Mother's Journey

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FAQs

The following section hopefully answers the most frequently asked questions asked by mums-to-be.
If you don’t find an answer to the questions you have then please email me.

The following section hopefully answers the most frequently asked questions asked by mums-to-be. If you don’t find an answer to the questions you have then please email me.

What happens if I book care but then I have a miscarriage?
I am mindful that this would be a very a sad time for you and I will do all I can to communicate with you in a sensitive way. Please see my refund schedule which is on the website. This goes through all the different scenarios and explains how much refund you are entitled to, I am not here to profit from your loss, and you will only pay for the care you have received.
I personally don’t believe that women are statistics. I have been working in Maternity care since 2010 and have been qualified as a Midwife since 2015. I have worked on labour ward, the birth centre and in the community in the NHS and have been responsible for many births in each of these settings. I have worked in independent practice since 2018 and attended and supported births at home and in a Hospital setting as well as supporting one of my local Hospitals with their homebirth service since 2022 (where possible). I am VERY happy to talk all day long about birth and any concerns you may have. I count peoples experiences not numbers of birth. But if you want a guess-timation then I’ve probably attended/supported close to 200 births as an independent midwife.
Yes, you can normally change your package at any time by contacting me to discuss this. If you cancel the birth element of your package after I have commenced on call for you, some charges will apply.

I am very experienced and trained to a high standard and regulated by the appropriate professional body. This is the NMC in the UK. I have full appropriate Professional Indemnity Insurance for all elements of the care offered- Please see qualifications and accreditations.

Normally, antenatal visits are in your own home. Ultrasound scans cannot be performed at home so these will be at your local hospital or a private clinic.
Visits are ordinarily arranged Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm however it may be possible to arrange some of your care to happen in an evening and weekend so that your partner can be more involved.
As per our contract I will be on call from 37 weeks of pregnancy. If labour starts before this, I may still be able to accompany to you to the hospital, but this cannot be guaranteed. If I am not available, I will try to identify another midwife to accompany you (where possible). Please refer to my refund schedule as this goes through all possible scenarios.
Technically, you are not “over-due” until after 42 weeks of pregnancy. At about 41 weeks I will talk with you about options and choices. I will give you information so you feel able to make your own choice about what is best for you. I will not pressurise you to do anything you are uncomfortable with. I continue your antenatal care until your baby arrives (where feasibly possible), there is no additional charge.
I understand that this may be an upsetting or unexpected situation. If you have booked a homebirth and need or choose to be induced I will consider your individual circumstances, usually I will offer you support and guidance through the early stages of induction, and then will join you in the Hospital once you let me know you are in labour. All of these scenarios are covered in my refund schedule document. Helping you to receive the safest care for you and your baby is important and ensuring you receive the care and respect you need.

Please talk to me about your specific circumstances. I would be pleased to share my clinical guidance and experience with you. I will aim to support all your birth choices where I can.

Normally, you can still book a home birth with me if you have a medical condition or have other health related concerns. I can talk to you about possible plans and options for your specific circumstances so you can make an evidence based informed choice about your care and birth.

Short answer is Yes. 

I recommend that your notes from your caesarean birth are reviewed and explained to you so that you have all the available information to make an informed choice. If you have a copy of these, we can go through them and if needed we can book an appointment with the Hospital to discuss these with either the Obstetric team or the Consultant Midwife.

If I have agreed to care for you for your pregnancy and birth, then I guarantee I will NOT book a holiday during you “Due” period- this is 37-42 weeks gestation, to ensure I will be available to be with you throughout. If I am unavailable due to unexpected circumstances, I will ask a supporting midwife to attend you, where possible I will arrange for you to meet them in advance.

Please contact me straight away to talk about this. I will work with you to try and find a solution we are happy with.
Yes, I offer a number of payment options as long as the full balance is paid by 36 weeks of pregnancy.
I ask for payments to be made by bank transfer. The details are in your booking contract. If you are paying on a payment plan, this should be detailed in your booking contract.
If your plans change, I understand that this may be upsetting for you. The first priority is to make sure you and baby are being cared for appropriately. I will continue to be with you to provide care and support to you even once in the Hospital. Please refer to the refund schedule for explanation and scenarios.
If you are booking midwifery care with me, you are asking me to be responsible for providing you with care. Wherever possible, I will accommodate your needs and wishes. I am very skilled in facilitating a positive birth environment and not interrupting you. I keep interventions to a minimum and can sit quietly in the room and not disturb you, other than to undertake some observations of you and your baby. Being outside the room and only entering if called is not something I would feel comfortable with. Part of my skill is to observe and notice any changes, I am an expert in normality and physiological birth and will respect this and your choices, however sometimes birth deviates from normal and I have a duty of care to offer you advise and recommendations. Hopefully by the time you are in labour and ready to give birth we will have built a relationship of mutual trust. If your choice is to birth without a midwife in the room, I would advise a doula or birth keeper may be more appropriate for you.

I will do all I can to support you during this time. It may be that you want to change your package of care. Please discuss this with me and we can arrange this. 

You will only be charged for the care you have received and any surplus will be refunded to you. 

Yes of course. Please tell me as soon as you can if you think this is an option, so I can ensure I have the necessary equipment with me for a home birth and can arrange for a 2nd midwife or birth attendant for your birth. If you think this may be an option for you it is ideal to make this decision before 36 weeks. 

Yes, I can. There will be additional costs for this. Please discuss this with me and I can provide you with a quote.
I ask that you pay me directly and claim back the money yourself. I will help you with the relevant paperwork needed for your claim.
I ensure that I am fully available for you from 37 weeks until the baby is born. This may not be until 42+ weeks. The same price applies. I do not charge extra for prolonged pregnancy. I do not refund if the baby arrives at 37 weeks.
I will talk about labour preparation, options, choices and make a birth plan with you if you wish. If you are looking for a group parent education class or hypnobirthing, I am able to signpost you to this.
All packages come with 4 weeks postnatal care. I am a fully qualified and insured IBCLC lactation consultant and Tongue tie practitioner and have excellent feeding outcomes. I believe it is important to create an individualised feeding plan (if needed) for you and your baby.
Yes of course. Electronic copies are free.

A midwife is a trained health professional who can be involved in providing care to you. They are able to recognise if things are not clinically going well and take appropriate action. Midwifery has a protected function, making it a criminal offence for any person other than a registered midwife, or a registered medical practitioner, to attend on a woman in childbirth (except in emergencies). 

Doulas offer wonderful support to women. They are not trained health care professionals and should not provide any clinical care to you. They should not advise but can support a woman to find balanced information to make informed decisions about maternity care.

I will offer and complete the neonatal blood test on day 5 following birth. If you have a homebirth I will ensure arrangements are made for a hearing test in an outpatient clinic, if your baby is born in Hospital then this is usually offered to you there . I am not trained in the NIPE neonatal examination (the paediatric exam) but work with some other wonderful independent midwives so I can arrange to have this done at home for you if needed. If I am unable to do this for you I will make alternative arrangements for you. This may be with the NHS.