Hi, I’m Yas
I’m a full-spectrum doula, antenatal educator, hypnobirthing teacher and the founder of Birth Beautiful. I predominantly support families across Norfolk and London but travel further afield when I’m needed elsewhere. I also provide virtual and hybrid options.
Full spectrum means I can be with you from fertility and conception, through pregnancy, birth and the months after and through loss if that is part of your story.
I am a dedicated advocate for human rights and parental choice, offering personalised, inclusive support that is just as unique as you are. I have a very strong interest in mental health, childhood development and public health, all of which underpin the services I provide.
Much like parenthood itself, being a doula is an extraordinary experience. I've sat with many families in their most powerful moments...and their most vulnerable. It's been the greatest privilege of my life, and I feel with every ounce of my being it's exactly what I was born to do. This is more than just a job for me: it's my vocation.
My background
I’ve always loved being around women and children. Even as a child, having a baby in my arms while chatting to their mother was far more interesting to me than pretty much everything else. As a teenager I was part of a circle of friends that to this day I still nurture and love; looking out for people in every sense of the phrase has always come naturally to me. Perhaps it’s therefore unsurprising that I’ve grown up to be a doula!
I spent most of my childhood in London, then did the final years of secondary school at an international school in Istanbul, where I learned to adapt to new cultures and found a love of biology (particularly human physiology) and psychology. International school gave me so much more than treasured friends who live around the world: it gave me the ability to truly welcome different perspectives without losing my own identity or values, and have a meaningful conversation with anyone from any kind of background, even if we did not speak the same language.
I’ve worked with families in some way since my mid-teens, first running drama groups for younger children, and then working as a nanny. As a nanny I grew close not just to the children but to their parents too, and saw first hand the highs and lows of welcoming a new baby into a family. I later trained as a doula with The Original Birth Connection, and have since completed extensive and varied CPD training that I update regularly. I’m also an adult and paediatric first aider.
I also support other doulas, midwives and student midwives raise concerns when they feel they or their clients are not being treated as they should. I’ve supported midwives going through NMC fitness to practise hearings, helped student midwives through university fitness to practise proceedings, been part of legal cases and have visited parliament to discuss the maternity crisis.
Together these experiences have shaped me into the trauma-informed, psychologically aware and inclusive doula I am today.
My why
My career to date has been very varied with many twists and turns, but has consistently shown me just how much families need someone independent who gets to know them and helps them to feel safe and heard. As a doula this is the core of my job, and advocating for families’ rights and choices both 1:1 and in a general sense has become one of the most important and fulfilling parts of my work.
I’m also a mother. Before having my son, I wasn’t sure I would be able to have children because of endometriosis. My pregnancy, birth and postpartum were complicated too: first by hyperemesis gravidarum, and later by a birth and breastfeeding journey that didn’t go as I’d hoped. While my son is a magical little person who loves and amazes me in equal measure every day, these experiences have given me a deep understanding of how complex the path to parenthood, and life with a young child, can be. But your journey is your own, and I’ll never push my own story or values onto you. You are unique, and my job is to support you to find your own path. That is the most beautiful part of this work.
What to Expect
I understand that not everyone is familiar with what a doula does, which can make it hard to know what to expect from my services. So, to help with that, I've outlined the key principles that underpin what you can expect from Birth Beautiful below.
My services extend far beyond a standard professional transaction: they’re a deep and meaningful relationship. I take the time to really get to know you and build a genuine connection, so you have a familiar, reassuring presence throughout. I’ll help you explore your options, make informed decisions and plan for your birth so you feel prepared, safe and in control. I’ll support you to advocate for yourself where necessary, and always aim to support you in a way that feels gentle, respectful and right for you. Your experiences, values and choices matter deeply to me. And that applies to the partners, too!
I truly believe you cannot fully support families through the complex without a strong grounding in the normal. While physiological birth has always been my bread and butter, I’ve now supported many families through a full spectrum of experiences: homebirths and hospital births, long labours and short ones, elective and unplanned caesareans, vaginal birth after caesareans (VBAC), breech births, multiple pregnancies and perinatal journeys complicated by all kinds of health issues. I’ve also been there as families went through IVF, physiological miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, NICU stays, breastfeeding concerns, and everything in between. Some plans unfold as hoped and some don’t, and I’m there either way.
Whatever happens, my aim is to ensure you feel supported, respected and cared for by someone in the way everyone should. I can wipe your tears, share your joy, be your advocate and hold you through every moment you need me to.
Whilst I can help you to understand the language, evidence and guidelines your midwives and doctors work with, and the reasoning behind their recommendations, I’m not a midwife or healthcare professional. My role is to work alongside your clinical team, and every decision stays completely yours.
Training and qualifications
While there are no official training requirements for doulas or birthkeepers, practice and research in the birth-world is constantly advancing, so I advance my own knowledge alongside this to ensure the support I give you is evidence-based, up-to-date and of an exceptional standard.
For a full list of the professional development and training I’ve completed, or if there is a specific area or speciality you would like to know more about, book a free discovery call or get in touch via my webform. Professional development is an ongoing process so the list is updated regularly.
For a full list of the professional development and training I have completed, or if there is a specific area or speciality you would like to know more about, please just get in touch. Professional development is an ongoing process so the list is updated regularly.
Get in touch