Maria is a qualified Birth/Postnatal Doula and breastfeeding counsellor supporting families in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Would you like Maria to be your doula?
Email: maria.marsh.nct@gmail.com
Call: 07500 776632
Website: www.mariathedoula.co.uk
About Maria
Maria is a mother of two grown up children and lives in Westbourne in Dorset with her husband and little mini–Dachshund Percy.
Having 20 + years' experience supporting families with new babies, she is passionate about delivering a high level of emotional, physical, and practical support, enabling you and your partner (if you have one) to focus on each other and the baby. She understands and respects that every woman's birth journey is unique, and life-changing, and she will put you and your family's experience of pregnancy, labour, birth, feeding and postnatal journey at the heart of everything she does.
Maria is an NCT Doula, NCT Antenatal practitioner, NCT Breastfeeding counsellor, and postnatal doula. Her training has given her a vast knowledge of the birthing and postnatal world and ensures that she is up to date with research and local policies and guidelines. With all her clients she strives to develop a strong connection through trust, empathy, and a non- judgmental perspective, understands that working together to meet your individual needs, whatever the birth setting (homebirth, or hospital) or type of birth (vaginal, VBAC or caesarean) and however your feeding and postnatal journey unfolds, helps make an already wonderful experience more empowering.
To ensure that you and your partner feel prepared, included, and supported, Maria looks to provide evidence-based, un-bias information so that you can make your own informed decisions. She is passionate that all should feel that they have autonomy over their birth and postnatal period, supports them and ensure their voices are heard and will help you and your partner to advocate for yourselves to be able to achieve this.
By helping to formulate your birth preferences, led by your hopes or past experiences and exploring all options available, Maria aims to make your birth as empowering and fulfilling as it can be. She offers sessions in body preparation work and biomechanics for birth, to encourage your baby to be in their optimal position and works with your body during labour to encourage babies to turn and descend which can lead to a shorter labour and positive birth outcomes.
Supported with comfort and calmness throughout labour labour together you can create a safe and protected environment. Through guided breathing techniques, affirmations, massage, visualisation, and by using various labour and birth positions and techniques, she will help to maintain an oxytocin-fuelled sacred space and enable you to feel in control throughout labour and birth.
Once your new baby has arrived, Maria will be there to ensure that you feel settled and comfortable, she will be on hand to help with achieving skin to skin, the first feed and provide any information on taking care of yourself and your baby as your postnatal journey into parenthood begins. She can offer postnatal and night doula packages along with breastfeeding counselling and support for all aspects of how you wish to feed your baby.
Qualifications
- NNEB Nursery Nurse
- Foundation Degree in Birth and Beyond
- NCT Antenatal Teacher
- NCT Yoga for Pregnancy Instructor
- NCT Breastfeeding counsellor
- NCT Birth Doula
- Certified in Birth Practices with Spinning Babies, 2022
- Certified in Pregnancy, Birth and Postnatal Rebozo with Sophie Messager, 2022
- Advanced Certified in the Biomechanics for Birth with Optimal Birth, 2023
Practicalities
Maria will provide support by:
- Meeting with you and your partner (if you have one) up to three times before the birth to form a supportive relationship, discuss your birth preferences, talk over any concerns and explore your birth options.
- Be available in the evenings and at weekends between meetings by text message or email.
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Be on call 24/7 for 10 days before your estimated due date and until your baby is born.
- Stay with you throughout your labour and birth and for a few hours after to ensure you and your family are comfortable and settled.
- Meet once during the first six weeks after the birth to reflect on your birth experience, answer any questions you may have and signpost you to additional services if required.
- Offer postnatal & night doula support packages, along with breastfeeding counselling and support for all aspects of how you wish to feed your baby.
Maria is happy to attend the following locations: Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and surrounding areas and villages. These include Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Ringwood, Sandbanks, Salisbury, Lymington, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, The New Forest, Dorchester, Winchester, Shaftsbury and Southampton to name a few.
And places of birth: In your own home, Dorset County Hospital - Dorchester, St Marys Maternity Hospital - Poole, Bournemouth Hospital - The Beach Building, Salisbury District Hospital, Princess Anne Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Testimonials
"I would highly recommend Maria as a Doula. We considered a hospital birth but decided that this time round we wanted a hands-off homebirth. The community midwives were very supportive but talked about guidelines that I was not comfortable with. Maria guided us and supported us in discussing and putting in place an out of guidelines birth plan. On the night of the birth Maria arrived but what struck me the most is that she just sat back, unobtrusively watching, and let me and my partner have our birth together. Our baby was born in water, it was calm, cathartic and healing. Thank you, Maria, for your presence, your knowledge, and your down right sassiness when needed" - Lucy ❤❤❤
“Maria was incredibly helpful during my pregnancy as a birth doula. She was always provided unbiased information about my birth options. Following unexpected complications from my baby's birth, Maria went above and beyond by supporting us in the hospital and taking on the role of postnatal doula. She continued to provide postnatal support to us at home, making time for us that we hadn't planned for. She provided breastfeeding support throughout the newborn period that ensured I was able to breastfeed my baby. This was particularly important when the advice I received from midwives and others did not work for me and my baby. Maria showed me, my partner, and our baby care beyond what anyone could have expected, and we truly don't know how we could have got through a difficult postpartum period without her!” - Gemma and Sam ❤️❤️❤️
"Maria was incredible on our journey to a beautiful elective c-section birth, following a difficult emergency c-section with our first baby. She presented unbiased information and extra resources to help us educate ourselves about our options, equipping us with confidence in our decisions, and enabling me to advocate for myself in appointments. It felt as though we had inside information; we knew exactly what to expect on the day, the clinicians followed our gentle birth plan that Maria had guided us to compile, and the entire birth experience transcended everything we thought it could be. Following the birth, Maria also offered breastfeeding support, which we also wished we had the first time! Thank you so much for all your support.” - Jennifer 😘
“As the partner and first-time father, I think the best decision we made was to include Maria as our Doula in our birth plan.
I never felt overwhelmed because I knew we always had Maria there to help shepherd us if we needed it. She has a great intuition on when and what to suggest in the moment but also gave us space as well. She was our constant while many other things changed, and her presence provided reassurance, so we felt that we weren't getting lost or overwhelmed within the process. It takes a really special person to be able to go on this journey with a couple. I truly appreciate the care in which Maria approaches her role as a Doula, and I highly recommend her.” - Lucas, dad to baby Noah 💜💜💜
"Maria was the most amazing birthing doula - my partner and I cannot imagine giving birth without her help and support. One thing I appreciated the most was the use of spinning babies to optimally position the baby and initiate labour: this was particularly important as we were 2 weeks overdue and keen to avoid induction! Maria walked us through the circuit and encouraged us to try it ourselves. It really worked! I went into labour! At all stages Maria was the best advocate for us as a couple. She remained calm and comforting. I highly recommend Maria as a doula, and greatly appreciated her help, guidance, presence, and support throughout.” - Harriet and Laurie - Baby Dougie
"Hiring Maria as my doula for my second pregnancy was one of the best decisions I made. She was instrumental in helping me achieve a positive birth experience this time around. Her biomechanics training was incredibly valuable in helping rotate my baby into an optimal position, making labour smoother and more manageable.
Her support didn’t stop at birth. Postnatally, Maria provided much-needed night support, allowing me to rest and recover. She also gave invaluable advice on helping my toddler adjust to the big changes of having a new sibling. Having her as a resource and a helping hand has been a total game changer.
Thank you Maria for being such a great support to our family." - Nabba ❤️❤️❤️
"After a long labour that ended in a c-section with our first child, I knew we needed support with our second and booking Maria was the best decision we made.
We had a positive out of guidelines VBAC with her help. We knew Maria was the right fit for us as she was non-judgmental, and I felt at ease talking to her about our concerns and preferences. Maria put a biomechanics exercise plan in place for my third trimester which I believe helped for a positive birth experience and to get the baby in the optimal position for my body. My husband also found Maria to be supportive throughout but never intrusive. Our second baby arrived within about 90 mins on entering hospital and Maria ensured I caught my baby and had skin to skin (this was very important to me). I found this birth to be empowering and very positive. Our only regret was not having Maria at our first birth!" - Darshni and Danesh
