About Me

My Name is Eleanor Fowler...most people call me Els. (She / Her)


I was born in 1974 and married Jim in 1999. We have 3 children, Emily, Thomas and Dominic (Born in 2000, 2002, and 2005). We live on the Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire border.

I spent the first 14 years of my working life, until 2008 in the recruitment industry. I believe this has developed my natural ability to listen to what people want and then to support them to try and achieve it…very much like a doula.

Since becoming a doula I have attended over 150 births and have supported dozens of families , of all shapes and sizes, with their new babies, including people from every walk of life, many international couples, single parents, BAME/BIPOC, mixed ethnicity couples, people with disabilites, people from many different religions and faiths and extended and blended familes. I enjoy getting to know you as individuals and tailoring my service to support your specific needs.

I started offering the night nanny service when my children got a bit older as so many clients asked if I would help at night. For some this is just to achieve a much needed rest and for others it is to assist with establishing good sleeping habits and routines.

I first heard the word doula, from a friend who lives in Greece and had one at the birth of her first child. This is actually where the word originated from, meaning ‘slave or woman servant', but I don’t think that conveys the full role of the modern-day doula.

I believe that the most important thing for you ( and your partner if you have one) when you're pregnant and in labour, is to be treated with empathy, kindness and respect. This means really listening to you and taking on board your wishes, reassuring you all the way so that your confidence in yourself will grow, so that whatever type of birth you will have, you will have a positive experience and memory of it.

I do believe natural birth is what your body is capable of, but also recognise you may be fearful of the birth and questioning of your ability to cope. I aim to provide the continuous physical, emotional and practical support before, during and after childbirth to ensure you will have the best possible birth experience.

From my own experience, I know how different types of treatment can make a huge difference to the person's perception of the labour, and I also know that it will stay with you for years.


During the Covid 19 pandemic I started working in partnership with my colleague Sophie Burns to ensure that whatever circumstances arose no client would be left without support.

Since then, Sophie and I have continued to work in partnership and we offer all clients the benefit of having us both, giving you the best possible support and preparation for your birth and immediately afterwards.


Although you may have envisaged one doula supporting you, we, and our clients, have found that shared care works even better, as you have the advantage of the skills and experience of two doulas for the price of hiring one. You benefit from having access to hypnobirthing preparation, breastfeeding support and postnatal support which I may not be available for on my own, and between us we can pretty much guarantee 24/7 support when you need it most.

We are very similar in approach, personality and support style but if you have a particular affinity for one of us we will of course do our best to ensure that person is your main point of contact. All birth preparation sessions are done jointly, one doula will attend your birth, unless you specify you want us both at the same time, and we are both available for postnatal and overnight support.