Labour & birth
Birth care
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At home
I provide on call cover for homebirth 24 hours a day, from week 37 until delivery. All necessary equipment is provided for delivery. I have a tens machine and a small or large birthing ball you can borrow and can give you advice if you want to hire or buy a pool - there is a huge range to choose from ! Water is a fabulous form of support in labour, both non-invasive and comforting. If you wish to have gas and air at home, I can also arrange for this to be available.
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In hospital
Currently, in the UK, we cannot care for you as midwives within the hospital setting. We may however attend the hospital as a birth supporter or advocate. Cover is provided in the same way as for a homebirth.
Homebirth after caesarean section
Around 75% of women who have had a previous Caesarean Section give birth naturally with their next baby. The risk of a scar re-opening is very low - less than 1%. I am happy to discuss your individual circumstances and book for a homebirth in almost all cases.
Too risky for homebirth?
The NICE guidelines advocate homebirth for women considered to be low risk. However there are women who may not fall into this ‘low risk’ category and feel absolutely clear that they will not go to hospital to birth their baby. These may be women who has a previous (or more) section, whose baby lies breech, has twins etc. I have cared for women in these and other categories. My prime feeling is no woman should feel so coerced into a certain route of care that she ceases to trust the very people who should be providing her care in exceptional circumstances.
If this applies to you, please don’t consider birthing without a midwife – speak to an Independent Midwife or phone your local NHS unit and ask for the on call Supervisor of Midwives to discuss your care. There are some areas in the UK, where NHS staff are very good at covering these higher risk cases in the low risk way the woman may wish for, but Independent Midwives are often turned to in this situation as they are well able to think outside the box about how care could be delivered as safely as possible. Midwives have a duty of care to provide safe midwifery care to all women - we cannot opt out; and independent midwives will offer you plenty of information for you to make informed, unpressurised choices.
