Testimonials
Words really can’t express how glad we were to have Tanith as our doula and unwavering source of support throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond. Her attention to detail, grounded presence, responsiveness, guidance, and sprinklings of thoughtful gifts and words were invaluable. We ended up having an unplanned home birth and really can’t imagine doing it without her. Thank you deeply Tanith!!
-Meg, Birthing Mother
As first time parents, we really couldn’t have asked for a better person to rely on throughout our pregnancy and birth journey. Tanith was available as an unwavering source of support whenever we needed someone or had questions. It gave us a level of preparation for birth that we didn’t know we needed! Her attitude and calm presence was soothing throughout the whole process. We really can’t imagine doing it without her. Thank you so much Tanith!
-Scott , Father and Primary Support Person
I highly recommend Tanith as a doula!
Being a General Practitioner, I initially had my reservations when my wife suggested getting a doula. I felt that a doula was not necessary as I felt that I would be able to provide the emotional guidance and medical experience to help support my wife through labour.
However I need not have worried. Tanith was amazing…and was as much a support for me as she was for my partner! She helped create a very calm and safe atmosphere for us while going through early labour in the comfort of our own home was an advocate for us both in the birthing suite and interacted wonderfully with the Midwives.
Tanith has lots of practical advice and techniques to help with the preparation for the child birthing process/Labour and has a great knowledge of the physiology and anatomy involved which helped us through the very natural process of birth. She has a very calming presence and she definitely helped to reassure and support me in being able the best support to my wife during the beautiful water birth of our daughter.
If you are considering a Doula, I highly recommend Tanith..she is amazing!
-Dr Garrett Ryan, Father and Primary Support person
Hiring Tanith as our doula was the best decision we could make. During my pregnancy, I felt I needed additional support for my partner and I during the birth so I started the search for a doula. Tanith was exactly what I was looking for - caring, gentle, knowledgeable and empowering. She gave us the guidance, support and confidence to achieve the natural birth we wanted. She made me feel safe and, when I was struggling with the intensity of the contractions and thought I couldn't do it anymore, she always found the right words to help me keep going.
Tanith was also a great support during my pregnancy. She provided me with several tools to manage labour and reassured me whenever I started doubting my abilities to have a natural birth. I also loved getting to know her before the birth.
I could not recommend Tanith highly enough. It was very special to share the birth of our baby girl with her.
-Marie, Birthing Mother
It’s been so hard to find the words to review our experience having Tanith as a doula because there are no words good enough to express how wonderful our experience was and our gratitude.
As an anxious person with a traumatic previous experience trying for a supposedly high risk VBAC this time and with additional “complications” such as gestational diabetes, I knew I needed someone to help me get my birth plan right, provide me with useful resources and help educate me on the process of physiological birth and how best to achieve it and avoid the interventions which were even more likely than normal to be coming my way due to my “high risk” status.
Tanith was everything I needed, calm and nurturing from our very first meeting. She didn’t push her opinions on me although I came to learn that we were on the same page but she would have supported my decisions without wavering regardless. The support Tanith provided helped build me up in the course of pregnancy to be confident that I could achieve my goal of having a VBAC, I wasn’t fearful going into natural birth, I had all the knowledge and tools I needed.
Without Tanith the day our beautiful boy was born I don’t think there would have been enough hands to do everything, her being there was essential as was her birth pool which I didn’t know I needed but in the end was the only place I felt safe and comfortable to birth.
Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to child birth, knowledge is power. Tanith empowered me and as a result I had the most wonderful birth experience I could possibly imagine. My husband and I were euphoric for days and weeks afterwards and I still am. I wasn’t sure that birth could be this beautiful experience that others have claimed to have had but with the right support around you I now know it can be. I can’t recommend Tanith highly enough.
-Miriam, Birthing Mother
“Before hiring Tanith as my doula, I was struggling with anxiety about my birth. I wanted support from someone who would understand what it is like to birth, who could provide emotional and physical support and continuity of care. I wrestled with feeling worthy of that kind of care but knew that if I could feel good that it would impact my baby girl too.
What I received was so much more than I imagined. Tanith was kind and warm, beautiful and gentle, reliable and a real mother figure that I could lean on when things felt too much. When my birth plan took a turn in a direction I feared, I was so grateful and glad that I had Tanith's support.
Tan was so intuitive and seemed to message me just as I was thinking of her and wanting to reach out. She had such professionalism and warmth at the same time. I am so glad I gave myself this gift and I would highly recommend her to any mother to be, whether it is their first or tenth time giving birth.
Thank you for being my doula,”
-Tash, Birthing Mother
"I had Tanith as my Doula for my second pregnancy, and if I could could go back in time I would have had her at my first pregnancy as well.
It truly felt like a partnership, she was so easy to talk to and helped me to not only prepare but feel prepared for my pregnancy, kind of like my own pregnancy coach! Our pre-birth sessions were excellent as we discussed a birth plan in depth and were given some exercises to work on. Tanith even provided a TENS machine, birth sling, reboso, and a number of other tools for me to use during labour.
Fortunately for me I had a very short labour. Tanith being with us was so helpful, she took care of all the little things you don’t think of, and post-birth she even went to get us lunch so we could just enjoy our time with our newborn son.
Post-birth Tanith was a complete lifesaver. She came over to the house 3 times and helped me out with whatever needed doing, and was also a shoulder to cry on during some post-birth blues. My 2 year old daughter loved seeing her.
My husband’s opinion after our first session with Tanith was overwhelmingly positive. He felt that having her around was an extra set of hands and eyes which took a lot of pressure off him so he could fully focus on being my emotional support. He also has stated many times we should have had her for the first birth.
I can’t recommend Tanith enough."
-Katrina, Birthing Mother
“After my first birth, where I thought I was prepared after only doing a hypnobirthing course, we knew we needed a doula for the second birth. I needed that coach and my husband and I the additional person to support us both.
We elected for a home birth second time round and interviewed a few doulas. We were both sold on Tanith almost immediately! Tanith comfortably became part of our home each session, chatting to our 3.5yr old son and anyone else who may have been there. It was like Tanith had known all of us for ages. One of the features of being a great doula. It was so easy having her in our home. It was like welcoming an old friend in each session.
Our sessions were great. Tanith was organised and focussed to the topic of each session without being rigid. Very professional. She understood my need for coaching (coming from a sports background), without me having to explain it.
The day of the labour Tanith worked beautifully with my husband, seamlessly interchanging roles with him as needed. To get the labour moving the midwives encouraged me to do the miles circuit, and we had done some of the movements in our sessions so I knew what to do. Tanith was right there, holding me, doing the side lying release. A big comfort for me as those movements were the hard parts of the labour for me.
After labour Tanith brought me food and helped me shower and get dressed as my husband was with the baby getting weighed etc.
The days following labour Tanith came to check on us and brought more food (there was a lot of food involved! :)), has kept in touch and continues to check in to see how we are going.
It was like having an old friend, eternal mother and birth support person/coach all rolled into one. If we have another baby, Tanith will be joining us for the wild ride again, no doubt about it.”
-Tsvia, Birthing Mother
When Tanith and I first met for a cuppa and chat it was like catching up with an old friend. Tanith’s warm and kind presence along with her extensive knowledge and loving support was such an important part of my recent pregnancyand healing homebirth with my second daughter, Florence. I had been recommended Tanith by a friend of mine when she shared her successful VBAC with her second daughter and spoke so positively of the support both her and her partner had with Tanith by their side. I was still early in my pregnancy, I had chosen my private midwife, and had my wonderful birth partner Cam but felt like there was a missing link. I am so glad that I reached out to Tan, and she was able to be our Doula, both Cam and I can’t imagine the birth without her support throughout my pregnancy and beyond. I remember feeling so overwhelmed during contractions and forgetting how to breathe sometimes, Tanith looked deep into my eyes and without even saying words she calmly reassured me and breathed with me to help me get back on track. I was treated like a queen during my labour, birth and early postpartum. Tanith really listened to my desires when it came to how I wanted this birth and postpartum to feel and what I imagined it to be like and she helped to create the loving and supportive energy in the birth space and the postpartum I really neededand missed out on first time round. I am now 4 months postpartum, and it has been such a different experience to first time round, I suffered with PPA with my first daughter due to a traumatic birth. I never truly sank into the enjoyment of the newborn days. It has been so special this time round and I believe that who you invite into your birth space has such a big impact on your postpartum period and I can’t thank Tanith enough for being a part of it all, I want to do it all over again!I will never forget Tan brining me a cup of tea followed by the most delicious dahl and rice when I was all tucked up in my bed with Florence not long after I had just birthed her in the dining room, magic! If you are considering the support of a Doula for your pregnancy birth and beyond then look no further.
-Kirsty, Birthing Mother
“My husband and I were on the fence about getting a doula for a while - and finally (at 35 weeks) we decided to go for it and started looking. Luckily for us we were recommended Tanith - and once we met her we knew she would be the perfect fit for our birth team. We are so thankful that we found Tanith - she made as feel confident and helped us to prepare for the birth of our first daughter. When labor finally started - she supported us both through the process - we would have been completely lost without her. She was a calming presence, she had invaluable experience, and made us feel confident and supported. Postpartum she was attentive, and checked in on us, was able to offer advice and a friendly face during our new life as a family of three. We are so glad we decided to engage in a doula - and especially Tanith - we wouldn’t have had the positive birth and postpartum experience we did without her. “
— Kate & Tom, Birthing Mother & Father/Primary Support Person
“Tanith was the best birth support person I could have asked for. For me, pregnancy & birth can be a rollercoaster ride - a mix of highs & lows, confidence & anxieties but she remained a kind, gentle and constant reminder that I am strong and I can do anything. She was there calmly supporting me, my baby, my family, every single step of the way to which I then achieved such an empowering, natural water birth. Describing my labour and birth positively was something I never thought I'd be able to do. Thank you so much Mama Forte!”
— Naomi,Birthing Mother
“Being a husband I was hoping for a doula that would allow me to still feel helpful, supportive and a part of the birth while also being able to take a break when I needed one. I'm happy to say Tanith allowed for that, giving me the opportunity to be there and in action when I wanted but also taking over when I needed a breather, even allowing me to have a much-needed power nap! Tanith gave us a bunch of helpful tips for massages and stretches leading up to the birth and even helped keep our house in order afterwards so I could focus on being there for mum and bub. When we knew what we needed we could ask Tanith to help, when we had no idea what we needed Tanith always had suggestions and was able to spring into action too! All in all it was a great experience having such a calm, clear-headed presence all throughout our birth that I hope every person can have.”
— Ben, Father and Primary Support Person
“After a traumatic first birth, I was determined to have a different experience. Best decision we ever made was having our doula, Tanith Forte.
Tan was a wealth of knowledge, sharing resources and always supporting our final choices. On game day, Tan helped me and Tom stay calm (eg. We wanted to go to hospital 4am but arrived 6:30pm) and whenever I doubted myself she could somehow read my mind and a new distraction would arrive. The midwives and OB loved working with her.
Tanith Forte, thank you forever. If you are pregnant & considering the same cuddle I got, reach out.”
-Nadia, Birthing Mother
“Tanith was referred to me by my midwife and I'll feeling forever grateful for that. It was a perfect match with my little boy. She is lovely, kind and a very good cook (coming from a French girl it means what it means!). I recommend highly Tanith for her services as a doula. She couldn't choose a better job for her, and every women who needs a doula should be lucky to have such a nice lady coming to their house and look after themselves and bub. With all my heart I wish her the best.”
- Camille, Birthing Mother
“Tanith was our doula for the birth of our second child and we couldn’t have found a better fit. I know that she played a huge role in helping me achieve my VBAC and I am so grateful for the way her presence contributed to the life changing experience of birthing our son.
Tanith was warm, informative and supportive throughout my pregnancy and birth. She was invested in helping me achieving my goals and flexible when my plans changed.
Tanith has a deep understanding of physiological birth and the conditions required to facilitate it, in addition to the vast knowledge of the various medical interventions available. I gained so much knowledge through our meetings and felt calm, confident and prepared as my due date approached. My plan was always to have an intervention free and unmedicated birth, however when my birth took unexpected turns, Tanith was non-judgemental and supportive of my decisions to accept interventions. She gently guided me through each stage and was especially helpful during the second stage as I had never experienced “pushing” before.
I felt safe with Tanith in my birth space. She approached everything she did, with us at the centre of her focus and we will forever be thankful that she was apart of our team.”