Bristol Birth Support

Tortie assisted us with a home birth. It was a wonderful experience and we couldn’t have done it without her. From the moment we meet, throughout the birth and afterwards Tortie was calm, knowledgeable, reassuring and encouraging. It was so useful to have another birth partner to help and create a positive environment. Her presence enabled me to be more present and available to my partner, making the entire experience so special for us both. I would recommend her to anyone

I attended Daniella’s hypnobirthing course and have found it invaluable in helping me to feel prepared and empowered for birth. I joined with a friend who will be my birth partner, and Daniella was so considerate and inclusive in her language and discussion around the partnered activities. It made us both feel so comfortable and considered. Daniella gave us comprehensive but digestible info on the process of birth, and offered a variety of tools to help us make empowered and informed decisions in our birth plans as well as techniques to manage pain/ sensations. We really enjoyed the hypnosis sessions as well as the massage and relaxation practice - the whole weekend was conducted in the spirit of hypnobirthing making us feel calm, relaxed and held. Thank you Daniella for holding such an informative and supportive space for us all!

We hired Rebecca as our doula when I was pregnant with our second child. Our first home birth hadn’t gone to plan, and we were determined to have a magical, healing experience second time around as this was to be our last baby. We wanted to go out on a high and felt hiring a doula would give us the best possible chance at this.Rebecca was everything we hoped for and more. Pre-birth, she was knowledgeable and powerful when we needed help negotiating a system determined to force us into a birth we didn’t want. She supported us in staying true to ourselves and advocated for what was right for us. In the birth room it was a real team effort and Rebecca offered emotional and practical support throughout. During an intense labour when I was unable to open my eyes, I would reach my hand out of the birth pool with each contraction, blindly hoping that someone would take it, and each time, without fail, Rebecca did. Post-birth, Rebecca was an angel, tidying up and tucking me into bed with nourishing snacks. Postnatally she offered invaluable support, and saying goodbye to her after six weeks was extremely emotional.I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Rebecca, regardless of the birth you are planning. She is hugely knowledgeable with the perfect mix of strength, passion and kindness. We achieved our dream home birth and we will be eternally grateful to her. We will never forget you, Rebecca!We also utilised Tortie’s placenta remedy services. With my first birth I had used her placenta encapsulation and smoothie offerings, and I found that I had lots of energy post-birth and didn’t really suffer from baby blues, etc. After such a positive experience, I was keen to do the same thing again. The smoothie was delicious after a fast and furious labour and offered sustenance when birth hormones prevented me from eating much! I healed well and was again full of energy. This time we also made use of the tincture offering and the placenta prints. The prints will always remind me of my innate power and I look forward to using the tincture when my monthly cycle returns and during my menopause. Thank you so much, Tortie.

Daniella’s course was fantastic. She is so knowledgeable, supportive and kind. We learnt so many useful tools on the course and left feeling much more prepared for labour. Daniella also created a really safe space and we met some lovely people! Highly recommend Daniella and her hypnobirthing course!

We chose Tortie Rye as our post-natal doula to support us during our first days as new parents. The reason we went with post-natal care was because we both didn't have family living close-by to help out. We weren't too worried about the birth itself, but we were about bringing a tiny baby home and adjusting to being parents. Tortie made us feel at ease from the moment we met her. We met a few times before the due date and once the baby was born, she came over the next day. She was such a great support, calm and caring. She listened really well, kept in touch at times she knew I (the mother) was alone and helped a lot with breastfeeding. The greatest support was having someone to talk to and reassure you that you are doing great, but also to be reminded that it's ok to take it really easy. There is so much that can knock your confidence after birth, especially with those hormones flying through your body, but Tortie made sure I believed in my own strength and made the transition to parenthood very special and calm. We'd recommend post-natal support to any new parent, and if that's with Tortie, even better!

We first contacted Torti for some information about placenta encapsulation as it was something we wanted to know more about. The pregnancy hadn’t been straight forward - which was giving the consultants anxiety about us wanting a natural birth. Torti had such a wealth of knowledge and a very calming energy which instantly felt reassuring and gave us the confidence to reinstate our wishes for a natural water birth, and not cave into the suggestions of unnecessary early induction. Despite not having contacted Torti specifically for support about our situation, she was so generous in offering us her time once she understood what was going on for us.Regarding the placenta remedies, Torti helped to demystify and normalise the notion to us and we decided to go for it. She gave a consultation to us in the lead up, made sure we knew what to take to the hospital in order to transport it safely to her and then within a few days she delivered the capsules. The birth did eventually end with emergency C section unrelated to any complications in the pregnancy - my healing process was thankfully steady without complication and I would like to think that the smoothies and capsules helped aid recovery.Learning to breast feed was a massive challenge, incredibly painful in the early days and physically and emotionally exhausting. I didn’t want to give up but it was tough. My partner quickly saw that some extra support might help, and naturally contacted Torti. She came round with such compassion and really helped guide and suggest feeding positions, gave lots of encouragement and didn’t leave until she saw me feeding with less discomfort. Subtle changes to my posture and baby position made a big difference. It was what I really needed in the moment. After that feeding was still an ongoing challenge but it did start improving and that was a lot to do with her guidance in that session. In the weeks after the birth, Tortie very thoughtfully sent messages of her own accord, checking in with us both to see how things were going. It shows her character, her caring nature to hold us in her thoughts long after the session, despite probably being very busy with longer-term clients. We felt held in mind- it’s obvious that Tortie genuinely cares for the families that she supports.We would totally recommend Tortie if you feel like you need some extra support around your pregnancy, the lead up to the birth or post-natal. I can only imagine how amazing it would be to have Torti as doula if this is something you are looking for. We are 22 months in to this crazy journey of parenthood and I am delighted to say I am still breastfeeding our little one, no doubt thanks too the early support I got to encourage my perseverance with it all.

Tortie was recommended to me when I tested positive for Covid on my due date. Not only did I feel very ill- I was also very worried about having to go to the hospital on my own in case my husband tested positive.Tortie was able to offer just the support we needed at very short notice. We had a two hour conversation over zoom where we talked in detail about my worries, the support she would be able to offer in case she would be my birth partner instead of my husband, my birth plan, etc. This meeting in itself was incredibly helpful as it helped me to again feel more calm about the birth. Tortie’s positive and reassuring attitude was exactly what we needed at this difficult time.Thankfully my husband was able to come to the hospital with me in the end but it was so reassuring to have a back up plan. I would recommend Tortie to anyone who is in a similar situation. We are so grateful for Tortie’s amazing support.

We’d wanted a home birth for our first baby but things hadn’t gone to plan. Going for a home birth second time around we wanted to give ourselves the best chance possible, so we decided to find a doula. A local midwife recommended Tortie. We both felt comfortable with Tortie right from the start. She really heard everything we had to say about our experiences so far and helped me to work through some of the choices that were made.The birth of our second baby was at home and it was everything we hoped for. We feel so blessed to have had Tortie support the birth of our second child. She built my confidence, shared books, knowledge and exercises to get me in the best place to deliver at home and supported me emotionally during and after the birth. My only regret is that we didn’t have Tortie with us for the birth of our first. Sending all the love to this amazing woman from the whole family xx

Tortie gave me a perfect mix of emotional and practical support in the eight weeks we worked together after the birth of my first child.Me and my partner were in survival mode in the early days and Tortie knew what we needed even if we didn’t at that point! Tortie provided me with support by looking after my baby so I could sleep, as well as restorative help for me and help around the house. More than this, Tortie also offered emotional support and someone to talk to and who I could ask questions and discuss. That is invaluable to new mums and Tortie’s experience meant I felt really safe and held in that space.It’s a real skill to slip into new parents life and quietly and confidently anticipate the support they need. Tortie does this with warmth and assurance - she is someone you want on your post-partum team.

As first time parents having a homebirth amidst a crazy lockdown world the knowledge Tortie shared with us pre, during and post birth was invaluable and kept our birthing experience magical and not over medicalised.We freebirthed our breech babygirl with Tortie on the phone to my partner when needed. She kept us grounded and acting in our highest power.She arrived shortly after our daughter was born to help us do all the things we hadn’t even considered! She even made us food and helped us navigate the midwife’s demands for us to unnecessarily go to hospital.Tortie gave us knowledgeable confidence to take the steps we knew were best for us.She is an incredible woman with the most calming aura and a wealth of knowledge. She offers wonderful support and encouragement and we would fully recommend Tortie to any birthing team.Thank you Tortie for helping us achieve the birth of our dreams.