Laura Soulsby
As the owner of the NZ Doulas of Aotearoa directory, I am passionate about connecting families with support during this special time of life!
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 supported four families in Queenstown.
If you're looking for support in planning your birth, for a doula to attend your 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 have laboured over this review (no pun intended, but certainly a happy coincidence) as I couldn’t fathom summarising how big of part Laura played in the birth of our first son. My husband and I both concur that there’s no way we would have had the positive birth experience that we did without her. What she did for us was above and beyond what we could have ever hoped for. To list out all the reasons I say this would make this review WAY too long so I will simply say that we can’t recommend her highly enough!
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“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”