In this episode, I’m joined by Shellie — also known as The Serenity Doula — a birth attendant of more than 20 years who has supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth, and the early days of parenthood.
Shellie shares how her own home birth deepened her commitment to physiological birth and to helping families understand their choices within modern maternity systems.
Through humour, storytelling, and her work online, she shines a light on the real experiences many women encounter in maternity care — from the pressures placed on parents late in pregnancy, to the cascade of interventions that can follow routine monitoring and unnecessary procedures.
We speak about informed consent, the culture of coercion that can exist within birth spaces, and what it means to become untethered from societal conditioning so families can make decisions that are truly their own — whether that’s undisturbed birth, hospital birth, or a planned cesarean.
This conversation is honest, insightful, and deeply empowering for anyone preparing for birth, working in birth, or reflecting on their own experiences within the system.
Connect with Shellie:
🌿 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula
🌿 Birth Untethered Podcast with Kemi Birth Joy Johnson
🌿 WEBSITE and CONTACT: https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/
If you're loving these conversations, you can support the podcast via
https://buymeacoffee.com/julesj?new=1 — every bit helps bring more wisdom your way!
And PLEASE do stay connected:
✨ Follow the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewisdomofmatriarchs
✨ Keep up with Jules' events & offerings: https://www.instagram.com/ryecroftwellness
✨ Join Jules' Mailing to be kept up to date with everything podcast and events: https://bit.ly/julesmailinglist
Feel free to get in touch via socials, via my website
www.ryecroftwellness.co.uk
or email [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.