Who am I?

I’m a mum of 5

First and foremost, I’m a mum - I am very grateful to have one beautiful boy and four (very) feisty little girls (they got it from their mama)! And let me tell you, it has been quite the journey navigating pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum and motherhood and all the highs and lows that come along with it! Whilst my personal birth and motherhood experiences are pretty much irrelevant to you and your birth - what those experiences and my own preparation have provided me with are wisdom and insight particularly around the challenges faced within the modern maternity system and the need for real solid support in pregnancy, for birth and way beyond.

I was clueless and fearful too

I’m not kidding when I say I was clueless going into my first birth! I had a vision of a calm drug free vaginal birth and that is NOT what I got. I now realise that doing zero prep to make that vision come true did not serve me well. I don’t believe we are to blame when our birth doesn’t go the way we want it to, but I strongly believe we have the power to stack the odds in our favour with good support and better understanding of how birth works, the choices we have and the power we hold.

I discovered my power - and it was mainly down to luck!

When I had my second baby, I found out that despite my first birth, actually I DO HAVE THE POWER to give birth the way I wanted to. And it all happened by accident - but this sparked a curiosity in me about the physiological process of birth and its impact on postpartum recovery, what we can do to influence the course our birth takes, and the barriers we might be faced with that prevent us from birthing in our power.

I got obsessed

In preparation for my third, and not wanting to rely on luck this time, I immersed myself in the ‘birth world’ and my goodness my eyes were opened WIDE! I learned so much about myself, about how powerful we are, what we and our babies are capable of and the importance of preparation, mindset and good support. On the flip side, I also learned a lot about the barriers to birthing in our power within modern maternity systems and it ignited a real fire in me to show others that they can and should expect better!

I am not a midwife

My role is entirely different from that of a midwife, and that’s a good thing! I don’t provide clinical care and am not here to replace your midwife (if you choose to see one). This means I can focus solely on providing emotional, physical and informational support tailored to your wants, needs and boundaries, Without the constraints of ‘the system’ I can support and hold space for your unique journey ensuring you feel deeply supported.

I am opinionated

I am opinionated about the state of established maternity services, and I will not hide those opinions - too many are left traumatised by a broken system. I believe an important part of ‘birth work’ is ACTIVISM and for me this looks like challenging the status quo - both through official channels and openly online, raising awareness and helping others understand the barriers they may face and the choices they have.

However…

What I am not opinionated about is the choices you make for YOUR BIRTH! Birthing by caesarean, in hospital, at home, on your own in the middle of a field - your choice! My only objective is to support and guide you to make decisions that truly feel right for you, your family and your baby. Decisions that don’t come from fear, lack of understanding or coercion - but from a place of confidence, clarity and empowerment.

Finally

As a birth worker I am deeply committed to supporting safety, freedom and autonomy for ALL BIRTHING PEOPLE and I believe we all have a responsibility to speak out and take action against systems of oppression - both here and in the wider world. This includes the ongoing genocide in Palestine and other parts of the world. Whilst of course we won’t be sitting around chatting about genocide in your birth space, you will regularly see and hear me use my voice to advocate for human rights and freedom for all people as well as raising awareness, fundraising and campaigning - if this doesn’t resonate or if you feel uncomfortable seeing posts of this nature, unfortunately I’m not the right birth worker for you!