06/01/2026
Listen to our feature with Shaftesbury's own Alfred radio!
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www.thebirthreadycompany.co.uk
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Two local doulas say pregnancy in North Dorset can feel unexpectedly isolating, and they want to rebuild the sense of local support that many expectant parents are missing.
Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thealfreddaily/050126.mp3 =27:16
Emma Dowley and Carla Walsh have set up The Birth Ready Company to offer in-person antenatal courses in Shaftesbury, responding to the fact that many traditional classes are now delivered online or held outside the town. They say that shift has made it harder for people to meet others locally and build the kind of support networks that can last well beyond pregnancy.
Emma explained what a doula does.
‘At our heart, we support women in pregnancy and childbirth,’ she said. ‘Where a midwife is focused on the medical need and the baby, our focus is more on mum and dad.’
Carla said the role is about filling gaps rather than replacing medical care.
‘We provide the things that midwives don’t always have time to provide,’ she said. ‘We’re able to physically support or emotionally support clients a lot of the time.’
Both said doulas generally work collaboratively with NHS staff and are welcomed in birth spaces.
‘It seems to work well in collaboration,’ Emma said. ‘They’re more than happy to have somebody else around to make sure the couple feel supported.’
Carla described the role as reassurance and advocacy rather than clinical care.
‘It’s a best friend role,’ she said. ‘Someone who knows what could be happening, but we’re not medically trained.’
Their courses are designed to be practical as well as social, covering preparation for labour and birth while also creating opportunities for expectant parents to meet others due around the same time.
‘It’s about finding your village,’ Emma said. ‘Our role is to form part of that village and support them.’
They say in-person sessions matter, particularly when teaching physical movement and positioning, which cannot easily be done online.
‘You can’t really do that virtually,’ Emma said. ‘It’s a bit tricky to direct someone when you can’t physically help them.’
The first in-person course will take place on the 7th of January, running from 7pm to 9pm at the Friends Meeting House on Abbey Walk. Emma and Carla say bringing people together locally and face to face is central to what they are trying to achieve.
Their aim is to build confidence, share knowledge and help expectant parents feel less alone during pregnancy, by offering support rooted in the community rather than at a distance.
