130 careers spotlight: Norlander Louisa shares her career as a postnatal doula and breastfeeding counsellor
8 January 2024
As part of Norland’s 130th anniversary celebrations, we are highlighting the diversity of careers available to Norlanders. Louisa trained between 2004 and 2006, and had her Norland graduation in 2007. She now works as a postnatal doula and breastfeeding counsellor. In 2022, she published The Parent Prep Book to share what she has learned with parents. We caught up with Louisa to hear more about her career since graduating as a Norlander.
“I’m Lou and I completed my Norland training with Set 28 in 2006. I work as a Postnatal Doula and Breastfeeding Counsellor. I am also a published author! I live in Rugby in Warwickshire, and I have two children who are nine and seven.
“I was just 16 when I started at Norland, and the youngest in my cohort. I was one of the last to train at such a young age. Not just because I was 16, but also because I came from a close-knit and small family, it wasn’t easy for me to leave home and move to Bath. Yet, nothing could stop me from becoming a Norlander – as soon as I attended an open day, I knew Norland was the place for me!
“During my training, I discovered my passion lay with baby care. At Norland, students complete many different placements with children of all ages, so I was able to explore different avenues and find the one that was perfect for me.
“My first job as a Norlander was caring for a six-month-old baby, who gained a little sister shortly after. I had the privilege of caring for the new baby at only a few hours old! I continued to nanny in London for a further six years. My charges included twins and triplets as well as four children from two different families as part of a nanny share. I had spent my career so far giving children so much love, care and attention, that I felt very strongly I wanted to be able to give the same level to my own children. So, I left London to be a full-time mum.
“Being a Norlander has opened doors that I am convinced could never be open to me otherwise.”
“My Norland training ensured I had complete grounding in understanding child development, the importance of nurturing children and how to encourage them to reach their full potential, which I consistently use within my practice and with my own children. I am so grateful for my Norland placements in baby rooms in nurseries, and on maternity wards that clarified my calling in postnatal care.
“As soon as I mention to people that I am a Norlander, they raise a smile and mention the famous brown uniforms! Being a Norlander has opened doors that I am convinced could never be open to me otherwise. In creating my business as a postnatal doula, I have been fortunate to work with several high-profile clients. My Norland training instilled in me a sense of professionalism and a desire to always strive to do the very best for each child in my care.
“My role as a Postnatal Doula is quite different to my role as a nanny. Rather than sole focus being on the baby, I work with the parents to help build their confidence; a large part of being a doula is listening without judgement. Doula’s help parents find their parenting style, sharing the latest evidence-based information and, where necessary, signposting to professionals in specific fields such as Lactation Consultants or Cranial Osteopaths. We also take care of the baby to allow parents to rest, show them how to practically care for their baby and nourish and support them.
“Not only am I a Federation of Antenatal Educators (FEDANT) registered Doula and Breastfeeding Counsellor, I also work as a gentle sleep practitioner, which means I am required to undertake a minimum of 20 hours of Continued Professional Development (CPD) each year, to ensure my practice remains in line with the latest research.
“Norlanders are the crème de la crème in their field, and it is our role to uphold the magnificent legacy left to us by Emily Ward. As Norlanders we strive to do the very best for future generations.”
“At work, I often discuss safe bedsharing and babywearing. As an Antenatal Teacher, I explain how underdeveloped human mammals are compared with other mammals, and why human babies are so much more dependent on their parents to have their needs met. Many families I work with worry about instilling bad habits on their babies, yet once they understand brain development (something I learned during my Norland training) parents have a ‘lightbulb moment’ when they realise that they can trust their instincts. A lot of my work is about giving new parents confidence.
“Becoming a parent is hard. Even though I felt prepared to become a mum myself, nothing could prepare me for the cocktail of hormones and sleepless nights I was about to experience. I was lucky to have many Norland friends supporting me, and I also made use of breastfeeding helplines; I don’t know what I would have done without them! Given my experience as a mother, my Norland training and my career, I felt there wasn’t a book on the market that could provide support in normalising newborn behaviours and calm parents’ minds. I experienced a lot of worry and doubt as a new parent in my first months and didn’t want other parents to experience the same.
“In my book, I have included top tips sections and many of these are golden nuggets from my Norland training. Norland most definitely gave me the confidence to write and release a book, for which I will forever be grateful.
“The Norland motto is also mine: ‘Love Never Faileth’. Norlanders are the crème de la crème in their field, and it is our role to uphold the magnificent legacy left to us by Emily Ward. As Norlanders we strive to do the very best for future generations.
“My advice to current Norland students is to remember that you are extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity so give it everything you’ve got – you might be surprised at where the journey takes you. The best piece of advice I was given by a tutor at Norland was that in your career, you never stop learning!”
For more information on Lou’s work, follow her on Instagram, or go to www.doula-lou.com
