Leila Baker | Profile

Profile

Join date: May 17, 2023

About

Leila is a mother to 4 sons and two daughters, one of whom is in heaven.

She has been a doula since 2014 and is a qualified massage therapist, hypnobirthing practitioner and volunteer Peer Supporter for breast/chestfeeding parents.

She recently left London to live on the Isle of Wight in a house she struggles to keep tidy.

She also has two cats...

Leila is a Doula UK company Director and Team Leader for the Leadership Team. She is the Doula UK Rep for the Isle of Wight and hosts the Doula UK Podcast.

She hosts LGBTQ+ social and business events for the local community. She is a founding member of collaborative circles of perinatal service providers in South East London and on the island.

In her free time, she likes to watch Star Trek, Superhero movies, Vampire TV shows, long-running comedy shows, and medical dramas. She also enjoys singing and dancing.

Posts (17)

Jul 31, 2026 ∙ 3 min

Doula Support in a Cost of Living Crunch

Over the past two years, I’ve noticed a quiet but unmistakable shift in the conversations that many doulas are having with expectant parents. More families are reaching out tentatively, asking about doula support, but then hesitating - sometimes for weeks - before deciding whether they can afford it. Others share openly that they would love the continuity, advocacy, and emotional steadiness a doula brings, but simply cannot stretch their budget any further. This isn’t about lack of valuing...

Jun 30, 2026 ∙ 3 min

Breastfeeding in Community vs. Breastfeeding in Isolation: What We Lost, and What We Can Rebuild

Breastfeeding has always been more than a feeding method. It is a relationship, a rhythm, a learned skill passed hand‑to‑hand and heart‑to‑heart. But today, many parents attempt to learn it alone - behind closed doors, in nuclear households, often without ever having seen a baby feed at the breast/chest before their own child arrives. Two hundred years ago, this would have been unthinkable. When Breastfeeding Was Communal Knowledge For most of human history, breastfeeding happened in full...

May 15, 2026 ∙ 3 min

Sometimes, waiting IS the action

In doula work, in pregnancy, in birth, in parenting - we are conditioned to believe that doing is where the value lies. That action is synonymous with care. That movement equals progress. That if something feels uncertain, the responsible thing is to intervene, adjust, fix, or decide. But so often, the bravest, wisest, most transformative thing we can offer is the pause. Waiting is not passive. It is not avoidance. It is not the absence of action. Sometimes, waiting is the action. In doula...