Helena Whitwell is a doula and hypnobirthing instructor. Her work is rooted in a deep passion for helping parents approach birth with confidence, peace and a sense of empowerment. Inspired by her own positive birth experiences, and the realisation that many others did not share the same story, she has spent years creating nurturing spaces where expectant parents can connect with their bodies, their faith and one another. From hosting online pregnancy prayer sessions and retreats to supporting families through transformative birth experiences, Helena brings a unique blend of practical wisdom and compassion to provide emotional and practical guidance. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind Christian Birth Support, how she balances work and family life, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
After having two very positive experiences of pregnancy and birth, and realising this wasn’t a common story among family and friends, I became passionate about helping others find joy and fulfilment in birth. Some friends encouraged me to explore becoming a doula, so when my children were 7 and 5, I went for it. I absolutely loved my training course with Nurturing Birth. A few years on, I trained with Calm Births to become a hypnobirthing teacher. My favourite part of this work is creating spaces for equipping new parents to feel empowered, calm and confident as they approach birth and life with a newborn. A slightly more niche part of my work is working with clients who want to bring their faith more centrally into their pregnancy and birth experience.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
After training as a doula and completing a mentorship programme with Nurturing Birth, I was desperate to find my first birth client! At the beginning of March 2020, I reduced my admin job’s hours to invest time and energy in my doula business. Later that month, we went into lockdown, so I needed to think creatively!
I began by organising live pregnancy prayer sessions online, which soon spread and became a safe place for anxious pregnant women to rest, be still and hand their anxieties over to God. It was so rewarding hearing birth stories from the attendees, and hearing how they had been able to keep their peace even when the unexpected had happened. This spurred me on and encouraged me that there was a need for spaces like this.
From there, I developed ticketed online pregnancy retreats. Since 2020, I have hosted around 30 three-hour retreats, which include worship, imaginative prayer, creative prayer using a scan picture, chatting with other pregnant mums and hearing stories from guest speakers I invite.
I continued to have occasional birth clients and have witnessed some magical moments. I feel very blessed and privileged to have been a part of so many people’s journeys. I also trained as a hypnobirthing instructor with Calm Births, so I now offer group and private courses, online and in person!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
It’s been a slow burner and something of a ‘side hustle’ for many years now, but I see that as a great way to develop foundations, let the seeds plant and allow them to grow over time. I’m now hearing from clients having their second and third babies, and coming back to my retreats with each pregnancy.
The first breakthrough came during my doula training, when I realised that the responsibility wasn’t on me to make sure everyone had positive birth experiences. My role was to accompany and walk alongside others, however their journey is going and whatever their pace. I learned through this, how to hold safe spaces, and not to try and take over by bringing all my own stuff to the table!
But I think the biggest breakthrough came when I realised the power of connecting your mind, thoughts and feelings with your body. I had subconsciously done this in my own way through prayer and affirmations for my own births, but when I learned about Hypnobirthing much later, I saw the amazing science behind it all. That our bodies are designed to release the ‘oxytocin’ hormone when we feel loved, safe, understood and unobserved, and then we are more likely to have quicker, smoother, intervention-free labours. So when I work with people of faith, I love to help them connect their faith into this design too.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balancing work and family is an ongoing dance. I also serve in a church as an ordained deacon: leading services and preaching on Sundays, with other parish and community events and pastoral services during the week!
I have learned (well – I’m still learning!) to have good boundaries around my time, and seek to be a present wife and mum. I schedule my teaching and client calls around our family rhythm and I try to model to my children that serving others is a joy, but so is resting together.
I currently spend 4 evenings a week sitting in a leisure centre an hour away from home, as my daughter trains in an acro gymnastics squad. So, with the centre’s wifi, an empty cafe and my laptop, I am now using that time for my business. As I can use these evenings to work, it frees me up for other things in the day – time for myself, seeing friends and sermon writing! It also means I can be around for my kids before and after school.
