About Me
My Story
Who am I and why am I a midwife?
These are some of the things people often want to know and ask when deciding if I am the right fit for them.
So, buckle up and enjoy hearing about my journey!
Unlike many other midwives I was not “called” to the world of midwifery. I did not always want to be one, I did not grow up in a medical household, and it was not something I pretended to be as a child…..in fact when I told my mum (at the ripe age of 30) I was going to train as a midwife she was shocked and said “but you don’t like blood and yucky stuff!”
So how did I get to this point!
Well, it all started with a pregnancy… as so many mothers’ journeys do!
I have two children, one boy and one girl.
My son's birth story
My son made his entrance into the world on a hot July day following a two-day induction of labour for impaired glucose tolerance (this is now called gestational diabetes) , with pessaries and hands in and out of my vagina, breaking of my waters (which by the way, shot out and covered the midwife performing the ARM….she had to change her scrubs!).
What followed next was the typical induction experience: a syntocinon drip, and then an epidural, which I would have given my first born away to have provided, and finally a “decision” at 7cm that I was “failing to progress!” URGH, and eventually this beautiful boy was born via an emergency Caesarean section at 39 weeks and 6 days.
My daughter's birth story
My daughter was born three years later. This was a very different experience.
I was a high risk: VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) PLUS I had “gestational diabetes” AND I had a high BMI (Body mass index)
So I went into spontaneous labour at 39+4; my waters broke at home whilst I was sitting on the floor first thing in the morning playing with my son. My husband and I went into the hospital later that afternoon and I was contracting regularly. I was armed with my husband and my mum and an attitude that said “Don’t mess with me”.
And after some fun and games with CTG’s and more vaginal examinations, I laboured better this time, and with only Pethidine and Entonox, this little pocket rocket was born vaginally in the early hours of the next morning, despite me begging for an epidural and telling anyone who would listen I couldn’t do it and I might as well have another Caesarean – I was in transition, and thankfully the midwife realised this and knew I could, and did, do it.
So, what’s this got to do with wanting to be a midwife?!
Well for both these experiences I received disjointed care never seeing the same midwife, not knowing anyone.
Now don’t get me wrong, some of the care was pretty good and caring, but a lot was quite dismissive and tried to exclude me from decisions about my own care, or I was treated like I was an idiot and incapable of understanding choices.
Even after giving birth, the care and support was minimal. I struggled with breastfeeding both times and I was left alone to navigate my way through. It sucked but I was lucky to have had good mum friends and my mum for help. We all survived.
While my daughter was still very young and I was still home with both the children I was pondering as to “what next” – I couldn’t afford childcare to return to my old job and I wasn’t even sure that that was a forever job anyway!
And then one day, as lots of mums do, I was hanging out at a local playground with the kiddies and bumped into another mum I knew and we got chatting.
She happened to be a maternity support worker, and I happened to have taught her children to swim (in another lifetime), and she said to me “You know you’d make a great midwife!” and I thought “Well I can’t be worse than some of those midwives I had experienced”, and so the seed had been planted.
I decided women deserved better and I wanted to be there, helping to put them at the centre of their own pregnancy and birth, giving them access to the evidence available, so they are able to make informed choices for themselves about their care, and be supported throughout. To treat them like the adults they are.
So, I went back to school and uni and here we are!
I have worked in maternity care since 2010. I started this career in a busy London hospital on the postnatal ward, a lot of this role was providing feeding support. I have been privileged to have gleaned experience and expertise in a variety of roles across a spectrum of different areas of midwifery. And now I am able to work with the freedom to support women and families outside of the NHS system.
My approach and what I can offer you
I have never loved my job more than I do now. The best part is building deep and caring relationships with all the women and families who entrust me to join them in their journeys, sharing my knowledge in a way which is understandable and friendly, with a dash of humour and the occasional analogy. I want you to feel safe, heard and respected.
As an experienced midwife I am confident with supporting birth: at home, in a pool, in a hospital setting, if you want an epidural, if you want a hypnobirth, or if you are planning an elective caesarean section, as long as you have all the information you need and are happy with your choices, I will be there with you to walk your very special journey.
As an infant feeding expert I am an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I have an excellent record for supporting women who choose to breastfeed exclusively, and can also advise and support with a variety of other feeding methods and choices.
My support, advice and care is non-judgemental; I will find out from you what you hope to achieve and what matters most is what works best for you and your family.
As a qualified Tongue-Tie practitioner I am registered with the Association of Tongue Tie Practitioners (ATP). I am able to identify if your baby might have any oral restrictions which could impact your feeding journey. I will provide a full assessment where I will discuss, review and consider all the factors from pregnancy to birth and what’s happened with your feeding journey thus far which may be impacting your baby’s ability to be feeding well.
You can make an informed decision about the best steps for your baby, whether that’s to refer you to other health care practitioners who can offer body work on your baby, or if it would be beneficial I am able to divide the frenulum to increase tongue function and mobility.
So what are you waiting for ...?
Qualifications & accreditations
- Bachelor of Science (Hons) with registration to practice in midwifery – Kings College London
- Diploma in Hypnobirthing and full member of KGHypnobirthing
- Certified 3 Step Rewind Birth Trauma Practitioners
- Regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Royal College of Nurses member
- Royal College of Midwives member
- Fully insured with indemnity and public liability insurance
- IBCLC accredited
- Tongue-Tie Practitioner registered with ATP