I’m Victoria Beckham’s Doula!!

Lauren Derrett - 18 Jun 16

Hold up, hold up! Do you know what a doula even is?

“Doulas provide continuous support for the whole family through pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood. Filling a role that new mothers and families have always needed, we are there to listen, give confidence and not judge. Offering flexible, practical and emotional support we work in women’s own homes as well as in hospitals throughout the UK.” – Doula UK

Ok, so back to Vicky, am I her doula? Sadly not (is she even preggo?) but, I could be!!

I was chatting to my friend Danielle from Placenta Plus  (she’s a placenta specialist, if you don’t have a scooby what one of them does then check her out, it’s a post birth game changer!) and we were casually chatting about how these ‘jobs’ still carry such strong sterotyping, that women who use doulas and eat their placentas are a special ‘out there’ ‘tree hugging’ ‘wacko’ breed of women, and we were saying what BS that is and that we are normal (?) regular mainstream women and we love this shiz.

So of course myself and Danielle are working tirelessly to change the sterotype and open the idea of doulas and placenta encapsulation to ALL kinds of women.

Doulas change how women birth; “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it” – John H. Kennell, MD

I used the support or a doula for my 4th birth and WOW, what a birth – no comparison to my poorly supported, over medicalised 3 previous births. I do not fit the sterotype at all and yet I had first hand experience of the benefit in what doulas offer so profoundly that I gave up my job in accounts and trained to become one, the rest is the history of how I ended here!

Placenta consumption is (I feel) the natural order of things; “There’s nothin’ a few placenta pills, a tad bit of beer, a little coconut oil and some breast milk can’t fix” – Unknown (it was a meme I saw but it speaks truths).

Again, after my 4th doula lovin’ birth I had my placenta encapsulated and again, my experience during the recovery time was of no comparison that of my previous 3 births, and when you read up on all the amazing home grown goodness that is stored in your placenta throughout your pregnancy the lightbulb above your head will switch on and you’ll be booking up before you can say ‘It’s not that weird’.

How does this all tie in with Mrs Beckham (luckiest lady on the planet)? When I done my doula training and I saw how the world saw doulas, I said to a doula friend “I’m gonna be the footballers wife doula” she stared at me like I’d just lost my fucking mind and then I said “they should have doulas too” (and consider benefiting from placenta consumption).

And they bloody well should, every woman should but because of the stupid sterotyping, often, mainstream women (as I am) are put off simply because the service has been misrepresented or because it’s not even on their radar.

Danielle has done her bit for the footballers wives and encapsulated Coleen Ronney’s placenta with much appreciation from Coleen.

So we’re getting there but I feel still have a long way in making these services the norm so that women who may not have known about them before can benefit from them in the future.

My daughter (12) is already saying “I’m totally have a doula when I push a human out my whohaa, and yea, why wouldn’t you like, eat your placenta?” Proud mama for sure!

If I’ve opened your ideas to a world you never knew exisisted but now think’s kinda cool, that my friend is another piece of progress, keep the progress growing by sharing the shit outta this new found knoweledge, tell friends, sisters, daughters, cousins and please please please, if you know my beloved (not is a creepy way) Victoria would you tell her.

Lauren Derrett

I'm Lauren, Founder of Wear 'em Out, reusable period pads for the empowered eco-curious. Mother of 4, Step-Mother of 2, I've been parenting for 24 years so have seen and learned a lot of stuff

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