Samantha Gadsden Doula

More about me

More about me

National and international, online virtual doula, local in person support across South Wales and the South West, happy to accept clients who want to travel to South Wales for in person sessions.

Passionate about supporting birthing women, birthing parents and families to achieve the births they want and deserve, wherever and however that is, I believe in choice and honesty and see my roles as a a doula as a chameleon, here to support your informed choices and respect your intuitive decisions, with no personal agenda, supporting you to make your decisions about birth, to achieve the right birth for you, at home, in hospital, vaginally or by caesarean birth.

For me, pregnancy, birth and parenthood are sacred and magical paths to be honored and celebrated and I provide a variety of informative, interactive, multimedia resources and groups to support your pregnancy, birth, post natal and parenting journeys.

As a mother of 4, my own journey has moved through birth trauma to ecstatic birth. I have personal and professional experience of bottle feeding, breast feeding, tandem (and triandem) feeding, cloth nappies, baby wearing, natural term weaning and baby led weaning and postive child led parenting, alongside one of my children being home educated.

Having supported loss in all its forms, I am able to hold and support you in trauma and grief and have a powerful birth trauma afterthoughts and debriefing service. I also provide termination and abortion support.

My experience as a doula includes supporting complex and assisted conception and IVF pregnancies and also rainbow pregnancies after loss. I have experience of home and hospital birth, freebirth and gentle caesarean, twins and multiples, as a birth and post natal doula and work across a number of Welsh and English Trusts as well as nationally online. I have also supported preconception as an IVF doula and a surrogate doula.

I have been returned to a number of clients at around the 6 month mark to support weaning. I am trained in the Rewind Technique for trauma support and am a hypnobirthing practitioner alongside experience of supporting premature babies, twin and NICU parents.

I co-admin both a local and a national home birth group, Home Birth Support Group UK, a linked series of due in groups and a positive parenting group, The Village. This enables me to support women, birthing parents and families in person and internationally and nationally online and if they choose to come and visit, here in the gorgeous South Wales Valleys. The group are also excellent resources for birth workers and doulas.

I run a freebirth and birth before arrival course in a group, for preparing for birth without a midwife, planned and unplanned, which is extremely popular with both birth workers and birthing women and families and am the creatrix of They Said To Me, a birth rights and activism forum.

Together with fellow doula, Becki Scott of Mothers Spirit, we co-host The Birth Activists podcast, I am a well respected blogger, using my blog as a platform for activism, birth education and stories and anything else that catches my imagination.

Passionate about ending gender based violence, I am a Welsh Womens Aid, Ask Me Ambassador and have an online shop, with beautiful items for pregnancy, birth and beyond and silver and crystal jewellery, where you can also book my courses and workshops.

A bit of a media lover, I have had participated in many radio, TV and magazine interviews, including Lorraine, BBC, Grazia and OK magazines and more, some as a doula, some as a parent, natural term weaner and wet nurse.

Payment plans and skill swap accepted.

Scroll down to read lovely words from my clients.

Companionship and Mentoring

I am an experienced mentor for other birth workers and doulas and also provide support to Midwives and Student Midwives.

My experience is diverse, vast and varied and includes twins and multiples, NICU, Social Services involvement, single parent, complex pregnancy and birth, diverse families, single parent through choice, LBGTQIA+ couples and individuals, alongside supporting birth workers from all sectors of the birth world.

My groups and courses are excellent resources for other birth workers and their clients.

I provide full companionship and one off sessions and have a mentees/companions group for my existing and former mentees.

Sam was my most invaluable resource as a new doula. Nothing compares to unburdening yourself with somebody who has seen and supported such a wide range of birth experiences, who can hold gentle space for the sacred experiences and the sad ones and acknowledges often they are one and the same. You don’t have to figure this out alone. Sam is walking with you. Jenny, The Women’s Witch

Just wanted to say THANK YOU! I’ve had two birth bookings at my new price. It feels amazing to be in full reciprocity with clients all motivated by you. Without you I would still be undercharging”. Phyllida, Phyllida Warmington Birth and Post Natal Doula

I always knew I wanted Sam to be my mentor, I knew before I did my Doula training I would ask Sam if she would be my mentor when I completed my course. KT Doula

Aromatherapy and Neals Yard

I love working with essential oils and aromatherapy and use them daily with my family. I am trained to support aromatherapy in pregnancy and childbirth and have a wide selection of oils.

As a Neals Yard Consultant, I offer 5% cashback on any confirmed purchases through my Neals Yard replicated website, party orders with free items and hostess gifts and also provide gift packs with an item from my “pocket” range (goddesses, labyrinths, wings, green men and more) to birth workers and other professionals to use with their clients.

Lovely words from my clients.

More can be found on my website, Google and Facebook reviews.

Her work as a doula goes beyond what you expect with her constant care and consideration for your personal circumstances.

The doulas doula, as a doula Sam was actually my doula and you can’t really get a recommendation better than that! …… She is amazing. Jenny, The Women’s Witch

She is a beacon of light – I simply cannot speak highly enough of Sam, I can not recommend her enough, and I certainly cannot ever express my gratitude and love for this woman and all she does – not just for me but all pregnant women and people and their families.

Amazing online support – I recommend you to everyone – mother, grandmother, aunt who is going through what should be a beautiful event but so often becomes difficult. Even straight forward births are frightening the first time.

Samantha was like a guardian angel – constantly there but rarely seen. Her presence was very reassuring, a calm, wise presence at the periphery of the action. She helped physically by keeping the water at a constant temperature whilst dad and mum were deeply involved in the birth. She was constantly vigilant and able to provide things we needed (water, towels, etc.) without ever being overly involved.