Born from their own transformative experiences of motherhood, Ellie and Luiza are reshaping how parents prepare for birth and beyond. After witnessing first-hand how many women felt unsupported, overwhelmed or unheard during their early journeys into parenthood, they set out to create a more flexible, accessible and deeply personalised approach to antenatal education and doula care. In this interview, they share how a chance connection turned into the creation of New Birth Club, why preparation before birth is where the real power lies, and their mission to help parents feel informed, confident and truly supported, whatever path their birth takes.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Honestly? Our own births.
Becoming mothers showed us just how much birth can stay with you – how it can shape your confidence, your parenting and how you feel about having another baby. We both came away knowing one thing: too many parents are left feeling unprepared, unheard or carrying trauma from their first experience.
We kept meeting second-time mums who desperately wanted something different next time, but didn’t know where to turn. Traditional antenatal courses felt overwhelming or irrelevant and doula support, while incredibly valuable, often felt financially or practically out of reach.
So we created what we wish we’d had. Flexible, evidence-based support that fits around real life. Our Pick ‘n’ Mix workshops let parents focus on exactly what they need, without having to do everything or follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
And because transformative, affordable support shouldn’t disappear when things feel complicated, we built our virtual doula service for parents navigating high-risk pregnancies or choices outside guidelines, offering calm, practical, emotionally grounded support wherever they are.
New Birth Club exists because birth matters. And when parents feel informed, supported and truly held, even when birth doesn’t go to plan, everything about the journey into parenthood can change.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Like many modern love stories, it started in the DMs.
Luiza slid into Ellie’s Instagram messages after noticing they shared the same ethos, values and deep passion for supporting women through the hugely transformative perinatal period. Both of us were already working independently as hypnobirthing and antenatal teachers, and it quickly became clear we were asking the same questions, and feeling the same frustrations, about the gaps in birth support.
A curry and a pint later, New Birth Club was born.
What began as two women swapping ideas and experiences soon turned into a dynamic partnership. We’d both seen how powerful good preparation could be, but also how many families felt unsupported once labour began or in the early postnatal days. We wanted to offer something deeper, more human and more responsive to real life.
That shared vision led us to train as doulas and start working together more closely, bringing our combined experience, humour and honesty into everything we created. What started as a DM has since grown into New Birth Club, a collaboration that’s now supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
And when it came time to launch, we couldn’t resist doing it our way. We announced New Birth Club like a pregnancy – complete with a due date – and then joked on launch day that our “baby” was officially overdue. It felt like the perfect introduction to something we’d poured so much love, care and belief into.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Realising that we don’t have to be in the room for our support to be genuinely powerful.
For a long time, doula work was seen as something that only “counts” if you’re physically present at the birth. But what we kept seeing, again and again, was that the biggest shifts for families were happening before labour even began.
The real work happens antenatally. It’s helping parents process previous births, set clear boundaries, understand their rights and learn how to navigate NHS maternity services in a way that actually works for them, especially when they’re high-risk or making choices outside guidelines. That preparation changes everything.
We work with many second-time parents carrying fear, doubt or unfinished business from a previous birth. When they have the space to debrief, feel heard and then prepare in a truly personalised way, something clicks. Confidence grows. Decision-making becomes clearer. Birth stops feeling like something that’s being done to them.
That was the moment we realised we weren’t just offering separate services; we were creating a way of supporting families that’s flexible, accessible and deeply effective, even from a distance. And for many families, that antenatal support is what makes the biggest difference of all.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Honestly? It’s a constant juggle, and we don’t pretend we’ve cracked it perfectly.
Birth doesn’t work 9-5, and being on call means sometimes stepping away from our own families at unpredictable moments. That’s the hardest part. But we also feel incredibly privileged to be invited into such a significant, life-changing time for other families and that sense of purpose makes the juggle feel worthwhile.
We’re also really intentional about letting our children see why this work matters. They grow up understanding that birth is important, that care and compassion count and that supporting women through this transition is meaningful work. In that sense, our work becomes part of what we’re teaching them too.
Working together has been a game-changer. Having each other means we can share the load, tag each other in and out and protect time with our own families when it’s needed. That teamwork doesn’t just support us, it benefits our clients too, who get continuity, shared values and the depth that comes from two experienced practitioners working as one.
Balance for us isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about flexibility, honesty and having each other’s backs – at home and at work.
