About Dina Hart | Brighton

A calm, practical doula who helps you feel prepared — whatever your birth brings.

Families often tell me I don’t panic or get flustered, and that my steadiness helps them feel like they’ve got this — whether they’re planning a home birth, a birth centre birth, or a hospital birth.

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 remember feeling 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 — trusting your body, the power of the right environment, and feeling genuinely supported — I experienced firsthand. Afterwards, I just knew: I wanted to help other women feel this prepared, this supported, and this powerful.

I trained with Developing Doulas in 2016 and I’ve never looked back. Since then, I’ve supported over 100 families across Brighton, Hove, Lewes, Worthing, Shoreham and the wider East Sussex area.

“Dina made the transfer feel safe rather than scary. I knew we were still in control.”

One birth that really stayed with me was supporting 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.

That’s what I do: I help families feel grounded, prepared, and capable — no matter what happens.