Hampshire Doulas

Connecting, Supporting and Promoting Doulas In Hampshire and Beyond.

Maria Marsh

Maria the Doula

Birth and Postnatal Doula

Hi I am Maria the Doula

I am a mum of two grown up children and live in Westbourne with my husband and little mini–Dachshund Percy.

I have over 20 + years’ experience supporting families with new
babies, and I am passionate about delivering a high level of emotional, physical, and practical support. I understand and respect that every woman’s birth and parenting journey is unique, and life changing. I will put you and your families’ experiences of pregnancy, labour,
birth, feeding and postnatal journey at the heart of everything I do. 
I look to provide evidence-base, un-biased information so that you can make your own informed decisions and am passionate that all should feel that they have autonomy over their birth and postnatal period, support you and ensure your voice is heard and will help you
and your partner to advocate for yourselves to be able achieve this. 

By guiding you when formulating your birth preferences, we can make your birth as empowering and fulfilling as it can be. I offer sessions in body preparation work and biomechanics for birth and support during labour with massage, encourage different positions, breath work, transforming your birth space with soft lighting and many other measures to encourage comfort and calmness throughout labour so together we can create a safe and protected environment.
Once your new baby has arrived, I will be there to ensure that you feel settled and comfortable, 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.


I offer postnatal and night doula sessions and packages to help and support you in your fourth trimester and recovery. Nurturing the mother/baby/family dyad with calmness, kindness and information.
Whatever your feeding journey may look like I offer breastfeeding and infant feeding counselling and support for all aspects of how you wish to feed your baby both as individual face to face sessions or within my postnatal and night support.

Qualifications:

  • NNEB nursery Nurse 
  • Foundation Degree in Birth and Beyond 
  • NCT trained Antenatal practitioner 
  • 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, 2024

Services

I offer two Birth Doula packages, three postnatal, one night doula packages, infant feeding
support along with Biomechanics for Birth and Prep for Breastfeeding.
I am always happy to design a bespoke package just for you from the many offerings I have.

The Birth Essentials Package

  • 3 x antenatal session
  • On call to support your birth from 10 days before your guess date and until your baby is born
  • Stay with you for up to 3 hours post birth and support with the babies first feed and ensure skin to skin and support for you and your family
  • One postnatal visit
  • Continuous support via WhatsApp from the moment you book my services until 6 weeks postnatally.
  • Access to my Padlet for information sharing and more.


The Birth Elite Package

  • All the above plus
  • 1 Biomechanics for Birth session including an exercise schedule and regular check ins
  • 1 x accompany you to an antenatal appointment
  • 2 x 45 minute either looking after your newborn zoom sessions either before or after your baby has been born or 2 x 45 minute zoom session to support feeding your baby.

The Biomechanics session

This can either be in person or online. A session to discuss how Biomechanics for Birth can
support a more straight forward birth. An exercise programme to do antenatally to prep the
body for birth and to use during birth. We form a WhatsApp chat for continuous support in
your Biomechanics journey.

Postnatal day Doula packages (Ad hoc days can be arranged if you would prefer to take it slower or you feel that you don’t require as much support from the packages or I can bespoke a package for you).

New Baby Bronze Package

  • 1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
  • 2 x 4 hour session per week for 4 weeks
  • WhatsApp chat between sessions.
  • Access to my postnatal Padlet.

New Baby Silver Package

  • 1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
  • 2 x 4 hour session per week for 6 weeks
  • 1 x 2 hour feeding session within the 6 week period
  • WhatsApp chat between sessions.
  • Access to my postnatal Padlet.

New Baby Gold Package

  • 1 x 2 hour settling in/feeding support within the first three days of returning home or after your home birth.
  • 2 x 4 hour session per week for 8 weeks
  • 1 x 2 hour infant feeding session within the 8 week period.
  • WhatsApp chat between sessions.
  • Access to my postnatal Padlet.
  • Night Doula Support

I offer individually booked night shifts of 10 hours.
Maximum of 3 nights per week (not consecutive).


Night Doula Support Package

  • 6 nights within a three-week period (discount applies when booking blocks of 6).

Prep for Breastfeeding online or face to face session

  • A two-hour session covering aspects of Breastfeeding and formula feeding your baby from a qualified infant feeding practitioner.

Do get in touch to and book a no obligation chat about how I can best support you and your

family.

Contact

Email: info@mariathedoula.co.uk

Phone: 07500776632

Website: https://mariathedoula.co.uk/

Social Media: @maria_the doula on Instagram Maria The Doula on Facebook