The Southwest Indie Midwife, Plymouth Videos

Gold standard private midwifery care in the comfort of your own home. A trusted midwife who knows you, your family and your unique wishes Safe, family centred birth based on evidenced based decisions made by you. Guaranteed access to homebirth, no staff shortages and a midwife you know and who knows you at your birth, gently supporting you. Expert in physiological birth and homebirth, my practise foundations are trust in your body, instinct and decisions. Trauma informed care Interested? Let's chat to see how I can support you to make an investment in care you won't regret. ☎️ 07932048540 📩 [email protected] More information available on my website including packages of care at www.indiemidwife.co.uk 🔗 in bio

❄️Due a baby this winter? ❄️ Warm snuggles all cosy in the sofa after your dream homebirth is where it's at for winter baby vibes! ❄️Interested in doing pregnancy and birth a bit differently this time? ❄️Do you want enhanced care that is tailored and personalised to your needs? ❄️Want guaranteed access to homebirth? ❄️Let's have a chat over a cuppa to see how I can support 💞

Hi I'm Mel, your local indie midwife and on admission to make your pregnancy and birth better 🫶 I'm a midwife of 9 years and mum of three passionate about relational care and all things birth. If you want an independent, private midwife who will help you know your choices, support them and make you feel like the absolute pregnant queen you are, then you've come to the right place! Expert midwifery care that is gold standard continuity (you see the same midwife throughout). This is research proven to improve outcomes for you and your baby. A midwife who trusts you and trusts birth. I am a physiology first midwife, this means I understand how undisturbed birth really works and we will work together to cultivate this during your pregnancy. 🌸 Appointments in your own home lasting as long as they need to (usually 1-2 hrs) 🌸 Enhanced schedule of being seen to make sure you and your baby are well in every sense of the word 🌸Trauma informed care 🌸 Guaranteed access to home birth - no worries about service suspension or lack of midwives 🌸 Everything you need in one beautiful package - no additional charges for birth pools or gas and air because it's all included! 🌸 Postnatal care that is truly supportive and nurturing. In your own home, very frequent visits tailored around what you and your baby need 🌸 Breastfeeding expertise What's not to love!? If you love the sound of everything here, then pop me a DM and let's have a chat and a cuppa together and see how hiring me could be the pregnancy and birth transformation you need ☎️ 07932048540 📩 [email protected] 🔗www.indiemidwife.co.uk

Independent Midwifery care from a private midwife just hits a bit differently. Care that's on your terms, in your house, supporting your choices. All in your time, and as much time as you need. Zero staffing shortages, zero stress, just safe, holistic, supportive, nurturing, gold standard care. Contact me for a chat about how I can support you. Serving Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall and my diary is open for birth clients. Limited space left for 2024 births, accepting birth clients for 2025 ☎️ 07932048540 📩 [email protected] www.indiemidwife.co.uk

✨ I BELIEVE YOU WILL DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY✨ Affirmation of the day - I will support your decision making. I trust you to make choices that are right for you and your baby. I believe in your capacity to birth your baby My job is to make sure you have all the information to make those choices Unbiased Free from coercian Evidence based Balanced Factual I will respect and honour your choices knowing that consent is a two way street and you have opportunity to decide differently at any point if things change or you have new information. Get in touch for a free chat about how I can support your birth ☎️ 07932048540 📩 [email protected] www.indiemidwife.co.uk

Wonderful.start to my day with a hypnobirthing 1:1 session. This is session 2 This is birth physiology Environment Tools to help hormonal flow as part of a technique called anchoring Breathing techniques The connection between jaw & pelvic floor My clients really enjoyed today's session and birth is starting to make sense from a physiological perspective. Next week movement, instinct, birth planning, biomechanics & the golden hour

✨INDEPENDENT, HOLISTIC, PRIVATE MIDWIFERY SERVICES✨ 🫶THE SOUTHWEST INDIE MIDWIFE - DIARY OPEN FOR BIRTHS FROM SEPTEMBER 2024🫶 Centring around you to provide you with care from the moment you find out your pregnant until day 28 postnatal. Enhanced care well above and beyond what you are currently receiving with the NHS. Continuity of care, knowing the same midwife throughout pregnancy, birth and through to your postnatal journey means a reduction in worse outcomes for both you and your baby. It also means an increased chance of birth being straightforward and uncomplicated with an increase in feelings of positivity around your birth experience. Trauma informed care to ensure you are nurtured in this pregnancy and birth, whatever your past experiences. Guaranteed access to homebirth if that's where you decide to birth. Care from a physiological birth and homebirth expert midwife. I have provided expert care to hundreds of families opting to birth at home. Having previously worked as a senior midwife in the NHS, I am very experienced in working with families making choices that fall outside of guidance. You can rest assured you will receive supportive, non judgemental care that allows you to explore the evidence and decide what is right for you and your circumstances. Please get in touch to find out what a life changing and life affirming experience having an independent midwife really is! Bespoke packages available to meet your needs Mel ### ☎️ 07932048540 📩 [email protected]

This birth 😍 If you would like to have calm, compassionate care centered around your wishes.... If you would like care to look a little bit more nurturing than it currently does.... If you would like care that is evidenced based, non coercive, and allows you to explore your options of what you would truly like & need as part of your package of care..... Then get in touch. We can have a cuppa and chat about how I can support you to have a pregnancy, labour, birth and new parenthood journey that ensures you feel in control of your decisions. Reposted this beautiful birth from @orgasmicbirth The connection in this video was just ✨✨✨

✨BORN AT HOME✨ Women need loving, relational care, that centres them and their family. Care that listens, nurtures and provides care that is evidenced based and supports them to believe in the capability of their own self. Women and birthing people are strong, powerful and I am so privileged to work alongside families to provide gold standard care. Born at Home Screening 11/7/2024 @ 6pm Tickets still available if you want to come bathe in some oxytocin, find out why homebirth matters and find out all about independent midwifery https://tickets.demand.film/event/12898

✨ ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS BIRTH ✨ A really simple way to make your hormones work better for you is to create a dark and cosy environment for birth. Yes sparkly lights do not mean you are guaranteed a straightforward birth, but they can ABSOLUTELY help hack your hormones to work for you! Darkness stimulates MELATONIN. You may have heard of this hormone when it comes to sleep, but did you know it also helps boost your oxytocin!? Part of why so many babies are born at night is because our circadian rhythms mean our melatonin is high during the dark hours of the night. Darkness also means privacy and shedding those inhibitions. This is also really important for physiological birth to unfold. Feeling observed leads to feeling inhibited for most of us, and when you're expected to be at least half naked and showing off your bum and vulva to someone you only met an hour ago can mean it's hard to relax. Darkness can help make you feel more at ease and definitely like you aren't being watched. Thirdly dark environments do something to us internally that tells us we need to be peaceful, unobtrusive and quiet. I've seen this happen during ward rounds and reviews where the drs behaviour is totally altered by the environment they are entering. So if you're birthing in hospital this is a really important one! Many hospitals now have galaxy lights and LED candles available for use on their labour wards, but it's definitely worth putting some fairy lights or similar in your birth bag. As a midwife I'm very used to working in the dark, I have a headache torch and pen torch as needed , so don't feel you need to adapt for the needs of your care providers ✨

If you are hoping to achieve a straightforward birth...book a home birth! Want to hack it even further? Choose continuity of care from a known midwife Even if you transfer for hospital care, all those benefits still follow you That's Less chance of An instrumental birth An in labour caesarean birth An episiotomy Needing a drip to speed up your labour Having heavy bleeding after the birth Having an infection for you or your baby Homebirth is a safe, evidenced based place to birth your baby whatever baby this is. You don't just have to take my word for it Go check out The Birthplace Study NICE guidelines on intrapartum care The Lancet series on Homebirth and outcomes for mum's and babies Think about investing in an independent midwife, don't just leave it to chance What you get with me is absolute expertise in Homebirth and physiological birth including birth outside of guidelines. Respectful care that honours your choices and time to discuss the evidence and what this means for you on a personalised level If you don't think your budget can stretch? I can do one off birth planning sessions or invest in my hypnobirthing course - Birth Fearlessly Seek out a local NHS homebirth team of you are lucky enough for one to exist in your area Do your planning, know your options and don't just leave it to chance DM if you want to find out more about how I can support you, follow for more evidenced based information on birth and parenting #indiemidwife #independentmidwife #safebirth #birthoptions #homebirth #physiologicalbirth #midwifery

Sorry it's a long one!! ✨E B R A I N✨ Have you heard of this as a decision making tool? It's super useful to have jotted down somewhere before any appointment so that you can understand why something is being offered to you in pregnancy, labour, birth and after you have had your baby. You can feel really vulnerable going to appointments and having options presented to you, often as less of a choice and more of a 'this is what's going to happen' phrases like 'we'll just book you in for an IOL at your 40 week midwifery appointment incase you go overdue' is a classic example of this. You can't make an informed choice about anything without the full facts. This tool helps you get those facts and analyse how you feel about them to make decisions that are right for you. E - is this an emergency? How much time do I have to make a decision? B- Benefits, how will this help me or my baby. Research, evidence, guidelines should all be explored R - Risks, what are the chances of things happening to me as a result of this intervention again use research, evidence, guidelines to inform A- Alternatives. Is there anything we can do instead? Then revisit the benefits and risks I- Intuition. What's my gut feeling about what is being offered. How does it make me feel. You may need time to explore this N- Nothing, what happens if we don't act or I decline. Explore the B, R & I elements of this as a decision. Options should be presented as factual and with absolute numbers. Someone shouldn't tell you the risk of something doubles, this is meaningless. You need to know this increases from 0.5% to 1% chance if you decide not to take the option offered as an example. This can help you decide how you feel about this as a risk. You should never be subject to coercion or having to make a decision quickly or on the spot unless it's a true emergency. You have every right to take time, whether that's an hour, a day, a , week or a month depending on the situation. Hoping this h

✨ PLUS SIZED PREGNANCY✨ If you have a raised BMI and you're pregnant you may already have encountered some aspects of your care you may have found challenging. BMI in itself is a pretty terrible way of interpreting someone's over all health and it was originally intended for use on white men. Which pretty much sums up a huge amount of female care right!? But! There is an increasing amount of research that is being carried out in this area which is really helpful if this applies to you. There was a recent study that looked at women birthing in MLU and they specifically looked at women with a raised BMI vs BMI between 18-25. They concluded that MLU were a very safe place for women with a raised BMI and no other health factors to birth. Sara Wickham has a great book that looks at all of the research around plus size pregnancy and this is a great place to start. In short, some of the things that we thought research showed us about women birthing with a raised BMI may in fact be down to us causing more harm by pathologising bigger bodies and to stigma socially, rather than an inability to birth your baby. If you have been worried about your choices being limited due to being plus size, please be reassured that my care is holistic, non judgemental and I trust you to be able to birth your baby in the way you want to. And remember every aspect of maternity care is optional 😉 Contact me for a free initial consultation where we can have a chat about how your care might look without any obligation. RESOURCES Maternal obesity and its effect on labour duration in nulliparous women: a retrospective observational cohort study BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth:222. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1413-6 Rowe R, Knight M, Kurinczuk JJ; UK Midwifery Study System (UKMidSS). Outcomes for women with BMI>35kg/m2 admitted for labour care to alongside midwifery units in the UK: A national prospective cohort study using the UK Midwifery Study System (UKMidSS). PLoS One. 2018 Dec

✨HOMEBIRTH SERVICES AND STAFFING✨ Are you worried your homebirth won't go ahead because when you call there won't be a midwife available to come to you? The sad reality of the NHS right now is that midwifery staffing is stretched. Trust me when I say they want to be able to support your place of birth choices. But Some shifts there really isn't anyone to come out to you, so the old advice of stay put and someone will come is often a falsehood. Shifts are often already on sub optimal numbers and centralising care means maintaining safety for every patient, not just one. If you want guaranteed access to a midwife in labour for your homebirth then consider booking me as your independent midwife. Not only will I be on call for you from 37 weeks until you birth your baby, I micro caseload so that I can guarantee my availability. This means I only take one, maximum 2 clients a month. Not only this, but when you book me you get continuity of care. This is considered gold standard and means you get loads of other advantages thrown in. Both homebirth and continuity are associated with an increased chance of a straightforward birth, reduction in harm to you and very safe for both you and your baby. Get in touch to book a free consultation ☎️

I talked about the humble peanut ball in a previous biomechanics success story. These balls are like some kind of magic and are an excellent tool if you're choosing an epidural or not. They are great for rest that keeps your pelvis 'active' in helping your labour progress and feel very comfortable. Have you used a peanut ball? Comment below with stories of how they worked for you!

✨MONEY✨ Noone wants to talk about money right!? And why would you pay for a midwife when you can access the NHS instead? I wanted to explain why my costs are what they are. Unfortunately I have some big and unavoidable expenses to provide you with the level of care you deserve. Whilst midwifery services on the NHS will provide you with the basic level of care needs to monitor you and your baby, I can offer enhanced and bespoke care that really caters for your needs whilst providing nurturing, holistic and evidence based care as well as guaranteed access to the same midwife throughout (which is regarded as gold standard) as well as access to homebirth services that won't be cancelled. Think of me more as an investment in your pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey where you will feel listened to, respected, nurtured and centred within your care. And thinking of independent midwives as an investment in the same way as your wedding, last big holiday or car can be helpful to justify your outlay. You don't just get me for 10 months, I create a lifetime of memories and nurturing bonds. I am totally aware it's a big outlay, but I can help you spread the cost over the course of your pregnancy with a payment plan, provide adjusted services that are more bespoke to your affordability or provide one off birth planning sessions. I also teach hypnobirthing and antenatal education to help you navigate the system and go in to birth feeling confident to advocate for yourself. Get in touch if you're interested at all and let's see how we can work together 💖

If you are hoping to achieve a straightforward birth...book a home birth! Want to hack it even further? Choose continuity of care from a known midwife Even if you transfer for hospital care, all those benefits still follow you That's Less chance of An instrumental birth An in labour caesarean birth An episiotomy Needing a drip to speed up your labour Having heavy bleeding after the birth Having an infection for you or your baby Homebirth is a safe, evidenced based place to birth your baby whatever baby this is. You don't just have to take my word for it Go check out The Birthplace Study NICE guidelines on intrapartum care The Lancet series on Homebirth and outcomes for mum's and babies Think about investing in an independent midwife, don't just leave it to chance What you get with me is absolute expertise in Homebirth and physiological birth including birth outside of guidelines. Respectful care that honours your choices and time to discuss the evidence and what this means for you on a personalised level If you don't think your budget can stretch? I can do one off birth planning sessions or invest in my hypnobirthing course - Birth Fearlessly Seek out a local NHS homebirth team of you are lucky enough for one to exist in your area Do your planning, know your options and don't just leave it to chance DM if you want to find out more about how I can support you, follow for more evidenced based information on birth and parenting #indiemidwife #independentmidwife #safebirth #birthoptions #homebirth #physiologicalbirth #midwifery

✨ GUARANTEED ACCESS TO HOMEBIRTH ✨ This is something lots of women and birthing people are worrying about right now. Lots of NHS Trusts are unable to facilitate homebirths due to poor staffing, and while this isn't good enough there is currently no fast solution out there to make this better. Trusts are left having to centralise resources (midwives being available) because there isn't enough physically available. If you want to ensure there WILL be a midwife to come out to you when you are in labour, then really carefully consider booking an Independent Midwife. Whilst it may seem like a big investment, trust me when I say it's worthwhile. Women remember their birth experience for as long as they live. You are investing in a positive birth experience, being honoured in your wishes and ensuring you and your baby have a safe and affirming start in your journey together. Consider how much you spent on your wedding, your honeymoon, even your last holiday? Investing in me as your Independent Midwife won't just last you the 10 or so months that we get to know each other and spend time together, it will last a lifetime of memories I promise! Get in touch for birth packages available for September births onwards. No obligation initial consultations are free of charge and allow you to suss out whether I'm the right fit for you and your family 💖 And if you're worrying about the cost, I can help split them into more affordable, interest free payment packages, just ask 💞

✨Hey I'm Mel, The Southwest Indie Midwife✨ ✨Total birth nerd ✨Mum of three ✨Wife ✨Dog mum ✨Midwife that loves supporting homebirth & physiological birth ✨Hypnobirthing teacher with a focus on science, not fluff ✨Biomechanics, because sometimes labour needs help moving along ✨Aromatherapy & massage because sometimes the fluff is really important too. ✨Passionate about all things birthy, woman centred and human rights. ✨Former senior NHS midwife but stepping away to support families differently ✨Helping you have a positive birth, navigate the system and generally feel empowered and awesome as you go into the fourth trimester with your new little squish. Enhanced antenatal, birth and postnatal care that is trauma informed, centred around yours and your baby's needs and gives you the evidence and the tools to understand your decisions. Based in Plymouth and covering Devon & Cornwall up to 60 mins drive away Get in touch if you think any of this may be for you. I offer a free initial consultation to see if I'm the right fit for you #birth #pregnancy #homebirth #hospitalbirth #independentmidwife #privatemidwife #midwife #midwifery #hypnobirthing #allaboutme

✨CONTROL✨ Pregnancy and birth can be unpredictable and making very rigid plans about how you want your birth to be or go can lead to feelings of failure, disappointment, even trauma. One thing you can control is how you approach birth and explore the idea that sometimes things don't go to plan. By doing this, you are not only protecting yourself, you are considering what your choices would be if you encountered different circumstances or decisions. This makes choices easier to make in different circumstances. I always promote making an A,B,C birth plan with the expectation weighing heavily on a positive, not a perfect birth. We will do all the prep for plan A, but sometimes we can't control for every circumstance and this allows time to have explored what other scenarios would look like for you and your birth. PLAN A - The perfect birth plan, everything you want, how you want this to look, what you wish to opt in or out of. Where you want to birth and how you wish care providers to interact with you. PLAN B - Things to think about here are medical needs, change in circumstances or when choices need to be considered. Think about transferring in from a homebirth, you have a medical need for an induction, if your baby needs medical attention at time of birth. PLAN C - Total change of plan, maybe you need a caesarean birth for medical circumstances, perhaps you need to go to theatre for an assisted birth. Again think about how you want this to look. While there are many things outside of the circle of your control when it comes to birth, there are also loads of things inside your circle ⭕ When I've spoken to women coming back for second babies and reporting birth trauma, the biggest theme is a loss of control and not understanding what was happening. Do the work, gain the knowledge, empower yourself and your chosen birth partners/team to know what you want and to help you advocate for that. It's amazing what can be achieved by speaking to senior midwi