But, I have a respect for the process of grief, and of the strength of us/me as human, to recover and move forward.

I don't feel the need to light candles or name these babies who had to stop growing. But I do feel the need to acknowledge to myself, that I was bigger than the grief (even though it knocked me down and out for the count) and I moved forward. We are fragile and we are strong.

📷 me and my brown eyed babes (2013)

#babyloss #grief #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #birthafterloss #pregnancyloss #pregnancylossawareness #pregnancylosssupport #processingloss #motherhood #parenthood

☀️Whoa - here we are knee deep in the school s

☀️Whoa - here we are knee deep in the school summer holidays. Unless I get called to a birth, I'm holding my monthly space this Sunday for stories to be told and aired. Sometimes, it feels really good to release our stories, good and bad, joyous and painful. Whether it's the story of our own birth (our mothers or grandmothers) or the birth of our own children. Whether it's decades, years or months ago. All stories deserve to be aired, shared and honoured.

☀️This Sunday 7th August at 11am. In Stroud Green, N4, nearest tube Finsbury Park, overground Crouch Hill or Haringey Green Lanes.

☀️If you wanna come just ping me a message or email anna@birthstory.co.uk
It may be just you or a few people, it's very casual and laid back, no need to share, maybe just to listen and share when you're ready.

#birthstory #northlondonbirthstory #northlondoncommunity #sharingbirthstories #tellingbirthstories #listeningtobirthstories #northlondonparents #stroudgreenparents #processingbirth #rightsofpassage #understandingbirth #birthdoula #birthkeeper #birthtrauma #birthvillage

Thinking more and more about this as the birth wor

Thinking more and more about this as the birth world gets more and more polarised.

#birthpreparation #birthafterdeath #babyloss #nuanceinbirth #birthwork #birthdoula #birthkeeper #birthchoices #birthsupport #birthteam #birthguidance #birthsherpa #birthgrief #lifeanddeath #lifeafterdeath #miscarriage #stillbirth #tfmr #neonataldeath

🫒 Fig in sun. 🫒 Feeling the need to sit/wal

🫒 Fig in sun.

🫒 Feeling the need to sit/walk quietly at the moment for general regulation of health and emotional wellbeing.

🫒 Kids are wrapping up for school - exams, school trips, sports days done, pack lunches made. We're all a bit knackered, even the cat looks a bit off.

🫒 Work wise (birth support/birthprep/postnatal), I have some lovely clients who I genuinely really warm too, so I feel really lucky there.

🫒 I'll be dipping into my dry crispy garden (trying to keep the plants alive) and enjoying being in my little part of North-London-by-the-railway-tracks. No holidays planned, too expensive, but that's okay, I'm happy here, let the hubbub go on out there. * might need to take the kids out tho 🙂

#figsandsunshine
#restandrecuperation
#selfcare
#northlondonbirth

☀️There's SO much I could say about these word

☀️There's SO much I could say about these words. For me as a birth doula/birthkeeper and postnatal doula, this notion of self trust is maybe THE most important thing in preparing and going through birth and new motherhood.

☀️We need self trust - trust of our bodies and our intuition - to DO birth, and parenting and life!

☀️That's why I really value building relationships with clients, because there needs to be time for understanding and trust, time for grasping the nuances and complexities of individuals. Sometimes these journeys are really difficult, sometimes they're unbelievably easy. But I always emphasise the importance of self trust, because without this we are flailing around at the mercy of other people.

☀️Of course sometimes we need others expertise, we may trust that what we need is guidance or intervention.

☀️Self trust comes so much more easily for some but so hard for others. I hope to help nurture this. I'm on that journey too, we all are.

🧡

#selftrust #trustinbirth #physiologicalbirth #medicalbirth #homebirth #hospitalbirth #freebirth #caesareanbirth #unobservedbirth #birthpreparation #antenatal #empoweredbirth #birthinstincts #newparenthood #birthsupport #birthdoula #birthkeeper #birthcompanion #intuition

A dear friend came today to tell her birth story.

A dear friend came today to tell her birth story. It's a simple but beautifully cathartic thing to do 💫 whether it's the birth of you, or your children, a few months or several decades down the line.

There's been some enquiries about future dates, so just so you know - I'll hold a birth story telling space, every 1st Sunday of the month (next one 7th August ).

There may be one person or a few, it's casual and relaxed, a chance to share if you wish, or maybe listen, and share another time 🧡

Get in touch anna@birthstory.co.uk

#birthstories #birthasariteofpassage #honouringbirthstories #hearingbirthstories #tellingbirthstories #northlondonbirth
#birthstorysunday #birthstory #birthjoy #birthtrauma #healingbirth #parenthood #lifetransition #birthsupport #northlondondoula #birthcommunity #stroudgreen

I'm currently waiting in the wings, ready to go t

I'm currently waiting in the wings, ready to go to my postnatal client when she gives birth to her 3rd child at home.

This time she wants to rest, be nurtured and mothered, so that she can fully settle in to her newborn nest, without having to worry about other people.

Some plans have needed to be put together, for after the birth, to gently ward off visits from relations and friends, to let them know that she'll let them in when she's ready (and then they need to be armed with home cooked meals 😊).

#postpartum #Postnatal #fourthtrimester #motheringthemother #restandrecover #oxytocynbubble #newbornbonding #postnataldoula #postbirthnutition #motherspace #postnatalplanning

My baby girl's future. Reproductive rights in he

My baby girl's future.

Reproductive rights in health care!

Choice.

#whateverthereason

@plannedparenthood

#reproductiverights #reproductiverightsarehumanrights
#abortionlaw #bodyautonomy #humanrights #patriarchy #prochoice #womensrighttochoose #roevwadeoverturned #whateverthereason

❤️‍🔥Sometimes, it feels really good to re

❤️‍🔥Sometimes, it feels really good to release our stories, good and bad, joyous and painful. Whether it's the story of our own birth (our mothers or grandmothers) or the birth of our own children. Whether it's decades, years or months ago. All stories deserve to be aired, shared and honoured.

❤️‍🔥I've been offering a 'Walk and Talk' service which I started during lockdown, so that I could reach out a hand to local parents who needed an impartial ear.

❤️‍🔥Now, (for less walking, more tea drinking), I'm bringing it to my home for a monthly meet up, on the first Sunday of every month. First one starts on the 3rd July at 11am. In Stroud Green, N4, nearest tube Finsbury Park, overground Crouch Hill or Haringey Green Lanes.

If you wanna come just ping me a message or email anna@birthstory.co.uk ❤️‍🔥

Next one 7th August!

#birthstory #northlondonbirthstory #northlondoncommunity #sharingbirthstories #tellingbirthstories #listeningtobirthstories #northlondonparents #stroudgreenparents #processingbirth #rightsofpassage #understandingbirth #birthdoula #birthkeeper #birthtrauma

🧡 I work with dads in different ways, and somet

🧡 I work with dads in different ways, and sometimes it involves processing previous trauma.

🧡 Humans are simple but also complex. We're all trying to find our way.

🧡 I can be a listening ear and help steer dads in the direction that they want to go, whilst always keeping the 'family dyad' in mind.

🧡 Teamwork

#internationalfathersmentalhealthday #dadsmentalhealth #newdads #dadsprocessingtrauma #birthteam #familydyad #newfamily #birthrecovery #birthtrauma

🍊 Because our birth stories matter, a lot.

🍊 Our mother's, grandmother's and great grandmother's stories are embedded in our DNA and in our minds. This can bring up a mixed bag of positive and negative feelings and behaviours. Some serve us well and some do not.

🍊 When I created my birth work name 'Birth Story' I spent ages bouncing names around my head. When I thought I was being clever, I quickly discovered that it had all been done before (think 'hub', 'nest', fruit based names etc). For me, 'Birth Story' is what is says on the tin. In my birth work, I help people to make sense of their stories, whether delving into the past or trying to make sense of a recent birth experience.

🍊 I like to go on a journey with a client, take some twists and turns, and for them to come out the other end in a better place.

🍊 My services include birth preparation, birth and postnatal support, and trauma processing work. Soon I'll be adding a new offering - a monthly gathering at my home, for birth stories to be told.
Coming back to my name, this feels like a natural progression.

Anna x

#northlondonbirthstory #tellyourbirthstory #northlondondoula #birthcompanion #birthsupport #postnataldoula #birthtrauma #birthpreparation #sharingbirthstories #birthkeeper #newmother #motherhood #parenthood #newparent #inheritedtrauma #inheritedbeliefs

Did you know that Guiness used to be served up on

Did you know that Guiness used to be served up on the maternity wards back in the day? True - this is what my mum and grandma told me. So, this isn't based on evidence or scientific facts, just the knowledge handed down that Guiness is 'good for you' and a 'good source of iron' which is what you need after having a baby.

Fun fact: doctors had a drinks cabinet on the ward for their own pleasure. This was told to me back in the day when I worked on the hospital wards. It's not based on any sound evidence 😅

#guiness #maternity #goodolddays #birth #antenatal #postnatal

There's obstetric nursing which is fabulous when w

There's obstetric nursing which is fabulous when we really need it and there's true midwifery which is fabulous and we need it.

They are two very different roles.

I aim to shed light on this when I work with clients preparing for birth 🧡

#midwiferytraining #studentmidwife #obstetricnurse #truemidwifery #institutionalbullying #maternitycare #holisticmidwifery #birthcompanion #birthdoula #birthsupport #birthpreparation #northlondonbirth #toxicmaternitycare #damagingmaternitycare

#postnatal #fourthtrimester #motheringthemother #s

#postnatal #fourthtrimester #motheringthemother #supportingparents #newmum #newdad #newparent

Naomi Stadlen says..'Rarely is it necessary to tel

Naomi Stadlen says..'Rarely is it necessary to tell a mother what to do. It may demoralise her even further, and certainly does not help her to learn. A mother needs to feel safe enough to risk feeling uncertain. People who offer advice cannot know all the details of her situation. They also don't have to live with the long-term consequences of their advice. A mother needs time to 'grow' into parenthood, together with her partner. She needs enough confidence to experiment and change her mind a few times. She needs to learn that some of her ideas work. The most uncertain and underconfident beginner can gradually turn herself into a unique mother...The miracle is that mothers manage to survive at all in such an expert-ridden climate. After lonely periods of confusion, they suddenly discover that they are starting to understand their babies. As their babies grow, so does their confidence.'

'What Mother's Do - Especially When it Looks Like Nothing'

#newmother #newparent #postnatal #fourthtrimester #postnataldoula #supportingmothers #newmotherhood #uniquemother #parenthood #motherinstinct

It's worth putting the work in! 🧡 #birthprepar

It's worth putting the work in! 🧡

#birthpreparation #birthchoices #birthrights #informedbirth birth #birthcompanion #pregnancycompanion #birthstory #antenataleducation #northlondonbirth #eastlondonbirth #pregnantinnorthlondon #pregnantineastlondon #pregnancyjourney

Sometimes birth teams (partners, doulas, midwives,

Sometimes birth teams (partners, doulas, midwives, students) feel CONNECTED! It just happens - with the right combo of personalities, experience, attitude and skill. Everyone tuned in and focused on the woman and the baby emerging. Saying or doing what's needed to help her in this moment.

Understanding between knowing women, no words needed. Trust and belief are powerful emotions that fill the room. This equilibrium is incredibly delicate and vulnerable to unwanted or unnecessary interruptions or intervention. The space has to be protected.

I've felt this genuine connection a few times, homebirths, in a hospital setting and through a baby loss. Birth without a midwife and with.

📷 A few years ago I was lucky enough to experience this connection with my amazing clients. For certain reasons she birthed in hospital, and birthed like a queen. He stood back in admiration and awe to capture this moment. The respectful, skillful midwife and the student did their work and brought a dynamic that was well needed in that moment.

#birthphysiology
#birthdoula
#birthteam
#midwife
#studentmidwife
#birthpartner
#trustbirth

🍊With my pregnancies, I had insatiable craving

🍊With my pregnancies, I had insatiable cravings for baked spuds and baked beans, blood orange San Pellagrino and meringues 😋

🥬Not my normal diet choices but these high carb/high sugar foods were what I wanted and what I felt I needed to fuel me through a day of work.

🍌No surprises that my blood sugar levels got a bit high and wham bam, I had a Gestational Diabetes diagnosis. I did sort myself out and blood glucose levels were normal again, due to making simple adjustments to my diet. I had to ditch the potatoes, ripe bananas, fruit juice, and obviously any sweet or highly processed food.

📖 I find that clients of mine quite often begin to get led down a GD pathway but sometimes a bit of research and reading/listening around the subject can really help to put your mind (and body) at rest.

Here are some of my go to resources....

https://midwifethinking.com/2018/03/20/gestational-diabetes-beyond-the-label/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/gestational-diabetes-the-pregnancy-perspective/id1523178579?i=1000527077230

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/gestational-diabetes-the-babys-perspective/id1523178579?i=1000528824858

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/an-interview-with-lily-nichols-rdn/id1523178579?i=1000548443788

https://lilynicholsrdn.com/

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/gestational-diabetes-and-the-glucola-test/

https://shop.aims.org.uk/products/gestational-diabetes

https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/induction-for-gestational-diabetes/

Just off to eat an actual orange 🍊 X

#gestationaldiabetes #pregnancydiet #birthchoices #antenatalpreparation #birthpreparation

Lucy, a truly inspiring client of mine from a few

Lucy, a truly inspiring client of mine from a few years ago, gave an interview to RCM magazine back in Jan. She talks about her experience of IVF, VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean), homebirth and BBA (born before arrival). The last paragraph is so powerful and important 🤩
'If I try to verbalise what was so different about these two experiences, I would say it all rests with decent communication and being empowered to make a decision within the realms of safety, rather than being forced into something. Its the difference between feeling passive, like things are happening to you, beyond your control, and having autonomy over your own body and birth'.

Thank you @lucyeackroyd for the letting me share this 🧡

#homebirth #vbac #hvbac #bornbeforearrival #ivfhomebirth #birthautonomy #bodyautonomy #birthchoices #homebirthafterivf #homebirthaftercaesarean #empoweredbirth #healingbirth #rightsinchildbirth #ptsd #pnd #birthtrauma #handsoffbirth #gestationaldiabetes #induction

Load More… Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Birth Story