Privacy Policy
The Nostalgic Doula
Last updated: 2 November 2026
1. Introduction
At The Nostalgic Doula, your privacy matters to me.
I understand that pregnancy, birth and early parenthood can involve sharing personal, sometimes sensitive information. Whether you're browsing my website, exploring your options, booking a service or working with me directly, I treat your information with care and respect.
This privacy policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and protect it, and the choices and rights you have.
I handle personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable UK data protection legislation.
2. Who is responsible for your information?
The Nostalgic Doula is operated by Sarah Drawwater, an independent, self-employed doula and antenatal educator based in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.
For the purposes of data protection legislation, I am the data controller for personal information collected and used in connection with my services, except where another organisation is independently responsible for its own processing.
Contact details
Sarah Drawwater
The Nostalgic Doula
Email: Sarah@TheNostalgicDoula.co.uk
Website: www.thenostalgicdoula.co.uk
Business correspondence address: 57 Whytefield Road, Ramsey, PE26 1AH
3. What information do I collect?
Depending on how you interact with my website or services, I may collect:
Personal and contact information
Your name, email address, telephone number and relevant contact details.
Your address or location where necessary to arrange home visits.
Information provided through enquiry forms, booking forms, questionnaires or correspondence.
Pregnancy, birth and family information
Your estimated due date, birth preferences and previous birth experiences.
Information about your pregnancy, health or circumstances that you choose to share.
Information about your partner, baby or family where relevant to the support you request.
Notes relating to our meetings and the support I provide.
Some of this information may be classed as special category personal data, particularly information relating to health. I only collect and use this where there is a genuine reason to do so and an appropriate lawful basis and additional data protection condition apply.
Booking and payment information
Services or products purchased.
Appointment dates and booking details.
Payment status, transaction references and invoice information.
Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. I do not intentionally collect or store complete payment card details myself.
Website and technical information
Information about how visitors use my website, such as pages viewed, approximate location, browser or device information and referral sources.
Cookies and similar technologies used for website functionality and analytics.
Communications
Emails, messages, enquiries and other correspondence you send to me.
Your communication preferences and, where applicable, your marketing consent.
4. How do I collect your information?
I may receive information:
Directly from you through website forms, emails, telephone calls, WhatsApp or conversations.
When you book an appointment, purchase a product or enrol on a course.
Through questionnaires or agreements completed before or during our work together.
Automatically through website cookies and analytics.
From another person or professional where you have authorised them to share relevant information, or where another lawful basis permits the disclosure.
You can browse much of my website without identifying yourself.
5. Why do I use your information?
I use personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and answer questions.
Arrange and provide doula support, antenatal education and related services.
Manage bookings, agreements, invoices and payments.
Provide access to online courses, educational resources and purchased products.
Communicate with you before, during and after our work together.
Maintain appropriate records of the services provided.
Improve my website, resources and services.
Meet legal, tax, accounting and other regulatory obligations.
Send marketing communications where I have an appropriate lawful basis to do so.
I do not sell your personal information.
6. My lawful bases for using personal information
Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on:
Contract: Where processing is necessary to provide a service you have booked or to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement.
Legitimate interests: Where processing is reasonably necessary to manage my business, respond to enquiries, maintain appropriate records, protect my services or improve the website, provided your rights and interests are not overridden.
Legal obligation: Where information must be retained or processed to comply with legal requirements, including accounting and taxation.
Consent: Where you have freely agreed to a particular use of your information, such as certain marketing communications or optional cookies.
Special category information
Where I process health-related or other special category information, I also need a separate condition under Article 9 of UK GDPR.
Where appropriate, I may ask for your explicit consent to process sensitive information for the purpose of providing personalised support. If another lawful condition applies, I will identify and rely on that condition instead.
You are not required to share more sensitive information than is reasonably necessary for the support you are requesting.
If I rely on your explicit consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn, or information that must be retained under another applicable lawful basis.
7. Enquiries, bookings and client records
When you contact me about a service, I use the information you provide to respond to your enquiry and discuss the support available.
If you book a service, I may retain relevant booking information, agreements, correspondence and session notes.
These records help me provide consistent, personalised support and maintain an accurate record of our professional relationship.
I take reasonable steps to ensure that information is relevant, accurate, securely stored and accessible only to those who have a legitimate reason to access it.
I do not routinely share personal details about clients with other birthworkers or healthcare professionals without an appropriate lawful basis.
8. Online courses, Birth Prep In A Box and educational resources
My website may provide access to antenatal education, hypnobirthing materials, Birth Prep In A Box resources and online courses.
When you register for or purchase these services, I may process information needed to:
Create or manage your access.
Confirm your purchase or enrolment.
Provide course materials and updates relating to your purchase.
Respond to questions or technical problems.
Maintain records of purchases and course access.
Third-party website, course or payment platforms may process information on my behalf or act as independent data controllers, depending on their role.
Their own privacy policies may also apply.
9. The Find Your Support quiz
My website includes an interactive Service Finder designed to help visitors explore which services might suit their circumstances and preferences.
The quiz asks questions about the type of support you are looking for, your preferences, location and budget.
Your answers are used to generate suggested services.
The quiz does not require you to provide your name, email address or telephone number.
The quiz is currently hosted using Google Apps Script and displayed within my website.
The quiz is not designed to create a permanent client record or automatically send your answers to me.
If you choose to share your results with me through WhatsApp, the message may contain your answers and recommendations. That information will then be processed as part of our correspondence, and WhatsApp's own privacy arrangements will also apply.
Quiz recommendations are intended as general guidance and do not constitute medical advice or an assessment of your health.
10. Payments and purchases
When you purchase products or services through my website, information necessary to complete and manage the transaction may be shared with the relevant payment processor.
This may include your name, contact details, billing information, purchase details and payment status.
Payment providers process card information through their own secure systems and may act as independent data controllers for some activities.
Payment providers used: Stripe & Paypal
I retain relevant transaction and accounting records where required by law.
11. Appointment scheduling
I may use an online scheduling service to arrange consultations, antenatal appointments and other bookings.
When you make an appointment, the scheduling provider may collect your name, contact details, appointment preferences and any additional information you submit.
Current scheduling provider: Acuity
Appointment information is used to manage bookings, send confirmations and reminders, and communicate about appointments.
12. Emails, WhatsApp and other communications
You may choose to communicate with me by email, telephone, WhatsApp or another agreed method.
I use these communications to respond to enquiries, organise appointments and provide ongoing support.
WhatsApp and other third-party messaging services operate under their own privacy policies and may process certain information outside the United Kingdom.
Although I take care when discussing personal matters, no ordinary electronic communication method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Where particularly sensitive information is involved, we can discuss a suitable way to share it.
13. Marketing communications
I may introduce optional email updates or newsletters in the future.
These might include information about services, courses, new resources, availability or relevant events.
Where consent is required, I will only send marketing emails if you have actively agreed to receive them.
Where UK electronic marketing rules permit another lawful approach, I will ensure the relevant conditions are met.
You will be able to unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time, normally using an unsubscribe link or by contacting me directly.
Choosing not to receive marketing will not affect your access to services you have purchased.
I will not add you to a general marketing mailing list simply because you have contacted me or booked a service.
14. Cookies and website analytics
My website is hosted by Squarespace.
Squarespace may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, security, performance and analytics.
I currently use Squarespace Analytics to understand general website activity, such as visitor numbers and which pages are viewed.
This helps me understand how people use the website and identify areas for improvement.
Some cookies are essential for the website to operate. Other cookies, including certain analytics cookies, may require your consent before they are placed or accessed.
Where consent is required, you should be able to accept or reject optional cookies through the website's cookie controls.
You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings.
For more information about cookies used by Squarespace, please see its published cookie information.
Additional tracking tools: I do not currently use Google Analytics or Meta Pixel for website analytics or advertising tracking.
This section will be updated if my use of tracking technologies changes.
15. Who might I share information with?
I may use trusted third-party services to operate my website and business, including:
Squarespace for website hosting, online sales and related services.
Google services for email, documents, forms, website features or business administration.
Appointment scheduling providers.
Payment processing providers.
WhatsApp or other communications platforms.
Professional accounting or administrative services where necessary.
These providers may process personal information to deliver their services.
Where a provider acts as a processor on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.
I may also disclose information where required by law, to protect someone's vital interests in an emergency, or where another lawful basis permits or requires disclosure.
I do not share client information with third parties for their own unrelated marketing purposes.
16. International transfers
Some technology providers I use may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally and UK data protection law requires safeguards, I rely on appropriate arrangements, such as UK adequacy regulations or recognised contractual safeguards.
These arrangements are intended to ensure that personal information continues to receive an appropriate level of protection.
17. How I protect your information
I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
These may include password-protected accounts, access controls, secure service providers and limiting access to information where appropriate.
I aim to collect only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
Although I take privacy and security seriously, no internet-based system or electronic communication can be guaranteed to be entirely risk-free.
18. How long do I keep your information?
I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including applicable legal, accounting and professional obligations.
Different types of information may need to be retained for different periods.
For example:
Enquiries: Information may be retained for a limited period to allow me to respond and follow up appropriately.
Client records: Relevant agreements, correspondence and support notes may be retained for an appropriate period following the end of our professional relationship.
Financial records: Relevant accounting and tax records are generally retained for the period required by HMRC and applicable legislation.
Marketing information: Contact details may be retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or they are no longer needed, subject to any limited suppression records needed to respect your preferences.
When information is no longer needed, I will take reasonable steps to securely delete it or anonymise it.
19. Your data protection rights
Under UK data protection legislation, you may have the right to:
Be informed about how your personal information is used.
Request access to the personal information I hold about you.
Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected.
Request deletion of your information in certain circumstances.
Ask me to restrict how your information is used.
Object to certain types of processing.
Receive certain information in a portable format.
Withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis for processing.
Be protected against certain solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects.
These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions.
If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please email:
I may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.
I will normally respond within one calendar month, as required by UK GDPR, although the law allows extensions in certain circumstances.
20. Children's information
My services are primarily intended for expectant parents, parents and adult birthworkers.
I may receive information about babies or children where this is relevant to the support I provide to a parent or family.
I treat children's personal information with particular care and only process it where there is an appropriate lawful basis.
My website is not intended to encourage children to submit personal information independently.
21. Links to other websites
My website contains links to external websites, educational resources, professional organisations and third-party services.
These websites have their own privacy practices and policies.
I am not responsible for the privacy practices of websites operated by other organisations, and I encourage you to read their privacy information when visiting them.
22. Changes to this policy
I may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes to my services, website, technology providers or legal requirements.
The latest version will be published on this page, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.
23. Questions or complaints
If you have any questions or concerns about how I use your personal information, please contact me first so that I can look into the matter.
Email: Sarah@TheNostalgicDoula.co.uk
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
You do not need to contact me before raising a concern with the ICO, although I would welcome the opportunity to address any questions directly.