Liv Rail - DOULA

08/05/2025

A fab day with Tranquil Baby Hypnobirthing talking about all things pregnancy and birth, practising biomechanic techniques learnt from the fabulous Shellie Poulter.

08/05/2025

08/05/2025

🧐 There is a lot of research about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of interventions during the placenta's birth. We conducted this study because no research had asked women about their experiences of birthing the placenta.
"Women in this study were aware that there were time constraints around birthing the placenta regardless of their chosen management. They also reported that care providers were concerned about time, and often intervened to facilitate the birth of the placenta during expectant management."
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-019-2288-5

23/04/2025

A recent Google review from a beautiful client who had a caesarean birth. Holding, informing and supporting the families I work alongside to have positive experiences, however their birth unfolds.

03/02/2025

Supporting every family in their birth choices and preparations - what a pleasure it is to be alongside such wonderful human beings as they prepare for the arrival of their babies and focus on transitioning to expand their families 🧡🧡

02/02/2025

The discussion of birth preferences is a vital part of your pregnancy journey. Knowing the right pathways for you in birthing your baby and what this looks like, knowing which tools you have to make decisions that may differ to what you had in your mind but doing this with support and the right information makes so much difference. Build your birth team around you.

29/01/2025

Fiery skies tonight - the light was spectacular 🌅

23/11/2024

Anyone else get completely drenched in the force of Storm Bert - even my hardy waterproofs failed miserably. A week of extreme weather - give me the snow any day.

12/11/2024

10/11/2024

For all the new followers and those new to me I thought I’d do another little intro… I’m Liv, a birth doula in North Cornwall. I have a tribe of four children with my husband and was a primary teacher for years before my calling in life changed and I trained to become a doula through Nurturing Birth in 2021, after realising my passion of supporting women through pregnancy, birth and beyond. It’s about being alongside families as they navigate through the maternity system as it is, informing, advocating, upholding, supporting, being a shoulder to lean on and a presence to rely on. It is such a privilege for me to accompany families through one of the biggest life transitions, supporting many different types and places of birth and riding the rollercoaster ups and downs that preparing for a new baby can bring. I’ve witnessed how powerful women are, how strong 💪 and intuitive we are, how courageous and adaptable we are, but also how broken we can be when we lose trust in our bodies or the systems around us that that can drain that confidence in ourselves, our bodies and our abilities as mothers. Birth is a time of huge transition, of babies being born and new mothers being made. It is my total joy to be present and alongside the people who choose me as their doula.
If you have any questions about how I can support you as a doula for your pregnancy, birth or postpartum please contact me for an informal chat .My support is flexible. Tailored to you.

Photo credit : used with permission from one of my beautiful clients on my last postpartum visit. Always so sad to say goodbye, Thanks so much - he is totally scrummy🥰and you are incredible 🧡

09/11/2024

A longer postpartum support cover for a couple with two beautiful twins -

14/10/2024

This birth happened earlier on this year, on a wild stormy night. A beautiful second birth, cosy and contained in their cottage while their toddler slept through upstairs. Not quite as text book as their first labour, with the pattern and intensity of contractions doing their own thing. I suggested that I took myself off for a rest in their spare room, leaving them privacy and space together, to rest and build that oxytocin. I was woken at 2:45 when things really started picking up and the intensity changed. What a strength and calmness Claire and her husband showed, Claire, choosing to labour on her own in the bathroom while we waited close by to attend should she need us.
I remember there being some indecision by Claire about getting in the pool ( she didn’t want to get in too soon, wanting to leave the comfort of the pool as a measure she could use later but after an intense contraction by the side, she was getting in. That blissed look as she sank down into that warm water 💧 Her partner supported her physically in the pool, using counter pressure which really seemed to help.
As a doula, it was the first time I noticed the purple line of dilation and knew that she was fully dilated … baby would be very soon! Within five mins of this, Jo the midwife arrived bringing a sense of calm and excited expectation. Baby arrived within ten minutes and the most beautiful scenes unravelled, particularly with Claire’s eldest meeting his little sister 🧡🧡 A huge Thankyou to Claire for sending her story.