Flo Dent

More about me

Hello I’m Flo I have been working with families for 10 years and as a doula for 5.

I take an inclusive and person-centred approach to my work and have supported pregnant people and parents at home, in hospital and in the community. My decision to become a doula stems from my deep care and consideration for the connection between a baby and parent/s, and I was drawn to being a supportive part of the journey. I truly believe that having support during pregnancy and birth can change the whole experience of the person giving birth; their bond with the child, and their whole lives together. I also work for a charity, Neighbourhood Doulas and for four years I volunteered for a charity called Birth Companions that supports vulnerable women through pregnancy, brith and postnatally, in prison and in the community.

Below I have outlined some information that I hope will be helpful to you in choosing your doula, but I appreciate people contacting me to ask questions too.

Approach and values

As an intersectional feminist I work to try and understand the pregnancies/birth experiences of different people, their relation to wider society and how that might reflect the care they need and receive. My emphasis is on inclusivity and empowerment. I am queer and especially welcome LGBTQ+ parents to reach out to me because I know that the birth world isn’t always an inclusive place.

My philosophy/ aim is all about you: to advocate for you, to support you to find your voice and make it louder/ heard and to support you to understand your choices. I ensure the parents I support feel heard, respected, cared for, loved, safe, understood, and have understanding of past experiences and future choices. The parents I have worked with have fed back that they feel they had the best outcome possible in their birth, that they had choices, gave informed consent and that their choices were respected. I strive for this to be the case with all of the parents I support.

What can you expect from me?

As your birth or post-natal doula I will provide you with individualised emotional and practical support. I enjoy connecting with people, and it is something that comes easily to me. I want to get to know you – what are your hopes, dreams, fears around birth and entering parenthood. I create a space within our work where we foster secure, safe, trusting communication which enables vulnerable and honest communication. I strongly feel that informed and in control parent(s) are empowered parent(s), and I support you to find the answers you need to get to this point.

Together we can work through you and partner(s) feelings around pregnancy and labour, this might look like thinking how you both cope in high stress situations or talking about previous birth experiences and how that might be impacting on how you are feeling. You can expect continuity of care – which might be weekly ante-natal visits, being on call from 2 weeks before your due date, attending your birth and a couple of post-natal visit. I am experienced in working at home or in hospital; in a birth centre or delivery suite or caesarean births. I feel comfortable working with and talking to midwives and other health care professionals and consider myself practical and straight forward.

I expect I won’t know the answers to all of your questions but can support you in looking for the answers / researching things you want to be informed about and process that learning together.

Post-Natal support might look like help with household tasks, being a calm and encouraging presence while you get used to early parenthood or being an extra pair of hands around the house. If you book me to support you post-natally before you give birth we can make a fourth trimester plan together so you can be as ready as possible to care for your new arrival, while also caring for yourself and the rest of your family.

Other ways I can support you post-natally are:

• De-briefing your birth with you – this can help reduce chances of PND and PTSD
• Breastfeeding/Bodyfeeding and bottle feeding support
• Sleep support (I have just started training as a Holistic Sleep Consultant with Lyndsey Hookway)
• Think about ways you can relax, soothe, calm and connect with your baby
• General advice on caring for a baby (I was a nanny for 5 years before I was a doula)
• Homemade meals and nutritious snacks
• Help around the home
• Support for post birth physical and mental healing – with massage and Closing the Bones ritual
• I can care for your baby whilst you sleep, take a well deserved bath, catch up with a friend on the phone or spend some alone time with your partner or other children
• Support your partner
• Care for siblings
• Recommend tinctures or blend teas for you

I welcome all enquiries and am happy to have an informal chat without any obligation to book.