Shellie Poulter
Doula and Educator
"Shellie is a lady full of wisdom, kindness & peace. Shellie was great and gave me a lot of insight into my body and the birth process. Thank you xx" Kylie
About me - Shellie Poulter
My Philosophy
I am passionate about empowering women and birthing people to be their most amazing, wonderful selves, through pregnancy, birth and beyond into parenthood. By listening to your hopes and wishes for your journey and by helping you to make informed choices, I endeavour to provide and signpost you towards information that you feel you need, in order to have the birth that feels right for you. I offer emotional, physical and practical support throughout your pregnancy, birth and after your baby is born.
I hope to encourage the amazing confidence and intuition that lies within you, so that you can achieve an empowering childbirth experience, whatever path it may take, and carry that strength on through to your parenting journey and family life. People who feel confident, justified and heard in their choices during pregnancy and labour are giving themselves and their babies the most wonderful gift and amazing start in their journey through life together.
Babies who are born into a loving environment, to birth givers who feel cared for, supported and heard, are beginning their lives in a space of confidence, security and love. Giving them the best possible start in their journey to becoming the wonderful humans they are destined to be.
“I would recommend Shellie as a doula to anyone. She was an amazingly calm presence in the whirlwind of an early planned cesarian birth and the following weeks of caring for my son in special care. She supported us emotionally and practically. She helped no end in empowering us to express our hopes and desires to the hospital staff” Toria C.
“Shellie was calm and helped centre me through a prolonged labour. She never left my side apart from short toilet breaks and that was a huge comfort”. Amelia J.
I qualified as an Osteopath in 2005 and have been practicing as a fully insured Cranio-Sacral Therapist, Massage Therapist, Naturopath and Modern Acupuncturist ever since. These gentle treatments can support women throughout their pregnancy, in preparation for birth, during labour and post-partum for anyone in the family who needs a little help to settle and adjust to your new lives together.
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I have supported home births, water births, natural births in birthing centres, on labour wards and also supported mothers during planned cesarian births in various locations over the country for the last 18 years.
As a Doula I aim to be kind, supportive, well-informed and adaptable to the unique needs of each family I support. I continually strive to further my knowledge with continued professional development, reflection of my practice with the aim to learn something and improve with each family I have the privilege to support. I hope that my love for supporting families is evident in the dedicated way that I work both as a Doula and a Cranio-Sacral Therapist, as well as a mentor and educator for other birthworkers, birthkeepers and doulas.
After the birth of my son in 2013, I became a breastfeeding peer supporter and am enthusiastic about slings and carriers, reusable nappies and milk donation, I am happy to support post-natally with all aspects of infant care including infant feeding, no matter which path you choose to take.
I volunteer with a charity supporting women during pregnancy, labour and post-natally who are refugees seeking asylum in the UK, so, I have training in helping women who have experienced trauma and need support through their journey to motherhood.
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A percentage of my fee as a doula always goes to The Happy Baby Community; A charity supporting a community for women who have fled from violence or from traffickers and are pregnant or with a young child and are seeking international protection in the UK. https://www.happybabycommunity.org.uk/
If you would like any further information or would like to speak to me, please do not hesitate to contact me:
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Email: shellie@theserenitydoula.co.uk
Tel: 07730 680 769
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theserenitydoula/
Instagram: @theserenitydoula
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My Story
My Training
Certified Labor Doula
Birth Bliss Academy 2019
Certified Post Partum Doula
Birth Bliss Academy 2019
BSc Hons Osteopathic Medicine
The British College of Osteopathic Medicine 2005
Affiliated with the University of Westminster
Diploma in Naturopathy
The British College of Osteopathic Medicine 2005
Affiliated with the University of Westminster
Advanced Massage for Adults and Babies
The British College of Osteopathic Medicine 2003
Affiliated with the University of Westminster
Dry Needling/Modern Acupuncture
2005
Rebozo Training with Naoli Vinaver Traditional Mexican Midwife
2022
The Body Ready Method
Certified BRM Pro 2022-2023
“Where do I begin to describe Shellie’s support in helping Sam come in to the world?! I couldn’t have wanted anyone else. Her whole aura created such intimacy and calm. I was in a hospital room but it felt calm and gentle and Shellie was such a reassuring blend of calm professionalism and wise friend. She wholly respected the incredible strength of the female body and I never felt she was interfering with my body’s transition through the various stages of labor. She created such a warm respectful atmosphere that even during the humiliating bits I never felt anything other than loved and that she was continuously in awe of what my body was doing to bring Sam into the world. She was intuitive but not arrogant with that knowledge. She continually listened to me and heard and explained my wishes to various medical staff along the way. She never put up barriers with the medical staff and us and showed respect and a cooperative atmosphere with them.
When I needed medical intervention at stage 3 to remove the placenta that wouldn’t come away, she looked after Sam and spent some of his first intimate moments with him. I hated having to leave him for his first couple of hours but feel so blessed it was Shellie he stayed with. She’s like the baby whisperer!
Calming, soothing and so in tune with the birth that babies have experienced. She spent time gently settling his body and continued following up in the weeks and months after with gentle treatment to settle and align his body. He experienced a bout of colic in the first couple of months and after one visit from Shellie, Sam never had another episode. Her gentle treatment had such a lasting affect on his digestive tract - he’s the most regular in our whole family!
I would recommend Shellie whole heartedly. She laughs with you, weeps with you, is the keeper of your joy. She has the wisdom and intuition and healthy respect of your and your child’s body and is wholly dedicated to supporting the beautiful privilege it is to give birth and support your child in those early days and weeks.
”. Fleur.
“Shellie was just amazing support - I can't recommend her enough! She really helped in advance with any worries I had and at the birth she was a fantastic calming and assertive presence. I had some anxiety from a previous birth and she really supported me at every step to feel confident. Our birth experience could not have been better and that was really down to the support my partner and I received from Shelley.”. Sophie S.
“Shellie is an amazing Doula and has been such a source of support and comfort for us during the pregnancy, birth and aftercare of our first born. Shellie's antenatal course provided in-depth knowledge about birth and beyond and it helped us to feel well informed and empowered to make decisions that felt right for us and our baby. We had a "high risk" pregnancy, with consultant led care and this meant difficulties conversations had to be had and hard decisions had to be made. Shellie provided warmth and impartial guidance throughout this time.
During birth Shellie helped me to stay calm and focused, offering emotional and practical support. Most importantly, she was nurturing and helped us to feel safe during our homebirth. We had to transfer to hospital at one point and my husband was particularly worried; Shellie was able to comfort us both and make the environment in hospital as relaxed as possible. Since our baby's birth, Shellie has continued to support and help us to navigate parenthood. From relaxing hypnobirthing tracks, and an informative antenatal course, to practical support and most significantly, her graceful and nurturing presence during birth and afterwards. We can't thank you enough xx
(Also she takes awesome birth pictures! We'll treasure them forever)y.”. Annie H.