Hertfordshire Independent Midwifery Practice

What does independent care look like with us?

I AM CURRENTLY NOT OFFERING LABOUR CARE.

Scans and blood tests (if you choose to accept them) can be accessed through the NHS, or we can arrange them privately for you.

I belive my job is to offer you information if you want it and to 100% support your decisoons with a robust plan for all eventualities that you are happy with.

Antenatal Care

• Antenatal visits (schedule to be arranged with you) to check on both yours and your and baby's wellbeing until birth. These are flexible, unhurried and can be increased if needed, at times to suit you.   What I do not know or cannot answer, I can find out.  If I am away or off sick I do my best to have you meet the other midwife who is on call for you so you can check that you are happy with them. Over the course of full pregnancy care, this usually covers a minimum of 7 antenatal visits if you already have children, or 10 if this is your first baby.

• 24 hour telephone support from 36 weeks.   9-5 telephone support until then.

• Loan of books on relevant subjects if required

• Loan of a pool if planning a homebirth.  I have "Birth Pool in a Box" brand pools with all the consumables needed (liner, connectors, air pump, water pump, tarpaulin, hose, circuit breaker etc).

Intrapartum Care - CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE

• Attendance at your birth.  We bring gas and air, and the same equipment and drugs as a local NHS midwife would bring.  If suturing is required, we can suture simple tears (or leave to heal naturally - always your decision) at home with local anaesthetic and gas and air.

• We will notify the birth for you which obtains an NHS number for baby. This is a legal requirement.

• I choose not to work with clients who do not want the birth notified.

Postnatal care.  

• Home visits, to space out by end of first and second week up until 4 weeks as long as all is well and baby has regained birthweight and feeding is well established (rough visit pattern estimate day 1, 5, 10,14, 21 & 28 as long as you are not in hospital), though this is flexible and can be more often for feeding support or if you feel you need some support or input.

• Feeding support however you choose to feed your baby.

• Newborn Examination at home if accepted (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-tests-for-you-and-your-baby/eyes-heart-hips-and-testes-physical-examination)

• Newborn Blood Spot Screening at home if accepted (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/newborn-blood-spot-screening-programme-supporting-publications)

• Weight Checks 

• Placenta encapsulation if required.

I am a homebirth midwife, and so will only take clients who at booking are planning a homebirth - of course if situations change we will still support you if your place of birth needs to change. I am available for antenatal and/or postnatal care regardless of where you choose to birth your baby.

I welcome enquiries from as early as you wish. I am also sometimes happy to take clients later into their pregnancy, although we do tend to book up quite quickly. One of the delights of independent midwifery (and one of the things that I would say make us safer) is a good working rapport and understanding of each other, and that is harder to achieve later on. I will always suggest meeting up for a cup of coffee first to ensure we are all happy with each other.

I can usually accomodate a payment plan, just let me know.