Your Birth Journey - Doula in Ceredigion

15/10/2026

🤍Baby Loss Awareness Week🤍

However much technology advances, some lives remain heartbreakingly brief.

When I look at nature, I see some things flourish and grow, whilst others don’t. And there isn’t always a reason why.

I feel the mystery of life in this, something that can leave us feeling so powerless. Life and death lie beyond our control.

I’m not saying that, because we are part of nature, there is nothing we can do.

Rather, I wonder if what we can do is to offer presence and honour to the lives that left too soon; to those who did carry and nurture them, however briefly; and to the love that continues to exist here, right now.

I see you. I see that you carried this baby, and I acknowledge the profound loss you carry in your heart and in your life.

Whatever emotions you hold right now, every single one of them is valid and welcome.

I’ll be lighting a candle for you and keeping you in my thoughts and heart.

Wave of Light 15th October 7pm local time

15/10/2026

Cervical dilation is (now mathematically shown to be) unpredictable👇

Research has confirmed that, in spontaneous, naturally progressing labour, the rate of cervical dilatation is largely unpredictable.

10/10/2026

Dr Zeynep Gurtin (Associate Professor of Women's Health & Reproductive Sociology at UCL) is conducting the first international, independent, large-scale study of freebirth!

If you are 18+, have had/intended to have a freebirth (even if you ended up transferring to hospital or receiving medical assistance), you are invited to complete an anonymous online survey. This survey will explore many aspects of freebirth, from motivations and planning to the physiology of the birth process and your baby’s wellbeing.

Learn more about the Freebirth Experiences Study (FES) here:
https://www.freebirthstudy.com/

Participate here:
https://ifwh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3eljy0N4e12ZsG

Welcome to the Freebirth Experiences Study (FES) Participate in the Study Here Participate in the Study Here We are undertaking the first international, independent, large-scale study of freebirth. And we are so glad that you have found this page.Our aim is to better understand all the different exp...

09/10/2026

🌿I am not alone🌿
​
​
At the end of last month, I spent a week in Pembrokeshire with 25 other lovely women at "Tending Birth, Tending Life" — one of the most nourishing retreats I’ve ever experienced, held by Ruth & Samara, two women I deeply admire in the birthing world.
​
​
Sitting in a circle, truly listening and being listened to.
​
Connecting with our ancestors — something that felt especially meaningful to me after losing the last of my grandparents this summer.
​
Singing, crying, laughing and dancing together.
​
Sea swimming and soaking up the gentle autumn sunshine.
​
Deepening our learning about birth.
​
And experiencing intergenerational connection, from the unborn to grandmothers — something I hadn’t realised I’d been longing for, deep in my bones!
​
​
I’m often an introvert and can feel overwhelmed when surrounded by so many new people. Yet, from the very beginning, my heart kept softening, and I found myself able to simply be me.
​
Coming from another land and speaking another language, I’ve spent so much of my life trying to assimilate and find my place amongst others. To be in a space where I could let go of that, and feel held just as I am, was deeply nourishing.
​
​
Throughout the week, the bright full moon seemed to be watching over us.
​
I came away feeling nourished and softened, with more to give as I continue holding space for mothers, families and the generations yet to come.
​
​
Something else was quietly kindled in me, too — a little fire to explore my own bloodline and cultural roots more deeply, and to discover how I might one day contribute to supporting birth and the people around it in my one and only motherland, the land my ancestors came from.
​
​
I’m so grateful to Ruth True Midwifery & Samara, and to all the women who made this space what it was. Thank you for the listening, the sharing, the laughter, the tears, and for reminding me how deeply we need one another💛

04/09/2026

This summer was a time of reflecting on our journey as a family.
​
​
Some of the exercises from my death doula course, inviting us to connect with our roots and the land, encouraged me to revisit Norwich — the place where all of my children were born, and where we lived for nearly 10 years, until about 10 years ago.
​
​
Going back brought up so many memories — some beautifully nostalgic, and some unexpectedly tender.
​
​
The house where my eldest son was born.
​
The parks we went to so many times.
​
The roads I walked with my boys in a buggy.
​
The school where my eldest spent three years.
​
The shops where my toddlers had their tantrums — I can laugh about them now but I certainly couldn't back then!
​
The museums we loved and visited so often.
​
The airport where my parents used to arrive when they came to see us.
​
The university where my husband and I met, and where we later used to go for a children's playgroup.
​
​
My intention for this visit was to say thank you.
​
Thank you to the friends who supported me and helped me keep going when things felt too hard.
​
And thank you to the land for holding us at the beginning of our journey as a family.
​
​
It was such a strange feeling to return to a place where we had once been so vividly present, almost as if it were yesterday — but this time with our much more grown-up children.
​
Where has all that time gone?
​
And yet, I know it hasn't really gone anywhere. When I look back, I can feel that we have walked every step of these years.
​
​
I also feel that we were in the right place at the right time.
​
I feel a deep sense of gratitude to something bigger than ourselves.
​
​
And now, here we are again, at the beginning of another school year.
​
My eldest is entering his final year of school, while my youngest is beginning his final year at primary school.
​
Another reminder that seasons keep shifting.
​
I hope to be present for each moment of the next 10 years with my family, too.

16/07/2026

Hi everyone, I’m Tomoko.

I am a doula supporting families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the delicate spaces of pregnancy and baby loss.

I am based near Aberaeron and typically travel within a 90-minute radius.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting home births, midwife-led units, hospital births, and Caesarean births.

I was born and grew up in Japan, and I am a mother to 3 wonderful children.

For me, doula support is often more about being than doing.

Walking alongside you is a reminder of our shared humanity. Having been supported through various seasons of my own life, I know how simple—yet incredibly powerful—it is to have someone hold space for you.

Past clients often describe my support as calm, grounding, gentle and down-to-earth.

Touching the sacredness of birth has also inspired me to learn from death. I am training to be a death doula as well, recognising that birth and death are not opposites, but beautiful parts of the same loop of life.

I don't spend a lot of time on social media. When I’m not here, I am usually:

❤️Preparing for sessions and connecting with my clients

🌱 With my hands in the soil, growing food in my garden beds. Nature is one of my greatest teachers and sources of support.

🎲Playing board games with my fast-growing children

🌊Cold-water dipping and swimming in the sea all year round

If you are looking for a supportive, grounded presence on your journey, please feel free to reach out. I would love to connect🤍

15/07/2026

"Can you just show up for the birth?"
​
​
It’s a question I get asked sometimes. People wonder if we can skip the prep work and just have me there on the big day.
​
However, I don’t offer "birth-only" support.
​
I believe birth is one of the most vulnerable, transformative moments of your life.
​
To step into that space with you, we need a foundation. We need a bridge of trust.
​
That is why all of my birth support packages include at least 2 prenatal sessions — and I absolutely love them.
​
​
🤰What actually happens in a prenatal session?🤰
​
There is no one-size-fits-all script. Every session is tailored entirely to what you need that day.
​
Sometimes, we just need to unpack what's on your mind and clear the mental clutter.
​
We might dive into birth art to help you reconnect with your inner voice.
​
I love getting to know you (and your partner, if you have one) and hearing your unique story.
​
We figure out exactly how you want to be supported and what my role will look like in your space.
​
This isn't just about downloading external knowledge. It is about helping you access the deep, intuitive wisdom you already carry within yourself.
​
The reality of birth is that we cannot always control how it unfolds. But we can control how safe, heard, and deeply supported you feel going into it.
​
​
🌿What clients are saying about these sessions🌿
​
"My partner and I had prepared a bit already but it was invaluable to have that time with you and again everything felt so well held and intentional. You also really helped clarify some things about the birth process itself and my rights and brought your experience of what to expect from the midwives."
​
"The guided artworks we created helped me to understand where my head was at and to understand my partner. The way Tomoko asked questions helped me to see the ideal towards which I was striving, but also to see how that ideal already lived within me and could be birthed for the benefit of everyone. The preparation sessions beforehand alone are really worth the money and make a big difference to the birth."​
​
​
❤️Full Birth Doula Support
👉https://www.yourbirthjourneydoula.com/birth-doula-support
​
❤️Just the Birth Preparation
👉https://www.yourbirthjourneydoula.com/birthpreparationcourse
​
​
Let’s build that trust together. DM me or visit my website to get in touch. I would love to hear your story❤️

26/06/2026

A testimonial from the partner of a birth doula client
​
For more testimonials & details of my birth doula support: https://www.yourbirthjourneydoula.com/birth-doula-support

25/06/2026

05/06/2026

My placentas, regret, and ritual.
​
​
It’s so lovely to finally have a quiet day inside to catch up on life. After busy weeks of client sessions (which I love!), tending to the garden before hay fever kicks in, and soaking up the summer sun, my soul needed this pause.🌿
​
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on a deeply meaningful ritual I finally completed: planting 3 new bushes in my garden.
​
Through my work supporting births, I’ve always been fascinated by how different mothers honour their placentas — the incredible, nourishing organ that sustains new life. Some plant it with a tree, others make capsules. No matter the birth path — home birth or caesarean birth — they ensure it is honoured.
​
But looking back at my own 3 births?
​
I did absolutely nothing. I didn't even look at them. The awareness simply wasn't there yet.
​
For a long time, I felt a deep sense of regret that I never thanked the placentas that sustained my children.
​
​
So this year, I decided to change that.
​
I planted 3 bushes — lavender, loganberry, and white gooseberry — into our garden as a symbolic thank you. I used a bit of my menstrual blood to connect the ritual back to my body and my womb space.
​
As I pressed them into the soil, I spoke to the energy of each placenta. I thanked them for how they nurtured my now-grown children, right here on the land we were guided to 6 years ago, where we now happily live.
​
Afterwards, a profound sense of peace washed over me. I finally felt that missing connection. It reminded me that it is never too late to go back and honour our transitions.🙏
​
​
Did you do a ritual with your placenta? Or if you didn't at the time, what would you like to say to it today?
​
(Picture: One of my client's beautiful placentas, shared with her permission. Swipe/look with reverence🤍)