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The.Smart.Doula Charlotte | Virtual Doula Pregnancy/Birth| Education Support
Seeking an informed empowered pregnancy?

Charlotte | Virtual Doula | Pregnancy/Birth | Education Support Seeking an informed empowered pregnancy/birth? Homebirth Hospital birth Virtual doula support evidence-based education.

You don’t NEED a doula.There, I said it 😂You can research birth yourself.You can advocate for yourself.Your partner can ...
22/10/2026

You don’t NEED a doula.

There, I said it 😂

You can research birth yourself.
You can advocate for yourself.
Your partner can be bloody brilliant.
You might already know exactly what you want.

But that doesn’t mean you have to do all of it alone.

Because it feels very different researching something hypothetically versus sitting outside a consultant appointment thinking… s**t, what do I do now?

That’s where having someone in your pocket comes in.

Someone who already knows your history.
Knows what matters to you.
Can find the evidence without you disappearing down a Google rabbit hole.
Can talk through your options.
Can listen when you need to have a wobble.
And can remind you that ultimately, the decision is YOURS.

I’m not here to tell you how to give birth.

I’m here to help you feel informed, supported and confident enough to do it your way. 💗

That’s virtual doula support.

My new packages are now live. You can explore them via the link in my bio.

First things first… this client has given me VERY enthusiastic permission to share her story 😂💗In fact, she was fully on...
22/10/2026

First things first… this client has given me VERY enthusiastic permission to share her story 😂💗

In fact, she was fully on board with me turning her pregnancy into a case study because it shows SO perfectly what virtual doula support can actually look like.

And she hasn’t even given birth yet.

This was her first midwife appointment.

She walked in knowing she wanted a vaginal birth after two caesareans.

She walked out having been told:

“Absolutely not. You’ll be having a caesarean.”

But she didn’t have to go home and figure out what to do next by herself.

We went back to the evidence. We looked at the risks. We challenged what she’d been told. We made a plan.

And that was just the beginning 👀

This pregnancy has thrown a LOT at her since.

I’ve shared the whole journey so far on my blog, and it’s probably the best example I could ever give you of what having a virtual doula in your pocket actually looks like.

Read the full story via the link in my bio 💗

Everyone thinks you hire a doula for the birth.But honestly? The birth is only part of it.I’ve written a new blog follow...
21/10/2026

Everyone thinks you hire a doula for the birth.

But honestly? The birth is only part of it.

I’ve written a new blog following one of my virtual doula clients through her pregnancy so far.

And she hasn’t even had her baby yet. 👀

There have been wobbles. Research rabbit holes. Difficult appointments. A change of midwife. Consultant conversations. Unexpected scan results. Plans that have changed, changed back and changed again.

And through all of it, she’s had someone in her pocket to ask:

What does the evidence actually say?
What are my options?
How do I get to where I want to go next?

This is your little peek behind the scenes of what virtual doula support actually looks like.

And why I think some of the most valuable work happens long before labour begins.

Comment BLOG and I’ll send you the blog 💗

The Smart Pregnancy Club is your space for evidence, support and community throughout pregnancy.A place to learn, feel m...
21/10/2026

The Smart Pregnancy Club is your space for evidence, support and community throughout pregnancy.

A place to learn, feel more confident in your choices and connect with other women navigating pregnancy too.

No scare tactics. No judgement. Just evidence based information and support to help you make the decisions that feel right for you.

✨ Join the Smart Pregnancy Club via the link in my bio.

Let me know your experiences please!Midwives / doulas you too ☺️
21/10/2026

Let me know your experiences please!

Midwives / doulas you too ☺️

This is why I say an empowered birth isn’t necessarily one that goes exactly to plan 💗This mum was planning a VBAC. Her ...
20/10/2026

This is why I say an empowered birth isn’t necessarily one that goes exactly to plan 💗

This mum was planning a VBAC. Her birth changed course and ended in a caesarean after labour.

But this time she came away feeling informed, supported and without the regret and guilt she had carried from her previous birth.

And the support didn’t stop once her baby was here.

That is what I want for every woman I work with. Not a promise of the “perfect” birth. But the knowledge, support and confidence to make decisions that feel right for you, however birth unfolds.

You deserve to look back without regrets. And you deserve support afterwards too.

✨ The Smart Birth Experience is virtual support through pregnancy, birth and those early postpartum weeks.

20/10/2026

The cascade of intervention isn’t just something doulas made up.

It describes how one intervention can lead to another, and another…

And a new Australian study looked at over 1.3 MILLION births and found a growing pattern of induction → epidural → instrumental or caesarean birth.

That doesn’t mean interventions are always bad or unnecessary.

But it DOES mean when you’re offered the first one, it’s worth asking:

What might this make more likely later?

Because informed consent isn’t just knowing what happens next.

It’s knowing where the stream might take you 😂🌊

References:
Callander et al. (2026), Health Economics and Policy
Fox et al. (2021), Birth
Petersen et al. (2013), Arch Gynecol Obstet

Why me? 👀Because I’m not here to tell you how to give birth.I’m here to help you understand your options, dig into the e...
20/10/2026

Why me? 👀

Because I’m not here to tell you how to give birth.

I’m here to help you understand your options, dig into the evidence and work out what feels right for YOU.

I bring the research brain, the doula experience and a fair bit of lived experience too 😂

And I’m there for all the questions, wobbles, decisions and changes of plan along the way.

Basically, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own 🤍

DM DOULA if you want me in your corner.

20/10/2026

Most women don’t go into pregnancy wanting a caesarean.

UK research found that 72% of women preferred a vaginal birth early in pregnancy, rising to 80% later in pregnancy.

Fast forward to today and in England around 44% of births are now by caesarean.

Around 1 in 5 of ALL births are planned caesareans.

And around 1 in 4 are emergency caesareans.

Of course, birth preferences change. Complications happen. Some women actively choose and want a caesarean, and that choice matters too.

But when we have moved from a population where the overwhelming majority of women say they want to give birth vaginally to a maternity system where almost 1 in 2 babies are born by caesarean, we should be asking questions.

Are women’s preferences really changing this dramatically?

Or is the system they are giving birth within changing what becomes possible?

Because if most women want a vaginal birth, but increasingly don’t have one, simply telling women to write better birth plans isn’t enough.

We need to look at the environment they are giving birth in too.

References:
Kingdon et al. (2009), BJOG, Choice and birth method
NHS Maternity Statistics, England 2024/25

20/10/2026

Imagine starting an induction and one of the first messages you get is: don’t eat.

Not because you need surgery now.

Because someone thinks you might need a caesarean later.

That can mean hours of labour or induction while being told to ignore hunger and one of your body’s most basic signals.

And that matters.

Labour is physical work.

Restricting food can immediately change the tone of labour. Less autonomy. Less trust in your body. More focus on what might go wrong.

The practice has historical roots in Mendelson’s 1946 aspiration case series, but obstetric anaesthesia was very different then and fasting itself was not tested.

Modern aspiration is also very rare.

A UK study published in 2025 found 12 cases in more than 2.3 million maternities. Nine were associated with general anaesthesia and there were no aspiration deaths.

Cochrane found no evidence of benefit from restricting food and fluids in low risk labour.

And NICE itself says that although eating increases gastric volume, the effect on aspiration risk if anaesthesia is needed is uncertain.

So the question is not simply:

“Could you need a caesarean?”

It is:

“What is your actual risk, what is the evidence, and what do you want to do?”

Because a recommendation should inform your decision.

It should not replace it.

References:
Mendelson, 1946
Singata et al., Cochrane, 2013
Lucas et al., 2025
NICE NG235
NICE NG192
2025 scoping review on oral intake in labour
BJA European caesarean anaesthesia study, 2026

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