http://www.orkneybumptobabysupport.com/

Orkney Bump to Baby Support, George Street, Kirkwall (2026)

11/04/2026

Finishing off with what feels like the most important statistic from the 2017 Cochrane Library's meta-analysis on Continuous Support Through Labour.

For me personally, it doesn't matter what kind of birth you have. My biggest hope is to enable each individual to have as positive experience an experience as possible, to feel heard and in control, even if birth deviate from the original plan. Yes, I'm also a big believer in physiological birth, I see it as a miraculous and under resourced potential that is far less seen than is possible. But my beliefs don't really matter, they really don't, and this is the biggest driver in my work, far more than my awe of physiological birth. Because what a positive birth means can change for each individual, and no one else has a right to tell you what that is. I whole heartedly support any decision you choose, be that it is fully informed. Elective cesarean, go you! Know that you will gladly accept morphine if you need a break, yes. Want to have a completely unmedicated birth, I'm here for it! None of these are my choices, as none ever are, they are always solely the person giving birth's.

That is our job as doulas, it would be highly unethical otherwise.

So what is the biggest driving factor for a positive birth? The hypnobirthing company I first trained with always said it was feeling mostly calm and in control of your choices. Does this mean calm 100% of the time? Not necessarily, but yes for the majority of the time. I'd also argue it's hard to feel calm when sensations become unbearable. So yes labour can be intense maybe even get to a point where you start to feel you can't do it (likely transition in a physiological birth!), but if for the most part you feel like you can stay on top of the intensity and exist within it, it remains a positive and empowering experience (heck yeah I did that!).

Imogen and I have made a birth prep course that breaks down physiological labour and help you and your partner understand how best to nurture it, learn tools for calming your system 💕 we include this in some of our doula packages, but it's also absolutely possible to just do the course.

11/04/2026

M & C's birth was my first ever as a doula. It was such a joy to be present with them and support them. Of course as a doula we are always able to jump in and be the one holding your hand through every contraction, use positive words to keep you going, but it's so special when our presence and other actions help dad be there for you to his fullest. This was absolutely the case with C! I'll share some of M's words in a moment, but it's very special to me to have these words from an appreciative Dad 🥰

10/04/2026

This is 4 of 5 of the stats from Chocrane Library's 2017 meta-analysis on Continuous Support Through Labour.

Here, doula support from the reviewed articles shows a 15% increase in the rare of spontaneous vaginally delivery.

I've already considered the ways in which the professional training of Doulas improve outcomes for women and babies in most cases more than other types of continuous care. Let's remember, in the studies this was always alongside regular maternity care. Now let's consider what this says about the specific role and space we occupy, how this helps advocacy work for the mum, and why this type of presence helps birth outcomes.

Doulas are trained in emotional, non-medical physical, and advocacy support, but they are not hospital staff and they are not immediate or intimate family members. These destinctions are very important. It's wonderful if family support members get training to better support their partners, and it's also amazing midwives or obstetrics nurses train in non-medical ways to support birthing women, but neither can occupy that space of both not being affiliated with the hospital and having the professional distance from the birthing person that allows them to not get emotionally caught up in the intensity of a loved one going this this emense experience. This is a key distinction for Doulas and it can explain, in-part, why these outcome improve most with their continuous support presence. Women and their partners have someone who is professional and experienced in birth to be a level and calm presence, but also who is not bound to hospital or health board policy.

It's essential for large organisation, like the NHS and individual trusts, to have policies, they enable individuals to work safely within complex situations. But you are a individual, with your own experience and autonomy, who has the right to decide actions to your body and baby and the necisity to feel you 100% agree with all decisions. The role of the doula is not to negate these policies, but allow you to navigate as an individual or couple through this system.

09/04/2026

Thank you Maya for the beautiful words and for letting us share this! Imogen .doula is soon on her own maternity leave, but when she is supporting labours she puts her heart and her soul into this work. As a psychologist she has a specialty for creating a safe space and allowing couples to be seen and heard. It's such a joy to work with her and her deep passion for birth 🥰

09/04/2026

Another stat from the 2017 Cochrane Library's meta-analysis on Continuous Support Through Labour. But for this stat let's look at what kind of studies were included.

The gold standard quality for research studies is double-blind (where neither the administer or the participant knows what sample they are in) , randomised and peer rereview. However in birth you cant practically or ethically conduct blind or double blind research.

The studies included in this meta-analysis were, however, randomised, which means that the administers and participants had no choice who received what continuous care, again the options were doula support, family support, and additional nurse or midwife support. And, again, this support was always alongside regular midwifery and obstetrics care.

So it was not the case that those who had more belief in doula support had better outcomes (and, so, no chance for the placebo argument). As Doulas, we know the power of belief and trust in the process, not that is the only key to unlocking a positive birth, far from it! But countless studies have show the power of self belief going into tests and high-stress performance based endeavors. That said, the conditions of these studies rule this out as a deciding factor here.

Instead the support of Doulas shows the most improvement in birth outcomes across the board without bais.

The studies came from different counties and did always invlove low risk pregnancies.

Why is it important to know these things? Because it's important to know how you fit into the statistics. It's one thing to ask the probability of something, but it's another to place that probability in the context of the situations is was analysed within.

08/04/2026

Thank you Claire for letting me share these lovely words and your story 🙏

08/04/2026

This stat also comes from Chocrane Library's 2017 meta-analysis on Continuous Support Through Labour which reviewed data from 15,000 participants (wow!) across the world. And again those with Doulas present showed the large gest decreat in the rare of use, this time of synthetic oxytocin.

To my understanding, and someone do correct me if I misunderstood (!), synthetic oxytocin isn't used in Orkney, unless in the birth of placenta. In larger hospitals it's used to speed up labour, and can be incredibly lifesaving, but has its downsides too, especially if used when the body still had a chance to progress the labour itself as once synthetic types are used the body stops producing its own. While still incredibly life saving in particular contexts, it also has risks and it can hypercontract the uterus and is important to discuss this with your healthcare providers before birth if you want the space and time to fully understand outside the immediacy and urgency of labours in which it's recommended (have a look at Dr Sarah J Buckley's Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, or AIMES's Induction of Labour).

So what's going on here? For this I would also say a lot of what I did in the previous post. But from a different angle, Doulas are experts in helping you maximising the hormones needed for labour to continue along it's safe trajectory. They train and reflect on their own triggers in the birth space to best show up for you as a regulated support person. And they know your preferences to best advocate for you and your partner so the chance of maximising these hormones is protected.

Doulas expertise and role is NOT when birth veers off that safe path and medical intervention is needed, but they remain a safe person to support you and best support your partner so they support you through any such challenges.

07/04/2026

OK so the Chocrane Library is kinda a big deal. It's a well-respected independent research organisation that reviews all the peer-reviewed research on various topics to provide a robust meta-analysis for each. Reviewing many papers on a subject to find what is similar across them all provides better information than just 1 single paper.

The next few post will come from ‘s 2017 systematic review of Continuous Support in Labour, in which the researchers compared the impact of continuous support by doulas, family support or an additional midwife/nurse alongside regular Midwifery and obstetic care.

In this review, doulas were found to reduce the rate of any analgesia use by a whopping 28%, this is compared to the 10% reduction researchers found when looking at the data for any type of continuous support (be it from a doula, midwife/nurse or family member/friend).

To find these figures, the researchers analysed the findings from 26 studies spanning 17 countries and involving a total of over 15,000 participants. All the studies included were randomised controlled trials, peer reviewed and scanned for biases.

So what's happening here? Why does having a doula present lead to an increase in women not accepting or not asking for pain relief more than with other support?

Doula's can support any type of birth, but often specialise in the kind of nervous system settling that enables that a person's internal system to feel safe enough to stay present in the increasing intensity of birth. They provide unwavering support, encouragement. They know your preferences and can help you and your partner by being that logical brain to ask questions like "what does that decision need to be made", "is there an alternative" when you are in labour land and your partner is in this new intense experience. Doulas also have specialties like massage or body work positioning and movements to help baby's journey through your pelvis.

Doulas (however) are not a magic pill that ensures a specific version of birth. Birth is complex and unpredictable. As these stats show, there seems to be a marked difference for birthers when a trained doula is present. So while having a doula and doing all the helpful prep sets you up in the best way possible, it's not a prediction of how everything will unfold. Instead, I offer we be seen as the best possible non-medical anchor in the unknown.

07/04/2026

Supporting women and couples in labour is a huge part of our passion and our service. Imogen .doula and I have supported 8 couple and 9 births since we started as the first Doulas in Orkney.

Its something that we do with great honor, it's a sacred role holding space, getting to know and then properly supporting couples, advocating for women and their autonomy in birth all within this important threshold.

But it's also a role that has some pretty amazing studies behind it. The Physician, prominent researcher and co-founder of DONA International goes so far as to say, "If Doulas were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it[them]". In the DONA website it says "In their studies, Drs. Klaus and Kennell also discovered the benefits of continuous emotional and physical support from another person in labor. The pair conducted the earliest controlled trials examining the effects of continuous support on labor outcomes. The results were impressive. What was this magic that labor support professionals seemed to bring to improve outcomes for people and their babies?"* I hope to shed some light on this in the coming week 🥰

Keep a look out as I'll be posting some great results from impressive research on Doulas and quotes from our own clients on how important having us support them was.

*https://dona.org/our-mission-history-research/

06/04/2026

New blocks of all classes starting in two weeks 🤸all in Kirkwall at Noust Studio

TUESDAY Pregnancy Yoga - join us for a mix of strength work and mobility using dynamic flows and breath to settle help you connect with baby.

FRIDAY Mum and Baby classes - these classes build on each other increasing in difficulty and time for mums to get into the flow while including baby and keeping them interested.

FRIDAY Parent and toddler classes - there's still an focus on flows for the adults, but we encourage the little ones to join in too.

Sign up at www.orkneybumptobabysupport.com/book-online or DM me if you have any questions 😊

31/03/2026

Thank you to Lorraine for the lovely words about Parent & Toddler Yoga. It's been lovely having Lorraine in class from bump to all the postpartum baby classes.

Its so great to create space for movement and flow within these busy 'others' focused years. And the little ones get the benefit of seeing you take care of yourself. Of course we include them too, it all depends on the day and where the class takes us!

Orkney Bump to Baby Support

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