"Anna Fitted in Perfectly with our Midwife"

"Enlisting Anna's support as a doula for our first birth was one of the best decisions we made during our pregnancy.  Through the ante-natal sessions, Anna's calm, her experience, and her professional tools (including a really helpful collection of books) were crucial to giving us the confidence to attempt to birth at home.  Having Anna on hand during labour allowed my partner to focus his energy on sharing in the birthing experience with me, while Anna took care of crucial logistical and practical details.  Her presence also allowed my partner to take occasional rest, thereby conserving energy for later in the day.

Anna fitted in perfectly with our midwife, and our labour progressed quickly in a highly supportive and positive environment.  When we struggled to progress into the second stage of labour, Anna provided hands-on support in our attempts to turn the baby.  In making the decision to transfer to hospital, Anna gave us confidence that we had explored every alternative at home, and that we were asking all the right questions in our consultations with the hospital obstetrician.  Anna's support ensured that we always felt informed, supported, and confident throughout labour.  We have already begun recommending Anna to anyone who is looking for experienced, professional support for a positive and calm birthing experience."

Pippa - 1st time Mum

"Gentle Compassionate Presence"

"Having Anna as a doula was the best decision I could have made. It was part of my birth preparation. Knowing I would have competent practical and emotional help during birth put my mind at ease and I became more welcoming of the birthing experience. It helped me knowing that it's not all on my husband and that I provide support for him as well this way. We both liked the idea of extra hands.

Anna was a great addition to our birth team. In fact it was only my husband, myself, our midwife and Anna. She was present, kind, practical and helpful in the background, yet emotionally available with her hands to hold mine or pressing relieving acupressure points. Anna reminded me how to breathe as we did hypnobirthing preparation together and reassured me again and again that I was doing well. I liked her soft considerate voice and her gentle compassionate presence.

I was lucky enough to find a doula who was able to facilitate a mother blessing too. What luck! I very much enjoyed the mother blessing Anna organised for me. It was professional yet easy going. It was grounded and the space was held so we were able to express ourselves fully in a safe manner. Looking back at mother blessing makes me thing I did a favour to myself. I now have a memory which marks a really important part of my life. I have a positive memory of being pampered, heard and seen by my closest friends. A memory to balance and acknowledge my pregnancy, the beauty of it and also the harder moments pregnancy brings. It has been very joyful experience.

I would choose her again in future with no hesitation."

Pavla - 1st time Mum

"She added to the team approach and supported the woman and her partner and at times the midwife too!"

"Anna was an amazing calm, supportive presence who was able to intuitively know what was needed. She added to the team approach and supported the woman and her partner and at times the midwife too!  She had great hands on support providing acupressure, help setting up the pool and a general tidy up after.  She emotionally supported the woman throughout.  It was excellent to have Anna as part of the birthing team.

I do believe that she was an amazing support and helped our client get her fabulous birth."

Rhonda Moore
Midwife - Domino Midwives

"She gave me practical tips and way of making decisions and how to get information from medical people"

"I felt Anna really helped me in so many ways. Firstly she was great at helping me get mentally and practically prepared for labour. She also helped me talk through my fears and concerns around labour and also navigating the health system and the DHB. She gave me practical tips and way of making decisions and how to get information from medical people. She also helped me think about ways to look after myself before and post labour.  Access to her resource library was so helpful. The single most useful resource that helped me was the KGHyponobirthing CD for a caesarean birth. I actively used it to gain a good night sleep prior and to get into a good frame of mind during the day of waiting and also during the procedure."

Anonymous - 2nd time Mum

"I Felt Safe and Supported Throughout"

"Anna is everything you would want a doula to be – thoughtful and practical, caring and attentive; a calm, quiet and tirelessly positive presence who offers support without ever being intrusive. She seems to understand instinctively what is needed at any given moment, but is also not afraid to ask what would be most helpful for you. Anna was thrown into the deep end when my labour started unexpectedly (on the morning she first came to meet with us), but she took it all in her stride, and when my baby arrived before the midwives did her decisive actions and presence of mind took away all of the potential stress and made everything flow smoothly. I could have done it without her, but I wouldn’t have wanted to – I felt safe and supported throughout the entire labour, and knew that whatever I needed, she would be there to help me."

Merinda

"I can highly recommend Anna as a great asset to any woman embarking on her birthing and mothering journey".

"While watching Anna work as a doula I have found her enthusiasm and energy for the woman in labour to be unwavering. Anna has a lovely gentle way of supporting women, helping them to find reserves of strength they didn't know they had, to trust in the process of birth. She uses touch, positivity, humour and grace. I can highly recommend Anna as a great asset to any woman embarking on her birthing and mothering journey".

Annie Bennett
Midwife - Domino Midwives

"Calm and Non-Judgemental Approach"

"Without family nearby, my partner and I felt we needed someone in addition to our midwife that we could share our concerns with from the get-go. Anna’s ability to listen and talk through our emotions was extremely valuable. Her empathy is something special. Her calm and non-judgemental approach to anything pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding related was perfect and together we worked through any preconceptions I might have had ahead of my second birth. Thanks to Anna’s knowledge and confidence boosting, I felt positive ahead of labour and so excited to meet my baby knowing this pregnancy and birth would bring completely new and unknown experiences."

Anonymous - 2nd time Mum

"I certainly recommend her services"

"Anna was super helpful and responsive and positive and supportive and made a positive impact and difference to our birthing experience. I certainly recommend her services to anyone considering her support, birth was my biggest fear and thank God and Anna’s support and a few other steps taken it went far better than I could have asked for or imagined or prayed for. I am certainly pleased I had her next to me through it. She bought me blankets and smelly things and cookies when I wanted them and took them away when I didn’t. She listened and did what I asked when I asked it. I did Anna's KGHypnobirthing course and she was my doula and it went well and was worth it during our significant vulnerable life event."

Jana - 1st time Mum 

"Having Anna involved helped us to feel prepared and confident, and I was thrilled to have the natural water birth I had wished for".

"Anna was our doula for the birth of our second child, Willow. Even though it was my second time I found the birth preparation with Anna really helpful. I am incredibly grateful that because of Anna we made time to discuss the fears and expectations that we were bringing to this birth after a difficult posterior first labour. It was also useful to revisit the tools and techniques that helped me to stay calm and relaxed the first time and what we might do differently the second time. Having Anna involved helped us to feel prepared and confident, and I was thrilled to have the natural water birth I had wished for.
Anna was also incredibly helpful post-partum as I ran into difficulties establishing breastfeeding. A week after Willow was born, I was distraught that my daughter was still losing weight and I had to start expressing and bottle feeding. This was so upsetting for me as I had planned to exclusively breast feed. Not only did Anna give me encouragement and sound advice but she was also able to get me a visit from a lactation consultant the next morning. This gave me the confidence to persevere with breastfeeding, and techniques to wean her from the bottle back on to the breast. I would definitely recommend Anna’s birth services to other parents. Thank you Anna!"

Ruth - 2nd time Mum

"A truly lovely energy to have around".

"I only heard about having a doula support you through pregnancy and birth when I found out I was pregnant in December 2018 and immediately contacted Anna who responded swiftly and organised an in person meet up to get to know her and decide if she would be a fit for our family. Needless to say, she was, and having Anna support us through our pregnancy was invaluable, especially as our birth didn't go to plan. She supported us though an ECV and some difficult decisions, guiding us to follow what was right for our family. Anna is calm, kind, caring and a truly lovely energy to have around. We didn't manage to have her at our birth, however, she was at the hospital first thing the next morning when she learned our baby had been born. Thank you for the support, resources, love and kindness during our journey Anna. We appreciate the work you do ❤"

Kelly - 1st time Mum

"I first came across Anna when I saw her advert for Hypnobirthing taster classes. Having had friends back home in the UK that used KGHypnobirthing with great results I decided to send Anna a message. I can remember liking Anna from her first email response, her warmth and positivity was so apparent. My partner and I signed up for her course and found it incredibly useful, informative, educational and fun, Anna is a great teacher. Following on from the course we practiced the Hypnobirthing techniques and started to discuss how we ideally would like our birth to be (as much as one can plan these things). Due to having all our family back home in the UK and the information we had read about the positive impacts of having a Doula at your birth we decided this was a step we would like to take, Anna was of course our first choice!
As a Doula, Anna was a great help and support to us during my pregnancy. She came to our home for visits and attended a midwife appointment with us to discuss our birth plan as well as answering any questions I had at any time. She also lent me books and information.
When my labour began at home but didn’t progress as we had hoped Anna was an invaluable support on the phone and made some great suggestions to help it along including the Rebozo technique. When we finally went into hospital after several sleepless nights Anna met us there and provided great emotional support and helped us make some informed decisions which, despite being far away from our original wishes for birth, were definitely the right ones at the time. Thanks to the Hypnobirthing course we had considered all birth scenarios and Anna was an invauable support to both my partner and I during Orla’s birth. I really don’t think we could have done it without her. Her encouragement and emotional as well as physical support made so much difference to me (such as counter pressure during contractions, feeding me water constantly, taking photographs which we might have forgotten to do!).
Anna came to see us a week after Orla’s birth and brought me vegan lactation cookies she had made, amazing! It was very beneficial to be able to talk through and process the birth and the immediate post-partum period with her. I would highly recommend Anna’s services to anyone, be at as a Hypnobirthing teacher, Doula or Post-Partum Doula. Thank-you Anna x"

Zoe - 1st time Mum, 2019

"She gave us the confidence and support we needed, and we are forever grateful."

We hired Anna to be our birth doula since it was our first kid and we had no family nearby, but now that we've had her with us once, we would never be without her again. Our early sessions were great, full of practical advice to prepare our best for the birth. But it was during a difficult birth that Anna really shone, and afterwards when she helped us process everything that had happened. Anna has no agenda other than the emotional and physical well-being of her clients, and she is so adept at observing and adapting to what someone needs. She gave us the confidence and support we needed, and we are forever grateful.

Jalyn - 1st time Mum, January 2021

"I have had the pleasure of working with Anna at hospital-based births, where she has supported pregnant people and their partners, family and whānau. Anna expertly provides authentic emotional support in a calm, compassionate and capable manner. She helps keep a person’s birth experience as positive as possible, whatever that looks like. When the birthing person needed obstetric intervention, I found Anna incredibly accommodating, helping ensure that her clients felt appropriately informed about, and understanding of, the reasons for these changes from physiological labour to a more medicalised one, supporting them through this transition.

Anna is passionate about helping people heal from physical and psychological birth trauma, guiding people to restore their body autonomy. I have had the privilege of seeing her help people achieve this resolution during pregnancy, labour and birth, and was thrilled to see how much Anna’s presence helped.

I have no hesitation in recommending Anna and look forward to working with her again".

Dr Ed Hyde, Obstetric Specialist, Hutt Hospital - May 2021

"Having Anna on board for our second birth felt like the right decision from the beginning. We wanted a second home birth and enlisted Anna as another pair of hands to assist us with our toddler during labour and birth. Also, having attended Anna's hypnobirthing course, I wanted Anna's support to use the techniques I had learnt on the course.

Fiona and Rob - 2nd time hypnobirthing parents - July 2021

"Present and Available"

"Before labour Anna lent us books and resources, helped us with mental preparation for a homebirth, got to know what we wanted, made suggestions, was available for emails/calls/texts, lent us a TENS machine and exceeded expectations. During labour Anna was present and available, tagged with Evan, gave physical support and verbal encouragement, made soup, took photos, held my vomit bucket (most appreciated) and was not too involved - the perfect level. After the birth Anna stayed with us until we were ok by ourselves, gave encouragement with breastfeeding and checked if we needed anything before leaving."

Lynda - 1st time Mum

"Epic Hands-On Support"

"Anna added to the calm in a long lead in and gave the woman a lot of confidence in herself and her baby. She provided epic hands-on support in many helpful ways and she was passionate about making sure the woman felt fully informed of her options. They are rightly glowing about their birth and the support they received.  Well done!" 

Andrea Sarty
Midwife - Nikau Midwives

"It Really Made a Difference"

"Anna's presence allowed us to focus on each other and our journey into birth and parenthood, and over the long duration of Sophi's labour it really made a difference, ensuring that our connection was strong and unstrained".

Mark - 1st time Dad

"Amazing postnatal reassurance "

"Anna provided a post-natal doula service to my partner and son Jack. She is extremely knowledgeable and was an amazingly reassuring support at a time when we were a bit overwhelmed with all the different things we could/should be doing to help Jack to sleep. She has heaps of free resources (books,dvds) and lots of advice on what could be good for you and your family.

Anna also co-facilitated our antenatal course and is a super smiley and friendly human!

Ali - 1st time Mum

"I cannot stress enough how crucial Anna was to my successful natural birth that felt empowering and strong."

"In the antenatal period, Anna provided fantastic reading material on positive birthing and parenting, and different methods of preparing yourself for birth, including addressing underlying fears of birth. She coached my partner Mark and I through different labouring poses, routines, and methods for breathing - which got me through my 50+ hour labour!! 

During labour, Anna was exceptional. If felt like she never left my side despite going through the night and well into the afternoon of the following day. She made me feel safe, comforted, strong, resilient; she encouraged me through some of the toughest moments of my life! She ensured I was hydrated throughout my labour, massaged me, guided my breathing, held my hand when I most needed her, listened and was the most humble and incredible being I could have hoped for. Cannot stress enough how crucial Anna was to my successful natural birth that felt empowering and strong.

After the birth Anna was caring, emotionally engaged, helpful and captured the most intimate and beautiful photographs of my mother, partner, midwife and baby. We are so grateful to have these images, and without Anna they wouldn't have been possible.

If I have another baby I would have another doula a hundred times yes, but a thousand times Anna."

Sophi - 1st time Mum

"I Instantly Felt Comfortable"

"I liked Anna’s write up and also had a good feeling from looking at her picture. I didn’t meet any other douals as I didn’t feel the same about the profiles.

Being able to bounce ideas and just talk about the details was helpful. It gave me the opportunity to tell Anna the things I really didn’t want to happen and anything I really wanted. Anna made me feel confident she would back up my decisions.
Anna was always available at the end of the phone during my induction and reminded me that I had options and did not have to agree with the doctors decisions. Anna came to the hospital once I was having a c-section. I was numb for a while after birth so Anna helped with baby until I was ready to have some time alone with him. Anna checked on me and baby and was genuinely excited about his arrival. It was lovey to have her come over and see him in the first week. Obviously I am delighted that baby arrived safe and sound but I feel a little disappointed I couldn’t put Anna’s skills to much use. I do know that she would have been a fantastic support during a natural labour. I instantly felt comfortable with Anna when we first met and this took a lot of my worries away”.

Claire - 1st time Mum

"Just what we needed"

"Anna was wonderful - she is very confident and reassuring and knows what needs to be done. She was great help talking me through contractions and also supporting my husband. Anna also gave light touch massage throughout which was brilliant. Just what we needed. You can trust in her abilities to support you in birth and that is immediately apparent. Her KGHypno experience is fantastic".

Ali - 2nd time Mum

"Personable, Calm, Professional, Enthusiastic and had a sense of humour; essential criteria!"

"I immediately knew Anna was the doula for me. She was personable, calm, professional, enthusiastic and had a sense of humour; essential criteria! I felt that she listened to my needs; I wanted actually to be left alone, secure in the knowledge that I had my advocate backing me up should I need her and she did this perfectly. When things got a little intense Anna provided several distractions which made a huge difference to how well I was able to manage my labour; frozen flannels to the rescue – don’t underestimate their value! I did not need to ask for this, Anna just intuitively knew what I needed. I was very lucky that it all went pretty much to plan, very lucky that I had supportive midwives who I trusted and most of all very lucky that I had the perfect doula for me.

Would I do it all again? Absolutely! Would I employ Anna as my doula? Without any shadow of a doubt".

Emmie - 2nd time Mum

"Anna helped make my second birth much smoother than the first"

"We are so glad we hired Anna as our doula! It was amazing to have such warm, helpful and consistent support after we were unable to find a midwife. Anna helped make my second birth much smoother than the first after suggesting things I would never of even thought of such as making a visual birth plan. The best part about Anna’s services for me were the postnatal sessions as she helped me to get out and about calmly with both boys when I was struggling to adapt to managing both of their needs at the same time. She even provided cookies and meals which was awesome when all our family live overseas. I would definitely recommend Anna to everyone and it would be great to spread an awareness of the amazing service doulas offer!"

Nicola - 2nd time Mum

"I would highly recommend her to anyone facing difficult decisions about birth"

"Anna was amazing throughout my preparation for the birth of our second daughter Hazel. I had had a difficult first birth with major tear and faced a tricky decision on whether to have an elective c section this time or go for natural labour. Anna was so good to talk this through with, not judgmental, just listening and providing sensible and thoughtful guidance. When I went with the c section Anna helped me prepare to make it as positive an experience as possible. After the birth she made me delicious breastfeeding cookies and helped us with settling into life with two kids. Having Anna involved in the whole process made a real difference to how I felt about it all and I would highly recommend her to anyone facing difficult decisions about birth. Thanks Anna!"

Sally - 2nd time Mum

"My husband and I first came across Anna when looking for hypnobirthing classes to prepare for the birth of our first child. I was very nervous looking ahead to labour and wanted to find ways to prepare positively. We were so impressed by Anna's communication that we decided to meet and consider asking her to be our doula. We were stoked to think that she might help us continue building on what we learned at the hypnobirthing course. As labour approached, I will admit to feeling some nerves: would having a doula be awkward? Would there be too many people in the room? Looking back at the experience now, I simply don't know how we would have done without her. Anna was absolutely essential. From the minute she met us in the birth room, she took action. She and my husband both worked to help me through contractions, from pouring water on my back to providing accupressure and constant encouragement/affirmation. She gave my husband time to eat and visit the bathroom. She ensured that what I heard throughout the labour was positive and reinforced what we'd learned. As a result, I gave birth naturally without pain relief (I tried entonox and found it didn't help as much as water, pressure and encouragement). The final stage of the birth had some complications, and I was transferred via ambulance to hospital. Anna came with me, helping me to feed our baby boy for the first time and supporting my family. Her presence was calming and helpful throughout. After we were discharged, Anna visited me in my home, thoughtfully bringing lactation cookies that met my dietary needs, and helping my husband and I process our story. I would recommend Anna's services to anyone in a heartbeat. She is all flavours of awesome 😀"

Sarah - 1st time Hypnobirthing Mum

"We went to Anna's Hypnobirthing class when we were 20 weeks pregnant with our first child.
Basically, everything has changed once we learnt more about how birthing works, how we can change how we want to experience the birth and most importantly what the practices are we needed to do post course to be able to prepare and make our dream birth plan come true.
Anna is very knowledgeable, kind and supportive in any possible ways you can imagine. We couldn't have done what we just did without her help.
Highly recommend choosing her a doula as well as attending her Hypnobirthing courses.
Thank you Anna!"

Gabor - 1st time Hypnobirthing Dad, January 2020

"Anna has been the most amazing support. Four months ago my husband and I attended her hypnobirthing course. The information and resources were invaluable. We practiced the hypnobirthing techniques daily.

When I was 38 weeks pregnant our home was severely damaged and flooded by a storm. She was a huge support during this unexpected time. Her support resulted in improved sleep and significantly lower stress levels.

Her communication throughout COVID-19 has been very clear. She is so passionate about her “job”.

Two days ago Anna supported us to welcome our perfect little bundle in to this world. She was a vital part in birthing team. She was there from the very moment we needed her. Her “bag of tricks”/tools/knowledge is endless. She had so much to gently offer to keep labour progressing smoothly and calmly.

We feel so fortunate to have Anna alongside us through this incredibly special life experience. Please feel free to private message me if you have any questions. Xx

Maggie - 2nd time Hypnobirthing Mum, June 2020

"For some time now I’ve been quite vocal on the importance of having a strong and supportive birth team. For me, this included having a doula. A doula is a labour companion there to provide emotional and physical comfort to the birthing mum and her partner as well as acting as their advocate should the need arise. Though doulas are not medically trained their steady and soothing support is invaluable. I missed out on having a doula with my first birth but for this second birth I was fortunate enough to have Anna by my side. She was there holding my hand when I needed. Reminding me to eat and drink water. Sharing her knowledge in massage and acupressure techniques for birth and overall being a comforting voice reminding me that I could birth my baby. My entire little family and I love her and are eternally grateful to have had her on our side before, during, and after birth".

Jennifer - 2nd time Hypnobirthing parent, Nov 2020

"Anna was a wonderful and important addition to our birth team, we would definitely want Anna as our doula again if we have any more children and would recommend her to anyone. She was so encouraging, warm and helpful during the pregnancy. She provided a much needed wisdom and positivity when things started to get complicated and go off our plans.

2nd time parents - June 2021

"Taking Anna as our doula was a clear choice. We knew, myself having worked as a doula for many years that having one is a crucial and necessary part of our birth team. Anna is professional, calm, punctual and clear in her boundaries and scope of practice. She communicated clearly and precisely and provided that continuous supportive presence I needed. She also personalized her care around what my specific family needed, I felt heard, supported and safe with her. Birth is an unknown and having an anchor that stays throughout the process is a must. We are grateful to have met her and highly recommend Anna for your birth team!"

Mum of 6 -  September 2021

"I have had the great pleasure of working with Anna in a birth setting multiple times during the last 2 years of my practice as an LMC midwife in Wellington. 3 of my clients have hired Anna as their birth doula. While these were all planned homebirths, 2 ended up being hospital births. Each experience has been one made calmer and more enjoyable as a result of Anna’s presence. I have found her to be such an amazing support for my clients during their labour and birth. She has a toolkit overflowing with ideas and practical solutions to support someone in their labour journey. From my perspective as a midwife, she makes my job much easier! Sometimes I need to focus on the clinical aspect of my job in order to keep both of my clients, the birth giver and the baby, safe. At these times, having someone else to provide emotional and physical labour support is invaluable. I would always recommend Anna to anyone who is considering hiring a doula, as well as for hypnobirthing classes and for work around birth trauma. Anna and I have developed a great relationship over the last 2 years with mutual respect, clear communication and a shared passion for empowered birth."

Rosie Naylor, LMC midwife with Domino Midwives

"If anyone is on the fence on hiring a doula I would 100% recommend having Anna as part of your birth team - I guarantee you won't regret it. Anna was a crucial part of our birth team and I cannot imagine the birth without her.

Rachael -1st time Mum 2021