Bloom With Jacqueline Doula Care

17/06/2026

When we think about life with a new baby, we often picture joy, love and precious moments.

What we don’t talk about enough is how many parents are quietly struggling.

Postnatal depression affects around 1 in 10 women in the UK, yet so many feel unable to speak openly about their experiences for fear of judgement.

This topic is particularly close to my heart because I experienced postnatal depression following the birth of my second son. After a difficult pregnancy, a major move back to the UK and living more than four hours away from family, I found myself navigating new motherhood feeling incredibly isolated and overwhelmed.

Looking back, I can see just how valuable the kind of emotional and practical support a doula can provide would have been during that time.

In my latest blog, I share my own experience alongside the evidence surrounding postnatal depression, including:
💜 Common signs and symptoms
💜 Risk factors and causes
💜 The importance of support networks
💜 How a postnatal doula can help families feel less alone
💜 When and where to seek professional support

If you’re a new parent, expecting a baby, or supporting someone who is, I hope this article helps you feel informed, reassured and understood.

Read the full blog here:

https://www.bloomwithjacqueline.co.uk/post/postnatal-depression-support-wiltshire

Because no parent should have to navigate postpartum alone.

Welcoming a new baby is often described as one of life's happiest milestones. Yet for many parents, the reality can feel very different. Alongside the love and joy of meeting your baby, there can be overwhelming feelings of anxiety, sadness, exhaustion and isolation.Postnatal depression (PND) affect...

16/06/2026

16/06/2026

Pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood can feel overwhelming, especially without a strong support network around you.

Bloom With Jacqueline Doula Care has launched to support families across Bath, Chippenham, Corsham, Melksham, Calne, Malmesbury and surrounding villages with emotional and practical support before, during and after birth.

Read more here 👇

16/06/2026

There is something truly extraordinary about those first few hours after your baby is born.

The world seems to fade away as you hold this tiny person you’ve spent months imagining. Suddenly they’re here. Warm against your skin. Their familiar movements now in your arms rather than beneath your heart.

Those first moments aren’t about perfect photographs or getting everything “right”. They’re about connection.

The warmth of skin-to-skin contact helps your baby regulate their temperature, breathing and heart rate. It encourages those instinctive newborn behaviours as they nuzzle, root and begin their journey towards feeding. For you, it triggers a cascade of hormones that support bonding, breastfeeding and recovery after birth.

It’s in these quiet moments that many parents begin to fall in love.

The tiny fingers curling around yours.

The way they recognise the sound of your voice.

The feeling of breathing them in as you whisper, “Hello, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Whether your baby arrives in a hospital room, a birth centre or at home, creating space to protect those precious early hours can make a lasting difference to how you remember your birth and the beginning of your parenting journey.

As a doula, one of the most valuable things I can do is help you create and protect that space.

Before birth, we can talk about what matters most to you and how you’d like those first moments to unfold. During labour, I can help minimise distractions and support your partner so they feel confident and involved. After your baby arrives, I can gently advocate for your wishes, encourage uninterrupted skin-to-skin where possible, support with those first feeds, and help create a calm environment where you can simply be together.

Because those first few hours aren’t something you get back.

They are the beginning of your story together.

And they deserve to be cherished.

💜

Your pregnancy. Your baby. Your choices.

🌸 Bloom With Jacqueline
Antenatal, Birth & Postnatal Doula
www.BloomWithJacqueline.co.uk

15/06/2026

www.BloomWithJacqueline.co.uk

15/06/2026

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the wonderful Katerina Newbury, founder of Mindcraft for a truly inspiring conversation.

Katerina is passionate about helping children and families reconnect with peace, joy and confidence through mindfulness, meditation and compassionate support. Her work focuses on supporting children who may be experiencing anxiety, overwhelm, low self-esteem or who simply find the world a little more challenging to navigate, including neurodivergent children and those with additional needs. (mindcraftkids.com)

Together, we explored the importance of emotional wellbeing, the pressures facing today’s children and parents, and how creating safe, nurturing spaces can help families feel more connected and supported. We also discussed the power of mindfulness, self-awareness and the role that compassion plays in helping both children and parents thrive.

As a doula, I know how vital it is for families to feel heard, understood and supported, and it was wonderful to chat with someone who shares such a similar heart-centred approach to caring for others.

If you’re a parent, caregiver, or simply interested in supporting children’s emotional wellbeing, I think you’ll find so much value in this conversation.

🎥 Watch the full interview here:

https://youtu.be/YsyNa30IIwU?si=kiil8qQb6asFrrbP

www.mindcraftkids.comFacebook - - ...

14/06/2026

Breastfeeding can be one of the most beautiful and challenging parts of early parenthood.

In the midst of the sleepless nights, cluster feeding and endless cups of cold tea, there are moments of connection that words can barely describe.

One day, these feeds will end. The tiny hand resting on your chest, the sleepy cuddles and the quiet moments together will become precious memories.

So if you’re in the thick of it right now, take a moment to pause and soak it in. Even on the hard days, you’re building a bond that will last a lifetime. 💜

14/06/2026

I have been seeing this number everywhere for the past week and woke up at 3:33 this morning! 💜🪽

14/06/2026

Please understand this does not mean male doctors are inherently bad when it comes to women's health, neither are female doctors inherently good.

We must understand the history behind the creation of modern OB/GYN care.

Historically, women have been attending to women during birth and other major life moments. There was wisdom and knowledge around bodily processes, ways to support, and even medicinal herbs to manage health.

As modern medicine began to expand, women weren't typically invited in. Modern gynecology was founded through male doctors experimenting on enslaved Black women and poor immigrants.

Near the turn of the century, hospital OB care was connected to poor outcomes, especially infection as there wasn't even basic hygiene used between visits to the morgue and catching babies.

But as we pushed the narrative physician training is the standard for care, many women willingly handed over authority of women's health without knowing the danger it created.

Instead of experienced midwives who learned through apprenticeship, with an understanding of the physiology of birth and power of birth experience, women were encouraged to be highly medicated while told either when to push, or have forceps used. We were told this was superior and offered less pain.

Women weren't regularly included in clinical research until 1993! Yet we allowed physicians to take control of our health for decades before.

Now, thankfully, women were finally welcomed, slowly and with discrimination, into medical schools and able to become physicians. However, standards of care, approach to care, all still rooted in early beliefs around women.

Women are anxious. Women are emotional. Birth can't be trusted, it must be controlled. Women are dramatic, they don't need pain meds they need anxiety meds.

👇🏽 What could women's health have looked like if modern medicine had always included women practitioners?

Would we deal with less mansplaining? 👀😂

We've made advancements but still have progress to make so that women's health isn't an after thought for those dramatic females...

14/06/2026