My name is Anna Russell and I am an experienced Sydney doula and childbirth educator residing in North/West Sydney with my husband and three energentic young children.
When my first child was born in 2004 I was on my way to becoming a midwife at University. For as long as I can remember pregnant women have held a deep fascination for me so it came as no surprise to me that life would lead me to working with pregnant women and new mothers.
The birth of my first son changed my path. I had witnessed first hand what it was to be birthing in hospital and realised the ideals I held of my future job as a midwife would not be reality so my path changed to studying the art of birth support (doula) and childbirth education.
Very early in 2005 I attended my first birth as a doula and have been supporting women in birth ever since. I have been honored to have supported many different births, each one unique and truly memorable. I have even had the immense privilege to watch families grow over the years as I have been invited to second and third births for past clients.
Birth education is my second passion behind supporting birth. I have been running private birth education since 2005 and recently developed Birth Essentials Workshops to help couples understand the common pit-falls in birth, and to teach birth partners how to support their loved ones in labour. I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what type of birth you plan to have, or end up having, the key to a positive, powerful birth is knowledge.
Birth is a once in a lifetime experience. Future births for the same woman are not the same and neither is she. As your doula or your educator I will honor and respect your choices. I will support you in any way you need, anytime you need it.
I have supported births in nearly every Sydney hospital and birth centre and I have supported home births. I have supported natural unmedicated births, medicated births, inductions, caesareans, water births, vaginal births after caesarean (VBAC and VBMC) and breech births. I am also experienced in calmbirth and hypnobirthing techniques.
