About Dina Hart | Brighton

I'm a birth doula serving Brighton, Hove, Lewes, Worthing, Shoreham, and the wider East Sussex area. Since 2016, I've supported over 100 families through pregnancy, birth, and the early postnatal period, helping them feel prepared, capable, and deeply supported — no matter what happens.

Before I became a doula, I ran an independent café in Brighton for six years. I loved creating a welcoming space and building community, but after having children, the relentless hours became unsustainable. What I didn't realise at the time was how much that experience would shape the way I work now — running a business professionally, managing bookings and communications, and understanding that families aren't just looking for a service, they're looking for an experience.

My first birth was in hospital and it was fine, but quite medicalised. I felt a bit lost in the system. When I got pregnant again, I planned a home birth and it was absolutely transformative. I had a doula with me, and everything I'd read about physiological birth, about trusting your body, about the power of the right environment — I experienced all of it firsthand. Afterwards, I just knew. I kept thinking, I want to do this. I want to help other women feel this prepared, this supported, this powerful. I trained with Developing Doulas in 2016 and I've never looked back.

Since then, I've continued my training with Spinning Babies, rebozo techniques, trauma-informed care, and aromatherapy for birth, and I stay active with Doula UK's CPD programme every year. Birth work evolves, and I want to make sure I'm offering families the most current, evidence-based support.

One birth that really stayed with me was a first-time mum planning a home birth in Lewes. Everything was going beautifully, but after several hours her midwife noticed the baby's heart rate dipping slightly during contractions. We transferred to hospital, and because we'd talked through that possibility during our antenatal visits — and because I stayed calm — she was able to make the decision from a place of clarity rather than panic. She went on to have a beautiful, unmedicated birth in hospital three hours later. Afterwards, she told me, "Dina made the transfer feel safe rather than scary. I knew we were still in control."

That's what I do. I help families feel grounded, prepared, and capable — no matter what happens. Clients often tell me I don't panic or get flustered, and that my calm presence makes them feel like they've got this, whatever direction their birth takes.