Josipa Smith

"My wife and I would highly recommend working with Jos as a doula. We had a great experience in preparation for birth, during labour and beyond. In particular, we’d highlight the breadth of her knowledge, understanding of the local NHS trust, the incredible judgement she had during labour and openness to all kinds of questions. Overall we had a very positive birthing experience and Jos was an integral part of making that a reality."

"I contacted Jos at around 36 weeks pregnant as I was struggling to decide whether to attempt a VBAC with my second baby.
From our initial conversation I felt heard and that Jos fully understood my anxieties. She was compassionate and supportive in the weeks that followed and checked in with my partner and I on regular basis.
It was great to be able to have face to face discussions about processes and available options, an opportunity we didn’t have when our first baby was born during lockdown.
Ultimately, complications arose during labour which led to our son being born via an emergency caesarean, but having Jos in the room with us up until that point was invaluable. From the moment she arrived at the labour ward I felt supported; she requested equipment and simple adjustments which were important in helping me to feel more comfortable and in control during what was a difficult labour. During those hours Jos reminded us of our options and provided guidance, enabling us to make informed decisions throughout the process. Finally, she also brought much needed humour to the situation which we really appreciated.
Following the birth, Jos met with us in person, providing an opportunity to reflect on the experience which, for us, was very helpful.
Jos is warm, kind and a strong advocate for birthing people and we could not recommend her more highly."

"I can’t thank Jos enough and I highly recommended her. After the birth of my daughter, having no family nearby while finding my feet as a new mum was tough but I found Jos to be warm, calming, supportive and caring. She felt like a hands on family member who was there to help with anything myself and the baby needed."

"Jos really helped me achieve the home birth that I wanted. It was a very positive experience. She was a calming influence and made me feel supported during my labour. Having a successful home birth allowed me to bond immediately with my baby. I’m very grateful to Jos for helping me achieve this and for being part of it."

"We had a positive birth experience and feel that having Jos as our doula helped us feeling more relaxed and prepared.
Our pre natal sessions were very helpful and allowed us to talk about our expectations and fears. Jos is responsive, supportive and provided us with lot of useful resources when we had questions. I would definitely recommend her :) "

"Jos is a warm, compassionate doula without whom we would not have had our lovely home birth. Jos’s support was invaluable during pregnancy, labour and post-birth. Jos helped us navigate the maternity system in the NHS, provided us with books and suggested reading and pointed us in the direction of other resources. As a yoga teacher, Jos was great at suggesting helpful exercises to prepare for birth, during labour and now postnatally."

"I attended pregnancy yoga with Jos from 16 weeks pregnant and loved the sessions and looked forward to them each week. The classes were so gentle and relaxing and made my body feel great afterwards. It was great to meet and hear from other expecting Mums too and Jos spent time letting us share how we were each week. I later also asked Jos to be our postnatal doula as I really trusted her experience and expertise which was a really valuable thing to do and very reassuring and encouraging. Altogether highly recommend as a lovely treat for your pregnancy and with the transition to motherhood."

"I would highly recommend Josipa! She provided support postnatally - it was so helpful to be able to take a breather for a couple of hours when I was finding newborn life super full on. I felt like my daughter was in very safe hands with Jos - she was super helpful, gentle, kind and sweet with her."

"My husband and I knew we wanted to work with a birth doula when I became pregnant because several studies show a large and positive impact on birthing outcomes. Jos was my pregnancy yoga instructor during my second and third trimester, and I knew immediately upon meeting her that I wanted her to support us during my birth. It was the best decision we made. My husband and I both looked forward to our pre-natal sessions with Jos during which she talked with us about our fears and reservations, recommended excellent reading materials, helped us refine and finalise our birthing preferences (by modelling different scenarios), and encouraged us to prepare for the immediate post-natal period. Jos was kind, responsive, well-informed and supportive of our preferences, needs and expectations throughout our journey together. While my daughter’s birth did not go according to “plan”, I feel very positive about the experience largely because I had incredible support from Jos and my husband who worked together to create a calming birthing space, provide constant support and encouragement, and advocate for me when difficult decisions needed to be made. Jos played a vital role in keeping us calm and grounded, and without her experience and insight, I have no doubt I would feel differently about my birth story. For that, I am forever grateful and would highly recommend working with Jos. I hope we will remain in contact for years to come."

"Jos was such a godsend for my pregnancy and birth experience. She guided us through putting together a birth plan, gave great recommendations for reading materials/research, and taught us exercises to practice in pregnancy and during labour. I wanted an unmedicated water birth so all this preparation was so helpful! I also attended her prenatal yoga classes which were fabulous and full of breathing techniques and movement helpful in labour. She was also a great coach for my husband—he felt more prepared to cheer me on (like an athlete!) and not fear what was to come. When the big day finally came, Jos was a rockstar. I called her when I went into labour—she was a great sounding board about what to do (so helpful when you can’t think straight!). My labour came on fast, so she met us at the birth centre. Once there, she was an amazing support and advocate. The midwives came and went from the room a lot, but Jos was by my side the entire time. It was like having the world’s best maid of honor. She knew exactly how to help: offering me snacks, water, gas+air (ha!), a helpful hand to the toilet, and a reassuring presence during the intensity of the surges. When the midwives said they’d leave me to labour for three hours, Jos gently encouraged them to check me again. I’m glad she did because I was already 8cm! Jos was also excellent at encouraging my husband to be more confident as my birth partner. Because she was there modeling how to support, and encouraging him to join, he soon felt comfortable to be right in the action. Before long, our sweet girl was born in the water! I had such a magical birth story and I attribute a large portion of that to Josipa’s support leading up to and through the birth. I felt prepared, supported, and empowered. We would 1000% recommend Jos—and plan to call her again if we have more children in the future."

"Jos was an incredible doula to us for the birth of our first child and we can't imagine the birth of our daughter without her. As two non-native Brits (American/French) we felt so supported by Jos, who has overseen many births in all settings across NHS trusts and who herself has navigated the NHS as a mother. She made us feel empowered and prepared for all the eventualities of birth and alleviated our nerves about labour and delivery far away from family. She is incredibly professional, providing the latest in research and advice which helped to inform our birth preferences. She never pushed an agenda, but gave us the tools we needed to feel to advocate for the birth we wanted, inform decisions that would arise, and embrace birth as it comes. On the day, she was with us from home to hospital and her calming presence definitely contributed to our smooth birth experience. She is amazingly personable and builds strong relationships with her clients through great communication in-person, over email and text - she is readily available to answer questions and chat as things come up. From our first meeting we had a natural connection - like an old friend, and she gave us confidence that everything would be alright no matter what, which is the best place to start. She feels like part of the family now and we've loved keeping in touch in the first weeks and months with our newborn. We can't say enough good things about our experience with Jos and we will definitely be using her again when we next expand our family!"

"As I had two previous births with different levels of trauma (including a still born baby following a termination of pregnancy due to medical reasons) I knew that I wanted a higher level of support for this birth. I also desperately wanted a VBAC which I knew could sometimes be challenging, as there tends to be a risk averse culture to it at the hospital. I felt a warmth and connection from Jos even before we met. When my husband and I met her we instantly felt we clicked with her. I didn’t feel a need to meet any other doula’s, although I did have a scheduled meet with one other which I carried out; however the connection was not at all as strong and I felt confident Jos would be the best person to support me in birth. Jos inspired me to learn more about hypnobirthing which was not something I had come across before and knew very little about. This led to me completing a class and totally transformed the way I approached the birth and how I actually began to be excited for it (where previously I was scared and anxious). Jos was very reassuring. She talked through examples of the way she would support. She made clear the expectations we could have of her. She helped me enormously when faced with appointments with my obstetrician to discuss VBAC and other issues that arose. She was instrumental in my labour and birth and I know I absolutely would not have managed it without her! Her calmness, reassurance and ensuring I drank, ate and moved into the best positions for me and the baby meant that things ran smoothly! Jos managed to always be there and be extremely attentive but never interfering. I felt completely at ease with her in what is the most vulnerable situation you can be as a woman. Jos was a wonderful support in the immediate time following our baby’s birth. Due to blood loss for me and needing stitches, I needed somebody to help keep me calm and I felt at ease knowing my husband was with the baby and she was safe and well and that Jos was with me. I would have been terrified without her at my side! Later down the line Jos’s visits and messages checking in were really appreciated. Made me feel really cared for and it was so nice to chat about the birth a week or so later. I felt Jos always listened to what I wanted, my concerns, fears etc. She was very in tune to my needs. She empowered me to have the birth I wanted and provided the most invaluable support. If I have another baby, there will be no doubt in my mind that I will reach out to Jos immediately. I would not want a birth without her!"

"Jos was great at talking through the different decisions we might have to make during birth and discussing how we might feel about certain interventions and drugs etc. She also showed both my husband and I practical moves so we knew what to do at different stages of labour in order to stay active. She is very knowledgeable about the physiology of birth and great at explaining in a way that’s easy to understand what is happening at each stage. Her knowledge of yoga complements this nicely. Jos was good at getting my husband to understand his role to avoid him being quite so passive as he had been with our first child. He clearly understood how to advocate for me and my decisions in hospital."

"This was my first child and I wished to have the support of someone experienced in childbirth to advise me on both the types of births available to me and my rights within the hospital system. It was important to me to have the support of a professional in the lead up to the birth to reduce any anxieties and to benefit from their knowledge. I attended Jos’s pregnancy yoga classes and I was drawn to her warm, maternal and grounded energy. When I discovered she also offered doula services I immediately knew I wanted to engage her in my child birth journey. I had wanted to use the Birth Centre at the Whittington Hospital, but I was advised this would not be possible due to a large fibroid and I would be required to give birth on the labour ward. I really wasn’t comfortable with how my birth would look like in this scenario so I opted for an elective c-section. As I was no longer having a physiological birth, I initially thought Jos might back out of the engagement. On the contrary, she was still fully supportive and sent me lots of information on ensuring a calm c-section delivery and informing me of my rights. I was very grateful still to have her full support. Knowing Jos was available to Whats app any questions, concerns or anxieties was a huge emotional relief. On a practical level Jos sent me lots of useful links and literature so I could inform myself of my options. We went on some nice walks in the lead up to the birth which offered a lot of both emotional and practical support. Jos always gave me time to talk and explain my points and feelings without interruption. She is a clear communicator and the clarity and content of her responses assured me that I had been understood. Although unfortunately Jos could not attend the birth or visit the hospital due to their policy, she assisted me greatly in my journey. I am very grateful for having worked with Jos during this incredibly special time in my life. Thank you, thank you for the work that you do!"