I thought I would write a little series of what postnatal care typically looks like with an Independent Midwife, starting with day 1, the day after the homebirth. This usually takes place with you in bed, I recommend to everyone during pregnancy that you call in all your favours in the first week (at least) after having a baby to get as much support with housework, sibling entertainment and food. All so that you can adjust to what has happened in the birth. You have birthed a human and you probably haven’t taken your eyes off them long enough to sleep more than 10 minutes. I mean I don’t blame ..read more

Bringing a new life into the world is a profoundly transformative experience, and choosing the right care provider is paramount. As an independent midwife serving the Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham regions in the UK, I'm here to empower women on their journey towards a safe and personalized home birth. Why Choose an Independent Midwife? 1. Personalized Care: When you opt for an independent midwife, you're choosing individualized care tailored to your unique needs and preferences. Unlike the one-size-fits-all approach often found in hospital settings, I believe that every pregnancy and birth i ..read more

“I feel so blessed to have had Sarah as my midwife. The time she took to get to know me and my family made such a difference. It's hard to fully put into words how important Sarah's care was. Current maternity services are difficult and terrifying to navigate, especially when your gut feelings are different to the rigid guidelines you feel pressured to adhere to or "you're putting your baby at risk". Sarah provided support and space to discover for myself what I needed to do to birth my baby. It felt like a big deal to be fully trusted to make your own decisions about your pregnancy and birth ..read more

It's been 4.5years since I became independent and nearly 10 since I started the crazy journey of midwifery as a fresh faced student midwife! I came into midwifery wanting to be a part of the amazing process of growing a baby, I wanted to understand birth and I quickly realised how the main work of being a midwife is serving women and their families. But as I think many of us do, I quickly became drawn in by the status of being a midwife as it's a role seen by society as a heroic job. Being there supporting families through the best and worst of times. When I started finding that I was getting ..read more

✨An amazing client laboured through the whole weekend to give birth in her bath on Tuesday morning for the first time to her daughter ?❤️ ✨Got to come downstairs to the beautiful @_regeneratrix_ who had been holding space for the birth and supporting dad, then supported me to ground ?! ✨So grateful for the team around me that could hold me while I supported the new mother ✨??? I feel very lucky The most magical day ? ✨Did a first day postnatal visit and their NIPE check at home, mainly while she was being cuddled by dad ✨Dropped off clinical waste and placenta to the community hospital and got ..read more

Some amazing recipes from @thefirstfortydays book tried and tested by the newest baby's family this week. And these nutty chocolate ones get a rave review for middle of the night breastfeeding snacks. The first fourty days nutty chocolate energy bites New babies definitely love to party and drink all night long so night time snacking is essential. But I can definitely say that this newest family I have been visiting has moved out of survival mode and into thriving mode. Not completely thanks to chocolate, but I definitely think that has helped. (Also, did you know cacao is amazing for boosti ..read more

"I had both my babies at home, both journeys started in pregnancy and were completely transformational. I never believed I would give birth vaginally before I first got pregnant. I wasn't strong enough, I don't like pain, I was afraid... When I actually started reading about physiological birth it blew my mind. Why had I never been taught any of this information?  I had a planned home birth with my first baby and it took about 20 hours from start to finish. I didn't have any pain relief apart from a birth pool, no tearing and I felt completely in control and confident throughout the pushi ..read more

✨Oxytocics✨ Syntometrine and Syntocinon are both part of my birth kit as a way of managing postnatal blood loss. However this whole batch is going in the sharps box as they have all expired. I very rarely end up using synthetic oxytocin at home births because there is so much natural oxytocin flowing that it's not needed! ✨ #homebirth #birthkit #syntocinon #pitocin #independentmidwife ..read more

This birth was so special because the grandparents were supporting this birth by looking after the older siblings and getting them into bed while this mum could relax into the labour and allow the baby to come with her partner by her side and sorting out the pool etc. Then as soon as she was ready when the baby had come, big sister came in to meet her little sister ?. It was such a magic moment. Big brother was fast asleep upstairs and got a shock the next morning to find his little sister had arrived during the night. Getting this kind of support is so helpful, the grandparents were so respe ..read more

I'm really starting to realise that I have a big part in creating the reality I am in. The more I look for something the more I will see it, this is true of seeing the colour green, flowers, positive phrases and things to be grateful for. People weren't kidding when they said it was a practice though! It is more effort than I thought and it does help having positive people around me. Like all things, as in life, so in birth. The best way to prep for the birth you want and the experience you want is to practice. If you want to trust your intuition and instincts then practice this every day. If ..read more