About Nicola

Nicola has considerable and varied experience in the birth process, including:-

• V Bac (vaginal birth after a cesarean section)
• Water Births
• Home Births
• Hospital Births

Nicola originally trained as a secretary, and then realised it wasn't really her thing, so decided to become an NNEB (nanny qualification). The training took place in a residential home for children in care, so there were many different problems to deal with as well as learning for oneself. After qualifying Nicola worked in a day nursery in Southwark in an area with many 'problem families' so had experience of varying different problems. Nicola left the nursery in 1980 to have her first baby.

Nicola became interested in the whole concept of birth after the arrival of her first baby. This had not been a positive experience, despite attending NCT classes and reading widely before the event, and breast feeding had not gone smoothly, although most of the problems were eventually sorted out with the help of a patient and compassionate breast feeding counsellor. She went on to have two more children, the second being born at hospital under a domino scheme e.g. 6 hours in hospital and then home, and the third was born at home.

After her own difficulties Nicola decided to train as a breast feeding counsellor herself. During the time that she was at home bringing up her family Nicola became involved in the Maternity Services Liaison Committee for her health region, practiced as a breast feeding counsellor (during which time she helped an adoptive mother breast feed her new born baby, amongst many other problems) and became involved in the post natal support group locally for the NCT.

When her children didn't need her undivided attention anymore, Nicola decided to train as a doula, a very new concept in this country at the time. The training took place in London under the guidance of Dr. Michel Odent, and she has subsequently worked continuously since then, in hospitals as far afield as Kingston-upon-Thames in the South, and Watford in the North, and has worked with many women post birth in their homes.

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