Optimum Doula

20/07/2025

At Little Pickles Markets Somerset And Wiltshire's Chippenham market.

20/07/2025

The joys of parenting a toddler :-/

04/07/2025

Such a wanton act of destruction :-( Can anyone help find the culprits?

02/07/2025

28/06/2025

Just back from the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers Conference, in Birmingham, where I got to look at lots of slides of poo filled nappies, catch up with fellow Wiltshire Breastfeeding Counsellors Sam and Sarah, and add a couple of books to my library.

But I think the highlight of my day may have been when speaker, Lucy Webber Feeding Support - IBCLC, said she would recommend all parents of new babies see a Babywearing Consultant :-)

Oh, and they spelt my name wrong, on my name badge, for the second year running.

13/06/2025

When you see the words 'Baby Sleep Consultant' you'd hope that the person these words relate to would have trained in the science of baby and toddler sleep, and have a really good level of knowledge and understanding of the subject.

But the title of 'Baby Sleep Consultant', and similar titles such as 'Infant Sleep Coach' are not protected titles. Anyone can call themselves these. And what's probably more scary is that anyone can set up as a provider of sleep consultancy training! You do not need any qualifications to set up your own sleep consultancy training program, and to give out certificates/titles to those who enrol on your course. Your course does not need to pass any industry standards, for you to be able to run it.

So what should you look out for when deciding on whether or not to employ someone to help with your baby's sleep?

Firstly, do you need to hire one at all? Does your baby's sleep actually need fixing? Is your baby's sleep normal for their developmental stage? Is the only reason you are considering it because others are telling you your baby should be sleeping for longer stretches?

And if you are definitley wanting to hire one: Is the information and support they offer based on scientific evidence? Do they work holistically, taking all aspects of family life into consideration? Have they trained with a reputable provider, who has appropriate qualifications themselves? How in-depth is the training they have done? Was the training specific to infant sleep? Did it involve sufficient training in the inextricably linked area of infant feeding? Did it involve sufficent training in SIDS prevention?

If someone is suggesting that a baby under 6 months should be sleeping in their own room, that 9 month old babies do not need to feed during the night, or that feeding to sleep is a bad habit, I'd suggest steering clear.

A few infant sleep professionals do have a really in-depth knowledge of baby sleep, and how it relates to feeding. Some have trained in, and/or have extensive experience in other related areas of infant health and development. But sadly, there are others who have no relevant experience, other than being a parent, and whose only training was a 5 day online course!

If you are considering hiring a sleep consultant, I urge you to read this Baby Sleep Info Source - Basis article first: www.basisonline.org.uk/things-to-consider-potential-costs-of-sleep-training/

12/06/2025

This dad's post appeared in my feed (I'd never seen any of his posts prior to today) and I couldn't agree more with him. I'm now off to have a nosey at his account, and see what else he has posted.

08/06/2025

A little 'thank you' from a family I have been supporting since February :-)

08/06/2025

There is no doubt that an epidural is the right choice for some births. But a pain free labour is not a guarantee of a positive birth and postnatal experience. It is a good idea to research both the pros and cons of epidurals, and how they weigh up against the alternatives, ahead of time.

05/06/2025

It's Pride Month, so I'm writing this post remind everyone that Optimum Doula is fully inclusive of those belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, every month of the year. My services are open to all, regardless of sexuality or gender identity and my aim is for my services to be obviously and visibly inclusive.

I've always been aware that not all parents are heterosexual and have knowingly supported quite a few le***an (or possibly bisexual/pansexual) women and couples. And given that I do not always meet partners, and sexuality rarely comes up as a topic of conversation when discussing nursing bras or TENS machines, it seems quite likely I've unknowingly supported several more.

I have also never assumed any new or expectant parent I have contact with is married or has a partner, or that their partner is of the opposite gender.

To try and improve my knowledge and understanding of the issues facing LGBTQ+parents, I have taken both the The Q***r Birth Club's 'LGBTQ+ Competency in Birth and Beyond' and 'LGBTQ+ Competency in Lactation' courses.

I am fully aware that there are people who do not identify as either ‘women’ or as ‘mums’, and/or do not use female pronouns, giving birth and accessing perinatal services. And that these perinatal services sometimes fall short of providing for their needs, in an inclusive and respectful way.

As well as transgender men, who generally use male gendered language, there are people who identify as non-binary for whom neither female nor male gendered language is appropriate. Some people, who were born intersex, may also feel that female gendered language is not right for them.

There are pregnant women, who although they are happy with the word ‘woman’ and with female pronouns, are acting as surrogates and therefore do not identify as ‘mum’. This is especially likely if the baby they are pregnant with was conceived using an egg that was not their own. Surrogates are not exclusively used by the LGBTQ+ community, so not always using the word 'mum' when referring to pregnant people is something that impacts more people than just those who do not identify as female.

To try and ensure all pregnant people and new parents, whether they are heterosexual, gay, bi or pansexual, cis, transgender, non-binary, genderfluid or intersex (as well as those who are surrogates) feel that they are fully accepted and respected when using any of my services, I try to use gender neutral and/or gender diverse language and images. This is not to say that I do not use the words ‘woman’ or ‘mum’, or use ‘she’ and ‘her’ when talking to or about those individuals (or groups) who I know are happy with this. I use female gendered terms when it is appropriate, just as I use alternatives when that is more appropriate.

03/06/2025

Free event for expectant parents in and around Devizes, Melksham and Calne.

You may remember that last month we posted a couple of teasers about our Birth Network North Wiltshire's Pregnancy Information Evening. Well, it's now time to reveal a bit more information.

The evening, which will be free for expectant parents to attend, will take place in the Harris function room of the Lansdowne Strand Hotel, in Calne, from 7pm until 9pm.

The evening will be an opportunity to find out about local (Devizes, Melksham, Calne and the surrounding villages) services for pregnancy, birth and the very early days of being a parent. It will also give expectant parents an opportunity to meet each other.

We haven't fully finalised all the services that will be represented yet, but those which are confirmed include hypnobirthing, doula support, pregnancy yoga, maternity reflexology and breastfeeding support.

Although the event is free to attend, and booking is not essential, it would be helpful if those planning to attend booked their free spaces, by following the link, so we know roughly how many to expect: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pregnancy-information-evening-tickets-1368200898719