Colette Ozanne

I started being interested in birth when I had my first child, Lucie who was born at home, thanks to a particularly calm and trusting midwife who was encouraging and respectful of my wishes and supported my decision to have a first child at home. Her life experience as a community midwife, her presence and quiet ways gave me all the confidence I needed to give birth in my own time and space. I was lucky to have continuity of carer from her and one of her colleagues throughout my pregnancy and to have her with me at the birth.

My son Lewis was born at home in water three years later, and these personal experiences led me, some years later, to look at the experiences of pregnancy and birth of a group of women from my neighbourhood in South London as part of my dissertation for a degree in social anthropology. I read about birth practices in past times and other places in the world. I felt there was so much to find out on this vast subject, and became aware of how deeply these experiences reflect and affect women's sense of themselves, their wellbeing and their place and role in society.

Once I found out about birth doulas, it didn't take long for me to follow this calling. In my role as a doula I am here to give soon-to-be-mothers the confidence to trust and listen to their bodies and feelings. I am not here to decide how or where you will give birth, but to offer possibilities to support and ease your birth experience, and help you navigate the medical world, to understand your rights, your options, and also to be on your side and be your advocate when it is needed. I will visit you a few times before the birth so that we learn to know each other and you can feel prepared for the birth and the postnatal time. After the birth I will also spend some time with you, and visit you a few times to help facilitate your new role as a mother, how to look after your baby and breastfeed. I can cook in your home, help you in many ways, and make sure you find and give yourself space and time to recover. Together we can unravel your birth story and listen to your feelings about it.

I see my role as a facilitator, a supportive presence, I feel I'm here to bring the best out of mothers, and help them connect to the inner strength they often forget having. I work in an intuitive way, and can be a calm presence when it is needed. I'm also here to support your partner (if you have one), bring them into this process, to find what role they want to play and what you expect of them, to support you in the way you both find appropriate, useful, and comforting. I will offer you a traditional Mizan massage during your pregnancy. I also do a ritual called Closing the bones, which is an beautiful way to close the birth process. Each birth is such an important rite of passage in a woman's life, and this ceremony helps you to heal and reconnect with your body, and allows you to integrate the birth of your baby and your birth as a mother. This ritual is done using rebozos (long Mexican scarves). I trained to use other techniques during pregnancy and labour, such as the biomechanics of birth, in order to encourage the baby to be correctly engaged in the pelvis, as a way to avoid a long drawn out labour and having to resort to medical interventions. I also took some training in antiracism with Pavithra Sarma (director of Shakti Women's Aid), I took part in a sling consultancy workshop. In 2023 I completed a workshop on supporting neurodivergent birth. In 2024 I completed my training and I am now a qualified Mizan practitioner with special training in fertility, pregnancy and postnatal care.