Emmy O Driscoll

I'm a mum to two young boys, a birth and postpartum doula, and someone who knows first-hand how important it is to feel supported, heard and cared for during the journey to becoming a mother.

My journey to becoming a doula began with my own experience of trying to become a mum. My fertility journey, particularly with my first son, was incredibly difficult. Going through IVF brought so many emotions — hope, excitement, fear, disappointment and uncertainty. It taught me just how vulnerable the road to parenthood can feel.

It also taught me something that has stayed with me ever since: knowledge is power. Having information, understanding what was happening and feeling prepared made such a difference during my second IVF journey. It gave me a greater sense of control during a time when so much felt out of my control. That experience planted the seed for me wanting to offer that same support and reassurance to other women.

My first pregnancy was also challenging. I spent much of my pregnancy in and out of hospital and ultimately had to deliver my son at early full term due to hypertension. Following his birth, I experienced significant postpartum complications.

While I had received a lot of support and medical care during pregnancy, I remember feeling a profound sense of isolation once I became postpartum. It was then that I began to question why support seemed to disappear once the baby arrived.

Women don't stop needing care because their babies are born. In many ways, we need it more than ever. We're recovering physically, navigating huge emotional changes, learning how to care for a new baby and finding our feet in a completely new identity.

That experience became a turning point for me. I wanted to be the person who says, "I'm here. You don't have to do this alone."

As a doula, I want to provide that safe and comforting presence throughout the journey — whether that means offering reassurance, listening without judgement, helping someone feel informed and empowered in their choices, or simply sitting beside them when they need someone there.

I'm passionate about supporting women through the emotions that come with fertility, pregnancy, birth and postpartum. There can be excitement and joy, but also fear, uncertainty, grief and overwhelm. I believe all of those feelings deserve space.

I'll also be completing my fertility doula training so I can expand my knowledge and support women even earlier in their journey to motherhood. My hope is to walk alongside women from the journey towards pregnancy, through pregnancy and birth, and into those early days of motherhood.

My own experiences will always be part of who I am as a doula, but every woman and every journey is different. My role is not to tell someone how their journey should look, but to listen, support, inform and empower them to find what feels right for them.

Ultimately, I became a doula because I know how much it can mean to have someone beside you.

Someone who listens. Someone who understands. Someone who doesn't disappear when the baby arrives.

Someone who simply says, "I've got you."

That is the kind of doula I aspire to be.