Laura Soulsby
Navigating pregnancy and birth can be tough. We often grow up learning that giving birth is a medical emergency and something to fear. Birth is the most natural process and can be an incredibly empowering and wonderful experience.
To have the experience that you want, you need to be ready. Today, there are so many choices around how to birth your baby and the options that you choose along the way. It can be overwhelming. You may not know what options are available or what you want your birth to be like. If your birth team doesn't understand your desires, you can end up feeling disappointed and disrespected.
At Own Birth, my goal is that when you tell your birth story, you can feel proud that you had the confidence, information, and support to advocate for yourself and your baby. Regardless of how your birth unfolds, I want you to look back and know that you were able to make decisions that aligned with your values and preferences.
I live in Queenstown with my two wonderful children, both of whom were born at home. Each of my births was unique, supported by doulas who played crucial roles in my journey. Throughout my pregnancies, I dedicated time to studying and learning from inspiring people, transforming my views around birth. This experience ignited a passion in me to support other women through their own birth journeys.
I completed a certification with Childbirth International early in 2024 and have attended two homebirths in Queenstown.
I believe that women in Queenstown and surrounding areas need more support during pregnancy and birth. My mission is to provide that support, ensuring every woman feels empowered, informed, and respected as she brings her baby into the world.
If you're looking for support in planning your birth, for a doula to attend your home birth, or for help transitioning into motherhood, I'd be honoured to be part of your journey. I would love to hear from you! Get in touch with me to book a free introductory meeting to see if I could be the right fit.
Testimonials
“I was lucky to have Laura attend the birth of my second baby, after a difficult first birth.
During my pregnancy, she was so supportive in helping me build confidence for a positive birth experience, practice my hypnobirthing techniques and challenge any doubts that crept in. She checked in with me regularly and always had great suggestions when I was struggling.
During the birth itself, Laura was an amazing and essential member of my team. She helped create a calm, trusting environment whilst allowing me space to get in the zone. As labour progressed, Laura kept me constantly motivated with her encouragement and ensured my birth preferences were implemented as much as possible. She naturally knew how to hold space for me, and also kept me hydrated and comfortable, and helped me try different positions to move baby along. She was even able to capture the moment of his birth on video. She went above and beyond, also ensuring my toddler was feeling safe and happy when she got home from daycare!
In the postpartum period Laura was so empathetic and continued to check in with me as well as providing a birth debrief session.
Laura is so passionate about working in the birth space. Her beautiful, calm energy, her knowledge and skills, her reflections from her personal experiences and her trust in my body’s ability, helped us to achieve the incredible home birth we had wanted. I’d fully recommend her to anyone looking to hire a doula or birth support person - you couldn’t find anyone else better suited to the job than her!
Thank you again, Laura”