2019 Committee

The Committee

This year's committee has worked on a retreat style conference for doulas and workers in birth to come, learn, connect and replenish themselves. They bring together a vast array of experience and expertise that has brought this new approach to Doula Conferencing together with grace.

Anna Watts

Founder of Celebration of Birth, Anna Watts, is affectionately known as the ‘Wise Woman of Doulas’ or ‘Mama Doula’, she has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for almost 30 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as a ‘rite of passage’ for the family, supporting empowered birthing choices and strengthening the spiritual connection in pregnancy and birth.
Anna’s wide experience as a Childbirth Educator, Doula Trainer, Pre-natal Yoga Teacher, Counsellor, Spiritual Healer, and mother of two beautiful daughters both born at home – one a water birth – brings a depth and groundedness to her teaching.
The Celebration of Birth Doula Academy offers professional training to Birth and Post-natal Doulas with a focus on holistic support through the journey of transformation in birth and beyond. www.celebrationofbirth.com

Jo Askham

Doula and bringer of community to life and birth through support, events, knowledge and advocacy. Jo moonlights in the day as a Finance IT manager and website concocter including www.Birthattendants.info & www.BirthHub.info ; Administrative assistant to Rhea Dempsey; and organises broad ranging events such as family communal camps, dance nights, workshops and support circles, for Living Events. Jo is a Mother to three babies of her own whose arrivals took a journey through a hospital birth to two planned home births.

Stephanie Norquay

Doula, infant massage practitioner, body-worker, friend, partner, and mother to two fantastic humans!
Stephanie found her own 2 water birth experiences wildly empowering... She has been supporting women, partners and their families in her role as a doula since 2004.
Stephanie is inspired by birth and the awesome transition a woman goes through to meet herself as a mother. She loves the opportunity to work in collaborative process with other birth workers and is deeply committed to helping build happy, healthy, connected family relationships.