Carli Priest

More about me

Thank you for wanting to know a little more about me. I have been passionate about supporting people, especially *women, and especially at times when we are most vulnerable for as long as I can remember. After having my own child, experiencing my own highs and lows along the way, the call to be a doula started increasing in intensity for me. First I became a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter and voluntarily ran a support group, which I loved. Now that I am able to dedicate my time to supporting pregnancy, birth and postnatal experiences I know this is meant to be my work. My soul purpose.

Wherever you intend your birth to unfold I am willing and able to walk beside you, with an open heart and mind. To help protect your space, your decisions and your autonomy. To listen to your concerns and fears, helping to lessen them with a compassionate ear and reliable information. To gently and respectfully mediate between you and your health care provider if you wish. To simply be there, aware of your needs and wants whilst striving to facilitate them.

I am able to offer in person and remote antenatal sessions, to attend your birth, and to come to you with postnatal support in your early weeks and months. We discuss what this means for you in our preparation – for example, I am happy to attend antenatal appointments with you if you wish. Postnatally you may benefit from breastfeeding support, help with slings and baby-wearing, or simply to have a nap or a shower whilst I care for your baby. I am continuing to develop my counselling skills and can offer sessions for debriefing births and past traumas. I can offer this for birthing people and your partners, together or separately. The thread running through all of the ways I can help is led by you.

For an insight into my personality, it is about as eclectic as my music taste. You can find me reading and crocheting, wood carving or foraging. I have rediscovered a deep connection to the world around me, and so love being outdoors, but I’m quite partial to curling up with some chocolate and a good chat or film too. I am emotionally sensitive and receptive but resilient, I am an open book with many wildly differing chapters, I dislike confrontation but will fight for anyone I care about with passion and determination. I don’t care for judgement, giving it or receiving it. Time has told me that all of us are capable of great achievements, of overcoming huge challenges and of lessons hard learnt. Life has taught me that it is both far too long and far too short to compromise on your own peace and happiness, whatever that means for you.

If you have read this far, thank you, and yes I am a deep thinker, but I don’t take myself too seriously. I love to laugh, to make strong connections with others, and am always striving to learn and adapt. Every adult human is someone’s villain and someone’s hero, I would love to be one of your heroes.

* .. I am fully inclusive in all aspects of life, and whilst I use the word women here, I do not determine that to mean only cisgendered female people. I am more than happy to support LGBTQA+ people, trans people, really any people who desire my presence in their journey.