Juno Midwives

✨ B I R T H S T O R Y ✨

👶🏻 👶🏻 sophie’s twin boys arrived earthside in the early hours of 30th july - here’s a snippet of her story!

🏡 i’d planned a home birth, but transferred during labour into the hospital at my request - contractions were back to back with very little respite & i intuitively knew i needed more support

🏥 at hospital i had great care overall from the midwifery, obstetric & anaesthetic team during my labour & birth - being a midwife myself & having worked in the hospital was an advantage for me - i know not everyone receives the respectful care i did within the NHS

👶🏻 the babies were born with the help of forceps in theatre, which was so far removed from the birth i imagined i would have - but i felt as in control as i could be for the decisions that led to their birth

⚖️ they were born at 41+1 weeks (by my dates) & both weighed just over 9lb

🤓 i’d made a few birth plans during pregnancy - a home birth plan, a hospital birth plan & a c-section plan - having these plans & having had in depth discussions with natasha & my partner sam meant that the ‘in the moment’ decision-making was much easier to navigate as i knew what paths i would take if & when things presented themselves in labour

✨ i’m glad i planned a home birth & laboured initially at home with sam & natasha supporting me. i would of course loved to have birthed my babies at home - i’ve witnessed the magic of home births - but that’s not my story (this time 😉) & sometimes medical help is needed to birth our babies & my story shows that that help can be provided respectfully, that women & birthing people can still make their own choices when things aren’t going to plan - but it does require agency, self-advocacy & medical professionals who are willing to listen & who understand & respect human rights in childbirth

👒 and don’t worry - those hats came straight off 😉

🗞️ N E W S L E T T E R 🗞️

did you know we send out a monthly newsletter?

🤓 you can keep up to date with what we’ve been up to, plus get recommendations for useful resources by signing up with the link in the bio

📅 usually the newsletter goes out at the start of month, august’s juno journal is a little delayed as we’ve been busy with babies - there’s still time to sign up - it’ll be hitting inboxes in the next couple of days 🤗

🌷M A R C H 2 0 2 5 🌷

🥳 our books are open for babies due march 2025

💌 DM or email us to find out more about having an independent midwife for your pregnancy, birth & postnatal experience

🚩 H I G H R I S K 🚩

🤰🏻 risk is a spectrum but women & birthing people are generally given a reductive ‘high’ or ‘low’ risk label during pregnancy

⚠️ this risk label impacts the care pathway they are offered (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!) & where they are recommended to give birth

🙇🏾‍♀️ having a risk factor is not a guarantee of an outcome - but it is something to consider & potentially plan for

🏥 there are of course instances where being high risk does mean that planning to birth on a labour ward is the safest thing for a woman and/or the baby - and birthing in hospital may just feel like the safest place for you

🏡 but being given a high risk label should not automatically exclude a woman or birthing person from planning to birth at home or in a midwife-led unit - we need to be providing truly individualised care, looking at the benefits & risks of place of birth related to a persons specific risk considerations

🔗 link in the bio to read the blog

💕 we provide care to women and birthing people, regardless of risk factors & can liaise with the multidisciplinary team within the NHS if needed

📞 we can support you if you’re planning a home birth or provide non-clinical support & advocacy if you’re planning a hospital birth - get in touch today

🔬 G R O U P B S T R E P 🔬

🦠 group b streptococcus (GBS) is a common, normal bacteria that lives in the gut & va**na of 20-40% women & birthing people

🧫 most of the time it lives there quite happily, causing no dramas, but in rare situations it can be passed on to babies during labour/birth & cause serious infection in newborn babies

🔎 in the UK, women & birthing people are not routinely screened for GBS - so it may be an incidental finding during your pregnancy eg. if you have a swab or a urine sample taken

❓finding out you have GBS will raise some extra questions about your care during labour & the care of your baby after birth - so it is worth getting clued up about what it means & what your options are

🤰🏻need help with your birth plan? looking for dreamy maternity care? get in touch today

🧠 B R A I N 🧠

🙇🏾‍♀️ we regularly signpost women & birthing people to the BRAIN decision making tool as it can be extremely helpful for navigating both the big & the seemingly small decisions that need to be made during pregnancy

😵‍💫 there are SO many decisions to be made - it can all feel a bit overwhelming, plus power imbalances between pregnant folk & healthcare professionals can make it feel like you don’t really have a choice

📣 but babes, you ALWAYS have a choice - we won’t stop shouting about that

🧠 BRAIN stands for: benefits, risks, alternatives, intuition, nothing

🤓 read the blog to see some examples of it being used in action

📞 as always, get in touch if you need support with a birth plan or would like to explore how independent midwifery care can support you to have a positive pregnancy, birth & postnatal experience

✨ B I R T H S P A C E ✨

🌌 oxytocin, our master labour hormone, loves a low-lit, cosy & familiar space - optimising your birth environment helps it to do its job

🏡 pictured is a home birth set up, using:

- low lighting
- candles
- affirmations
- aromatherapy
- pictures / items that bring joy
- cosy spots
- birth pool
- blankets
- fairy lights

🏥 for a hospital birth consider taking the following to make the room feel more your own:

- a familiar pillow / blanket
- eye mask to block out unwanted light
- headphones for your playlist / hypnobirthing tracks
- electric candles / fairy lights
- photos that bring you joy
- affirmation cards
- aromatherapy - a roller ball can be really helpful

💭 a dreamy birth environment is wonderful - BUT more importantly you have to get clued up about how birth works, think about coping strategies, who you want as your birth supporters & what your options & rights are during pregnancy / birth to give yourself the best chance of having a positive birth experience - whatever that looks like to you

📣 want help with a birth plan? delightful pregnancy care? guaranteed access to home birth? support for a hospital birth? give us a shout - we’d love to meet you

🩸 N I P T 🩸

💉 non-invasive prenatal testing involves taking a single blood sample & can be performed as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy

❓it is a screening test, not a diagnostic test - further diagnostic testing via the NHS is recommended if a high probability result is received

🤰🏼screening during pregnancy is a very personal choice, get in touch if you would like to know more about NIPT or head to the website to read more about it

⏰ I N D U C T I O N P T 2 ⏰

💉 did you know there are several methods of inducing labour?

🏥 recently our local trust posted about induction of labour - what was glaringly obvious to us was that any mention of the risks of induction of labour was missing

🙇🏻‍♀️ women & birthing people cannot give their informed consent for induction of labour if they’re not being given the full picture

👩🏾‍⚕️ we do not believe that induction of labour is bad per se - like all interventions in maternity care, there are some really valid medical reasons why one may be recommended (& why it may be preferable to defaulting immediately to a planned c-section)

📈 however we are concerned, like many others, about the increasing rates of induction labour (in england there was a rise from 22% in 2011/12 to 33% 2020/21) without seeing a reduction in stillbirth, but rising rates of birth trauma

😕 we keep hearing of women & birthing people being heavily pressured into having an induction of labour, being told their ‘baby could die’, being told about risks without stats of not having the induction…but not the risks of the induction itself

🔗 this weeks blog looks at the methods offered for induction & what the potential benefits, risks and considerations are for each

📞 if you want support with your birth plan or care that won’t pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do…give us a call!

🌝 J U N O N E W S 🌝

👶🏻👶🏻 sophie’s taking a step back from clinical midwifery care to put her feet up & await the arrival of her own babies

👯‍♀️ whilst she’s got her hands full, our friend & colleague frances will be supporting natasha - a dream team!

📞 we’re otherwise carrying on as normal & still taking bookings - so do get in touch if you’re looking for ✨dreamy✨ relationship based midwifery care, that sees you as the wonder of a human you are!

⏰ I N D U C T I O N ⏰

🤔should you have an induction of labour?

🙇🏽‍♀️ only you can make that choice, but to make an informed choice you need balanced information about the risks & benefits, in relation to your individual context

🔗 link in the bio to read our latest blog about induction of labour

☕️ confused about your options? we offer in-depth birth planning sessions - get in touch to find out more

❤️ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 ❤️

🥳 our books are open for babies due february 2025

💌 DM or send us an email to find out more

🌊 O N E Y E A R A G O 🌊

👶🏻 one year ago today, we had the joy of witnessing baby magnus enter the world in the pool, scooped up instinctively by his incredible mum, lizzie!

🫶 we loved providing care for lizzie & tim - it truly solidified that we had made the right choice in becoming independent midwives

✨ you can read lizzie & tim’s birth story over on our website under ‘birth stories’ or follow the link in our insta stories

☕️ fancy a coffee & a chat about what having an independent midwife can look like for you? get in touch!

💝 P O S T N A T A L P L A N N I N G 💝

💭 have you considered making a postnatal plan?

🤰🏽often when pregnant, there is understandably a big focus on the birth & planning for this…

🤱🏼but making a postnatal plan is just as important as a birth plan; the postnatal period is a huge transition & planning for it can go a long way to ensuring you are able to rest, recover & get to know your new baby

✨ in our latest blog, guided by the five elements of postnatal care described by heng ou in her excellent book, we explore how to plan for after the baby has arrived

🔗 link in the bio to read more & download your free, printable postnatal plan template

🌞 J U N E B A B I E S 🌞

👶🏼 two healthy babies, birthed at opposite ends of the month, to two incredible humans!

🏡 one midwife-led unit planned birth (although babe had other ideas & that’s a story for another time!) & one home birth (with 😍)

✨ we are always in awe of our clients & it is a privilege to be invited to be part of their pregnancy, birth & postnatal journey

⚖️ cute weighing slings made by our talented friend & colleague

🤰🏻it’s set to be a busy summer, but we have availability from october - so do get in touch if you’d like to chat about what independent midwifery can offer you

🏡 H O M E 🏡

🤰🏻we provide all your midwifery care at home - that’s antenatal, labour & birth and postnatal care

📆 care is flexible - you get to choose the day & time of your appointments

🚙 there’s no travelling, stuffy waiting rooms or rushed appointments

🕰️ we have the time to go through all your questions & find out what really matters to you for your pregnancy, birth & postnatal experience

☕️ if this sounds like your cup of tea, get in touch to book a free initial consultation

🫂 P O S T N A T A L C A R E 🫂

🩷 everyone deserves excellent postnatal care

🏥 sadly, fragmented & underfunded maternity care means that for a long time, postnatal care has been substandard for many women, birthing people, their families & their babies.

💔 referred to even in national guidelines as ‘the cinderella service’ of maternity care, postnatal care is not respected or valued by our society

✍️ in this first of two blogs about postnatal care, we look at why postnatal care is so important & has the potential to really make a difference to the lives of new families

💕 we offer 4 weeks of postnatal care as standard in our care packages, standalone postnatal care packages, one-off postnatal appointments & birth debriefs - get in touch if you would like to know more!

✌️ H Y P N O B I R T H I N G ✌️

👩🏼‍💼 kelly from has written a guest blog busting some hypnobirthing myths

🤰🏽 kelly is a local hypnobirthing & antenatal teacher who offers:
- group courses
- 1:1 sessions
- pregnancy relaxation sessions
- bump & baby social events

🪷 hypnobirthing is a great tool to use during pregnancy, birth & into the postnatal period - wherever & however you’re planning to have your baby

💯 we would highly recommend kelly as your no-nonsense guide to all things hypnobirthing

🔗 link in the bio to check out the blog & follow if you don’t already!

…and if you choose us it means choosing midwives who also love a coffee, cake & a good giggle!

🥰 get in touch & let’s have a chat about how we can support you to have a positive pregnancy, birth & postnatal experience

👶🏼 B A B Y O N B O A R D ? 👶🏼

🍂 are you expecting a baby this autumn or winter? we have availability from october onwards

💖 we take on a small caseload to ensure we can provide flexible, individualised & unhurried care to women & birthing people who book with us

🏡 we provide antenatal care, guaranteed access to homebirth, non-clinical in person support for planned hospital births (including planned caesarean births) & postnatal care

🫂 choosing an independent midwife is an investment in yourself & your birth experience - you’ll get personalised, holistic, respectful & unhurried care plus all the benefits of true continuity of carer

👩🏻‍💻 check out our care package options on our website for more details or get in touch to book a free, no strings attached initial consultation to find out more

💦 W A T E R B I R T H 💦

💦 there are several benefits to labouring & birthing in water including:

- reduced need for regional a**lgesia (epidural)
- more likely to have a spontaneous va**nal birth
- less likely to have your labour sped up with a drip
- lower rates of episiotomy
- more likely to be satisfied with the birth experience

🤰🏼some women & birthing people choose to labour & birth in the pool, some will only labour & get out to birth or some will hop in just for the birth (often when a baby is coming quickly & the wish was for a pool birth!)

💦 it won’t be for everyone - some will get in & feel immediate relief, for some it won’t feel like it makes a difference & other people won’t fancy it at all - there’s no harm in trying!

👩🏽‍⚕️ if you’ve been advised & accepted continuous fetal monitoring in hospital, it is worth checking if the hospital has a wireless, waterproof CTG machine so you can use the pool whilst being monitored

🤰🏾if you’ve been told you cannot use the pool because of your ‘risk factors’, it is worth getting in touch with a consultant midwife to make a plan & go through your options

🏡 the only way to guarantee access to water is to plan a homebirth - some labour wards have a pool & most midwife-led units (MLU) do - but you can’t guarantee that the MLU will open or that the pool will be available

💦 we provide birth pools to our clients as a standard part of our care packages & we love supporting people to birth in water - it’s really quite magical

💕 if you would like to guarantee access to water birth & have super delightful maternity care, get in touch today

🌞 M O R E O N P E R I N E U M S ? ! 🌞

🪷 today’s blog looks at if there is in fact anything that can reduce the risk of perineal trauma during childbirth after our critique of so-called va**nal dilators & their big bold claims

🪷 research suggests warm compresses & perineal massage during the pushing phase *may* help reduce the incidence of severe perineal trauma (3rd / 4th degree tears)

🪷 antenatal perineal massage appears to reduce the incidence of episiotomy by 16% for women & birthing people having their first baby (although remember, episiotomy is not a natural outcome of childbirth - it’s a subjective decision made by a healthcare professional, that should always be with your consent..!!)

🪷 want to know what reduces your chance of episiotomy by 25% if giving birth for the first time? planning to birth at home! even if you ultimately don’t birth at home, just planning it reduces your chance of having an episiotomy.

🔗 link in the bio to read the blog

☕️ get in touch to book your free, no strings attached initial consultation, we’d love to support you to have a positive pregnancy, birth & postnatal experience

📸 this photo has nothing to do with perineums, we just like it

🏋🏽‍♀️ E X E R C I S E I N P R E G N A N C Y 🏃🏻‍♀️

❓is it safe to exercise in pregnancy?

👍generally yes, unless you’ve been specifically advised not to based on your individual situation

🚶🏽‍♀️exercise in (and out of) pregnancy has several benefits including: reducing the risk of diseases like diabetes & heart disease, strengthening muscles & bones, supporting mental health, reducing stress & improving sleep

🫄🏾as your bump grows you’ll most likely need to adapt your exercise both to prevent injury & because growing a baby is pretty tiring!

🙇🏻‍♀️ don’t give yourself a target - instead, listen to your body - slow down when you need to slow down & if you’re feeling good there’s no reason to stop exercising at a specific number of weeks

🤲 you may find it helpful to seek advice from someone trained in supporting pregnant women & birthing people to exercise during pregnancy

🚶🏻‍♀️introducing or continuing movement & exercise during pregnancy will be beneficial & it doesn’t have to be hardcore! gentle walks, yoga, swimming, strength training, jogging, pilates (the list is not exhaustive!) are all great options - find what feels good & works for you

🏊🏻‍♀️ what exercise did you find helpful during pregnancy? comment below ⬇️

🪷 P E R I N E A L P R E P 🪷

🩲 as promised, we wrote a blog about so-called perineal preparation devices that make bold claims about reducing tearing & interventions - despite being based on some pretty pants evidence (if you ask us)

🤰🏼your body is not faulty & your perineum & va**na do not need to be stretched by a device during pregnancy to birth your baby

👩‍⚕️ there are so many factors that contribute to perineal trauma (birthing on your back, the cascade of interventions, episiotomy-happy practitioners anyone…?!)

🫠 we are aware this post coincides with the publication of the all party parliamentary group on birth trauma report, where one recommendation is to roll out the obstetric & a**l sphincter injury (OASI) care bundle, which is also not the answer to preventing perineal trauma - more on that another time

🔗 link in the bio to read the blog, we’ll be looking at the cochrane reviews about reducing perineal trauma (& probably the OASI care bundle!) in more depth later on in the month

✨ P R E G N A N C Y C I R C L E S ✨

📣 upcoming pregnancy circle dates:

17th may 6 - 7:30pm
22nd june 12 - 1:30pm
13th july 12 - 1:30pm

🤰🏽held yoga studio

💕 £10 to join, with any profits going to a good cause

✨ an opportunity to share, to listen, explore a theme through journalling & discuss some practical elements of labour & birth

🔗 link in the bio to sign up

🙌 F R E E F R O M H A R M 🙌

‼️ content warning: this post discusses obstetric violence

💻 we recently attended the ‘free from harm’ training by on obstetric violence - shout out to .reed for being an excellent facilitator

🚫 obstetric violence is something we are unfortunately familiar with & it exists across the world - it refers to the disrespect & abuse that women experience during childbirth - perpetrators can be anyone working in maternity care (doctors, midwives etc.)

👩‍⚕️people working in maternity care systems also suffer harm - which struck a chord with us & some of the things we have experienced working within the NHS - it’s part of the reason we became independent midwives

🏥 we believe this training should be mandatory for all NHS maternity services - obstetric violence is everybody’s business & we need to take a multidisciplinary approach to dealing with it

🤰obstetric violence is not always overt physical violence - it is also coercion, playing the ‘dead baby’ card, not treating people as individuals, encouraging defensive practice…scroll to see more examples

✋ obstetric violence is multifaceted & it harms women, birthing people & their babies - it is endemic, it is prolific & it needs to stop

❤️‍🩹 if you’ve experienced mistreatment during childbirth, the last slide has some resources you may find helpful

📣 if you work in maternity care, we highly recommend this training - if you’re in the NHS, why not ask if this training can be provided to all maternity staff? you’ll learn about obstetric violence & its impact, in addition to practical ways of challenging it

🤰🏿 V B A C 🤰🏼

🙋🏽‍♀️ many women & birthing people plan a va**nal birth after caesarean

👍👎 there are many benefits & some risks associated with VBAC; overall the risks are low

📈 the RCOG state that 70-75% of women who plan a VBAC will have a va**nal birth - which is pretty good odds; individual circumstances will vary & that’s why it’s important to look at the whole picture

🏡 planning a VBAC doesn’t exclude you from planning a home birth, you have the right to choose where to birth

🔗 check out our blog on VBAC - the link is in the bio

📞 get in touch to find out how we can support you with your VBAC plans, we offer home birth packages, hospital birth packages, birth planning sessions & more!




**nalbirth
**nalbirthaftercesarean

💝 P O S T N A T A L C A R E 💝

🏡 postnatal care with us happens in your home at a time that suits you - no going to a clinic on day 5!

📆 we will generally see you several times in the first week following birth, depending on your needs & preferences

🤲 we offer postnatal checks for you & your baby, the newborn examination, the newborn blood spot screening test & breastfeeding support

🌪️ the postnatal period can be intense & most people experience a full spectrum of emotions - we’re here for you for all of it

🥹 it brings us joy to be able to provide flexible, unhurried, intuitive & in depth postnatal care to support you in those first few weeks following the birth of your baby - good postnatal care can make a huge difference to your overall wellbeing & your transition into parenthood

📞 get in touch to see how we can support you in the postnatal period: we offer care as part of our birth packages, stand-alone postnatal care & one off appointments

🌻 A N T E N A T A L C A R E 🌻

🏡 our antenatal care happens in the comfort of your home, on a day & time that suits you

👩‍⚕️ we offer the same antenatal assessments that you would be offered with the NHS throughout your pregnancy (eg. blood pressure, urine dip, blood tests, bump measurements, fetal heart rate) & it’s always your choice if you want to have these or not

🩸 we also offer the NIPT (harmony test)

🕰️ we usually spend 1 - 2 hours with our clients at each appointment & have plenty of time to discuss in depth what’s going on for them, what their birth plans are, the pros, cons & rationale of any assessments or tests offered

🩺 if advised (& if our clients wish) we are able to refer to the multidisciplinary team within the NHS ie. an obstetric anaesthetist or doctor

🏥 choosing independent midwife does not exclude you from NHS care, you are still eligible to access blood test processing, ultrasound scans & care

🤗 we provide continuity of care & you’ll get one (or sometimes both!) of us by your side throughout your pregnancy - we’ve got your back

☕️ if you’re curious about independent midwifery care, get in touch & let’s grab a coffee to discuss your options

✨ P R E G N A N C Y C I R C L E ✨

📣 our next pregnancy circle is on friday 19th april, 6 - 7:30pm

💕 £10 to join, with any profits going to a good cause

✨ it’s an opportunity to share, to listen, explore a theme through journalling & discuss some practical elements of labour & birth

🔗 link in the bio to sign up