Nina Rickman

My passion is helping women feel their best. The suite of services I offer utilises the latest evidence and expert knowledge in female wellness, pregnancy, labour, postnatal support, pelvic health and massage. I’m here to help women have a positive birth experience and show you how to move your body forward, providing support throughout your whole pregnancy journey. My women’s health network will provide practical joined up solutions that get amazing results.

Do you want a positive birth experience?
Do you want practical and non judgmental support?
Do you want to be cared for and supported by someone you feel completely comfortable with?
Do you want to exercise safely during pregnancy and post birth?
Do you want someone that can ease your aches and pains?
Do you want to have access to all the above and have a good giggle?
If the answer is YES, then I can help you

I am a forty something, mother of two boys, three dogs and live with my husband in the Kent countryside. I was lucky enough to have excellent birth experiences, even though neither were the birth that I had wished for, but due to the fantastic support around me, I still felt it was a positive experience. I genuinely thought that was most women’s feelings towards their birth but soon discovered this was not the case and I really wanted to do something to change that. Having been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years, I wanted to re-educate myself so I could gain the qualifications to enable me to improve women’s birth experience and their recovery journey. Now, with over 10 years of Doula experience, I have the ability to allow my clients to feel relaxed and secure, knowing they can have continuous care from someone they trust from pregnancy, through birth and postnatally, providing an environment to speak freely with zero judgment and of course … banter.

I provide continuous care – practical, emotional, and physical support throughout pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood. I can travel to hospitals, homes and birth centres within an hour’s drive of Gravesend, Kent.
HOW IT WORKS: We meet a minimum of twice before the birth giving us time to form a relationship and for you to tell me everything and anything you are hoping for in your pregnancy and birth. From that point, unlimited phone support (generally whatsapp) is available. From 38 weeks, I will be on call for you 24/7 ready to drop what I am doing and be by your side, when the time is right for you.
As your Doula, some of the services I can offer you are; attending appointments with you, help you to organise your birth wishes, talking through your options, setting up a plan for the postnatal period to safeguard bonding time, exercise and keeping healthy, massage, recovery from birth including pelvic floor and diastasis rehab. During the birth, my role is to support you and your partner. I do this by greeting midwives and making sure they have read and understood your birth wishes and any special needs you have and ensuring as far as possible that these are respected, help you to explore different labouring positions, keeping you as mobile as possible and physically comforting you, including nourishment, hydration and massage. My role is to hold your space, so you and your partner have time to consider and understand the options being offered to you and explore alternatives, so that you are making informed decisions. Once your little one has arrived, my job is to ensure that your immediate wishes are preserved (which may be skin to skin, delayed cord clamping etc) and then at your own pace, get you washed, fed and comfortable so that you can continue to bond with your baby with no distractions or pressure.