Birth Story 15

Our Story

I turned to independent midwifery as a first-time mum looking for extra support in the lead up to the birth of my daughter. As somehow who isn’t too crazy about hospitals, I was interested in exploring the possibility of a home birth, and as a Canadian in London without any family close by, I was also looking for extra support for the postnatal period. Above all, I was looking for continuity of care throughout, and it was clear after my first NHS appointments that the public service would not be able to provide this. My husband and I engaged Leonie in January, before we had even heard of coronavirus! As it turned out, the late stages of my pregnancy coincided with the first lockdown and we were so glad to have her support. I was able to continue with regular appointments at home, which provided much peace of mind and sense of normalcy at an otherwise stressful time.

My husband and I were impressed by her warmth from the beginning. I was most hesitant to go independent out of concern that NHS Doctors and Midwives would be uncomfortable or uncooperative with the situation. I felt encouraged that she had years of experience working for the NHS, and had also attended many births at Lewisham Hospital (my local) as a private midwife. I also got the strong sense that Leonie shared my values about the birth and would help me to feel strong and confident through the process.

My pregnancy was relaxed and even enjoyable overall, despite the craziness of lockdown. Leonie visited regularly, was always ready to answer my questions on WhatsApp, and took phone calls at odd hours when I suspected something was wrong. She encouraged me to trust my instincts and coached me on advocating for myself.

In the end, a home birth was off the table for me for medical reasons, and the Birth Centre at Lewisham was reluctant to take me on. Leonie helped arrange calls with various hospital personnel to see what could be done but in the end, with a baby more than two weeks overdue, I chose to be induced and eventually gave birth to my daughter via emergency C-section. When by chance Leonie needed to stay away and get tested for coronavirus, she drew on her network to have another wonderful midwife, Rene, who visited me at home in the first week. Breastfeeding support was indispensable which was incredibly helpful and reassuring to have her come by several times in the first few weeks to check on myself and my daughter.

I would have loved a home birth and can imagine that Leonie really shines when she is able to take women through the process from beginning to end. Although this didn’t happen for me, Leonie did her best to support me under the circumstance, going over and beyond with pre- and post-natal services. I looked forward to every visit and appreciated the extra time and effort she made for me in the weeks after the birth when I was struggling with the C-section blues. I would recommend her to anyone seeking a positive and personal birth experience, attended by a private midwife who takes the time to know you and really care.