Birth Stories

Susie

When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I had very mixed emotions – not about the long term (we had always wanted a baby brother or sister for our son!) but more about the fact of going through another birth. While I had an easy pregnancy the first time around, I had a fairly traumatic birth experience which ended in an emergency c-section and certainly wasn’t the calm and controlled experience I had imagined it would be. I never really talked about or properly delved into the detail or emotions surrounding the birth of my son at the time and instead focused on looking after my new baby, but when I found out I would be doing it all over again, I felt a real sense of panic and fear which threatened to overshadow my happiness and excitement about a second child.

When I initially met Emma at a routine midwife appointment, she asked me about my first birth experience and she very quickly identified that I was going to need to address some of the trauma and negative associations from my son’s birth if I was going to have a more positive experience this time around. Emma worked with me in the months leading up to my due date to ensure I sought out the right support from the hospital where I was going to have my daughter – which included arranging one to one meetings with the anaesthetist team to discuss what happened the last time around and why things played out the way they did, all with a view to putting my mind at rest that this next time would be different – and talked through the different options for the birth itself until i felt totally comfortable with the path forward and confident in my choices.

I chose to have an elective c section this time and can honestly say that, despite the inevitable nerves, it was the most positive birth experience I could have hoped for. I felt like I knew what was coming at every turn, the team in the theatre (in particular the anaesthetist) were made well aware of my concerns and talked me through everything that was happening during the operation, keeping me calm and focused throughout, and when my little girl arrived and was carefully handed to me, I felt nothing but happy, grateful and totally peaceful. It was so very different to my first birth and I felt completely supported and in control.

That feeling continued when we came home from hospital the next day and, with Emma’s support, advice and daily visits, I genuinely enjoyed the early days of getting to know my new baby (through the slight fogginess of the sleepless nights and non-stop feeding!) Knowing that I could rely on Emma for any questions or little concerns i had was a real comfort, particularly in those early days, and she was swift to put my mind at rest or offer helpful advice when needed.

All in all (and as I said to Emma at the time), I can only smile when I think about the day my little girl arrived and I have nothing but happy and positive feelings when I look back at the experience.

Alex

I knew before I got pregnant that we would look down the route for an independent midwife after a fairly traumatic previous pregnancy and birth but I wasn’t sure where to start. A friend put me in contact with Emma and we had our initial chat on the phone when I was only 6 weeks pregnant and it felt like all our views and feelings aligned. She was also so extremely knowledgeable not only from all her work and training as a midwife in the nhs but as a mum who has also been through pregnancy and birth and can relate to you. We knew straight away Emma had to be our midwife!

The pregnancy journey for me this time was just on a completely different level, it meant so much to me to be able to get to know and trust my midwife and she always put me at ease working around what ever I needed rather than it feeling like a battle for my needs at each appointment. I felt listened to and was always given a balanced response and Emma always worked hard to help me feel safe which was a huge thing for me. Plus the benefits of having the appointments at home meant I was so much more relaxed and the whole family could get involved. By the time it got to the birth Emma was not only my midwife but a friend I felt completely safe and at ease with at the birth.

When I went over 40 weeks there was no pressure, she believed in me and my baby which meant so did I and I went into spontaneous labour at 41+3 feeling really relaxed. After a previous really long labour and emergency C section, Emma held my feelings of fear when I wobbled and It truly made me believe I could do it. From the moment she arrived and calmly greeted me in my bathroom while my son slept soundly and my husband was taking care of things downstairs, she made me feel empowered and safe but also allowed me to follow my body’s lead while watching and supporting in the background. She was there when I needed her and quickly told my husband to fill the pool and I had my wonderful healing home birth after 4.5 hours of labour with just my husband, Emma and a second midwife Lindsey there who was also fantastic.

My 9lb8 baby was welcomed into a calm happy environment full of love and I got to be the first one to hold him and welcome him home. I had a little bleeding after which needed dealing with but not at any point did Emma make me feel panicked, she stitched me up calmly and professionally while I got to cuddle and feed my son feeling like an absolute superwoman.

Her care didn’t stop there and she made sure I was completely comfortable and had everything I needed before leaving, helping me with my first bath and tucking me up in bed. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was after my last experience.

She checked me and baby every day and then every few days after and was always at the end of the phone. It meant I got to really focus on healing and bonding with my baby and family rather than navigating hospital appointments and leaving the house.

We as a family will be forever grateful to Emma, and I myself will always be thankful for the incredibly healing experience where I got to trust myself and my body again and feel proud of what I had achieved. If anyone is thinking of hiring Emma please do not hesitate, it is such an investment into yourself and your family.