Frequently Asked Questions About My Work

Yes!

I have worked with some amazing cisgender, heterosexual clients in my time, and have recently made the empowering decision to open my practice to only those who identify with any identity that comes under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.

It means that I work with people at every part of the reproductive journey, be that fertility, abortion, loss, birth, antenatal, postnatal support and more.

Full spectrum doulas hold space for each of these experiences, and provide both emotional and practical support, as well as evidence based information in order to make choices feel clearer and smoother just like other doulas.

Before heeding the call to birth work, I worked as a tattoo artist for several years, going by the name bbykngr. Baby Kangaroo.. get it? (In fairness, people often don’t)

Anyway, Pouch just felt right, marsupials keep their babies safe in their pouches until they’re safe to emerge. In a way I think doula work is just this, my greatest concern is that my clients not only are, but feel safe no matter the type of support they’re seeking.

I offer complimentary 30 minute calls where we can get to know eachother a bit and see what the vibe is. If it feels like we would make a good team I then follow these up with a more in-depth meeting either at your home or somewhere neutral, depending on your preferences.

This gives us an opportunity to see if we click, after all it is likely we will be spending chunks of time in eachother’s company!

Absolutely! I will always use my voice to advocate for everyone who is affected by the topic at hand. That is why I use gender neutral language throughout my work.

If you are a birth worker and interested in learning more about the benefits of inclusive language for everyone, I host a workshop on the subject which can be found here.

Yep! I support all types of birth.

This conversation can be very polarising, especially online.

I am not against interventions and I believe that in order to be ethically performed, they must be preceded by fully informed consent as well as a deep, genuinely earned trust from person to provider.

I am here to provide all the information required to make empowered and informed choices. My client’s choices are met with nothing but support and respect, always.

The financial barrier to doula care is a really difficult one and I believe that we should be available to anyone regardless of income. Unfortunately this work is also chronically undervalued.

In order to be as accessible as possible while sustaining myself and my family I offer a sliding scale to those of the Global Majority and LGBTQIA+ communities as well as payment plans for everyone. For more information on this please email me at joey@pouchdoula.co.uk.

I am also open to trades with people from LGBTQIA+ communities with priority given to in-person service providers based in London.

If you live somewhere reachable within a reasonable amount of time I do occasionally take on clients from further afield, with an added travel charge

If you live further still, I have virtual support options, which can be found here.

Not yet! Though I hope to someday soon.

I understand the desire for someone who has been through this before, and if that’s important to you I totally understand that I’m not the doula for you.

Though I will say that if I had given birth before, each birth is completely different, as is each birthing person. In my opinion, it wouldn’t be right for me to bring any of my personal experiences into yours anyway.