Meet the Collective | Homebirth Collective

Our Team

A small collective of experienced doulas, brought together by a shared passion for homebirth and informed choice.

We’re a small collective of senior doulas who’ve supported hundreds of births between us. Over the years, we’ve supported families through many different birth experiences and decisions about where and how to have their babies.

Our role isn’t to tell you what to do. It’s to share our experience, answer your questions and help you understand the practical realities of planning a homebirth, so you have the information you need to make the choice that feels right for you and your family.

You’ll find us at our regular free gatherings, where you can ask questions, hear real experiences and talk openly about homebirth in a relaxed and welcoming space. If there’s something you’d like to ask beforehand, you’re always welcome to get in touch with the Home Birth Collective.

leti tufari

I’ve been a doula for 13 years and have supported hundreds of families through pregnancy and birth. Home birth has always been a huge part of my work and something I care deeply about. I love helping families understand what birth at home can really look like, particularly when they’re curious about it but perhaps don’t know where to start.

For me, the Home Birth Collective is about making those conversations easier. I want people to have somewhere they can ask the questions they might not feel able to ask elsewhere, hear honest experiences and explore home birth without judgement or pressure. Sometimes a friendly conversation is all it takes to make things feel a little less overwhelming.

I live in Wandsworth with my husband, our three teenage children, and our two Ridgebacks. When I’m not talking about birth, you’ll often find me walking the dogs in Richmond Park and enjoying family life in South West London.

Michelle Gerlis

I am Michelle, a birth and post natal doula based in Hampton. My 3 grown up children have flown the nest, all coming home regularly for feeding and for cuddles with our most loved Yorkie!

I trained as a homeopath in the 90s and my passion is taking responsibility for all aspects of our lives and especially looking at ways to keep our homes snd bodies healthy.

I am so passionate about the homebirth collective. Having been a doula for over 20 years, the increased routine medicalisation of birth saddens me. For all the mothers-to -be, for my children, I will do all I can to fight for the right to to have the option of safe, loving midwifery care if you chose to meet your baby at home.

Through the HB collective, conversations about homebirth are energised, practical resources and knowledge shared and informed decisions can be made.

Louise Oliver

I’ve been a doula for eight years and have supported over 100 births, with home birth always holding a very special place in my heart. I know that deciding where to have your baby can bring lots of questions, especially when home birth is new to you.

That’s why I’m part of the Home Birth Collective. Sometimes you just need to talk things through with someone who understands home birth, can answer your questions honestly and isn’t trying to persuade you one way or another. There’s absolutely no pressure and no such thing as a silly question.

Away from birth, I’m mum to three grown-up boys who still haven’t quite managed to fly the nest (I probably make home far too comfortable!), and Buddy, my much-loved dog. I love skiing, sailing and spending time with my family.

natalie meddings

I’m Nathalie, a birth and postnatal doula, antenatal teacher and mother of three. I’ve been supporting families for many years, through pregnancy, birth and the early weeks with a new baby, and have supported a wide range of births both at home and in hospital.

I’m particularly interested in the physiology of birth and the difference that feeling safe, supported and informed can make. I believe there is no single right way to give birth, and my role is to help families understand their options, ask questions and feel confident making decisions that are right for them.

I joined the Home Birth Collective because I want families to have somewhere welcoming to explore homebirth, hear honest experiences and get balanced information without pressure or judgement.

Vera Dubrovina-Thompson

I am Vera, a birth and postpartum doula, breastfeeding counsellor and yoga therapist based in South West London. Since 2008, I have supported hundreds of families and been honoured to witness 200+ births, many at home. Yoga, mindfulness and birth physiology are an intrinsic part of my work, alongside practical experience and knowing when to simply be present.

For me, home is the one birth environment where a woman can really come into her own, especially when her five basic needs are met: to feel safe, warm, unobserved and undisturbed, with darkness and quiet around her. I joined the Home Birth Collective because I want more women to explore homebirth, ask questions and find out what it might look like for them.

Outside the birth world, if I am not walking or playing the piano, I am a mama of two grown-up children, a reluctant beekeeper and an avid baker, and I share my home with my husband and a much-loved whippet.