In Bristol and South West England and Wales
ABOUT US
"Our mission is to support your experience of pregnancy, birthing and postpartum to be sacred, intuitive and empowered. It is a profound honour to accompany such a magical and transformative journey."
Cassandra Rosa and Alix Thorpe are experienced and devoted doulas who have been working together offering shared-care support to mothers and their families since 2016.
We are based in Bristol and Caerphilly and cover the South West and sometimes further afield. We can support you wherever you are, including online support, so please be in touch to talk about what can work best for you.
We have a lot of experience working both alone and together and have come to understand that shared-care is the most supportive option all round, bringing many layers of support and richness to your doula care.
Inspired by the dakinis, the fierce female messengers of wisdom in Tibetan Buddhism, we have confidence in true feminine power and a woman's innate ability to birth. The dakinis are symbols of fierce compassion and this energy is so needed in birth work and beyond.
We are passionate birth rights advocates and want women and birthing people to feel supported on every level: physical, emotional and spiritual. This full-spectrum, holistic approach is our strength as doulas.
We hold great respect for the shamanic and transformational dimensions of pregnancy and birthing, understanding that birth is a deeply initiatory rite of passage, a profound soul journey (for the mother, father and baby), something that takes us deep into the mystery and wonder of existence, and an opportunity for personal (as well as family and ancestral) transformation and healing.
We believe that the way women are supported when they give birth is a measure of the wellness of society at large, and although there is much to be grateful for in the UK, there is still a long road ahead when it comes to restoring sacredness, sanctity, dignity, respect, faith, wonder and loving care to the centre of a woman's experience of giving birth.
There is a saying that healing the earth begins at birth, and in our work as doulas we are committed to transforming attitudes and practices around birth in service to healing our lives, our communities, our nations and our earth. Properly valuing the sacred work of women and birthing people is inseparable from honouring and protecting the gifts of life itself.
We are both deeply sensitive and intuitive people, as well as strong and practical. We hold kindness, care and loving, non-judgemental support at the core of what we do. As your doulas we will support you and stand by you every step of the way in choosing what is right for you and your family. A doulas sacred role is to keep faith in your capacity to be the expert of your own body and soul, to make your own decisions and to discover what it means to give birth your way.
With all of our love,
Alix and Cassandra xx
Cassandra Rosa
Cassandra qualified as a Conscious Birthing Doula in 2013 and has worked passionately in the field ever since. Alongside her private work, she has worked with and supports two charities: Dar a Luz Honduras, and Doulas without Borders, both providing accessible grassroots services and education to women and birthing people experiencing disadvantage.
Cassandra is also a Naturopath, Massage Therapist and Creative Arts facilitator, and draws upon these healing modalities to enhance pregnancy and postpartum care.
With a great love for herbs and plant medicine, Cassandra has grown a cottage industry business making herbal lotions & potions. She recognises that by looking deeply into nature, we will come to understand everything better. She is an advocate of dance, song, the power of pleasure and the wild woman ways.
Alix Thorpe
Alix qualified as a Shiatsu Practitioner with the Bristol School, which is known for its emphasis on soul work, transformational insight dialogue and holding space for deep healing. Alix has been working professionally as a Shiatsu Practitioner and Conscious Birthing Doula since 2015. She has found that shiatsu and doulaing go together wonderfully.
Alix is inspired by traditional wisdom teachings and spiritual healing practices from around the world. She has a special connection with and love for reconnecting with the wisdom within our own indigenous culture here in the UK, especially traditional and intuitive herbalism. Alix draws on guidance and support from Tibetan Buddhism, the Mother Mary aspect of the Divine Feminine, shamanic practices, plant spirit medicine, astrology, dreamwork, song and the endless wonder of the human heart.