I felt empowered with each choice I made and Tara gave me the insight and strength to have the faith and courage to birth again.
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Hello and welcome to my website. Here's a little insight about me and my midwifery care in and around Somerset.
I am a direct entry midwife which means I gained my midwifery qualification at university & in clinical practice without being a registered nurse first.
Prior to becoming a midwife my previous experience was spent in a caring way. I've been a nanny, worked in a crêche and have been a registered child-minder. I have also spent time as a Steiner parent & toddler group leader, and also attended many births as a 'birth friend'-Doula.
Currently alongside my life as a midwife, I share knowledge with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (author of Yoni Shakti) on her Well Women Yoga Teacher training and Pregnancy Yoga Teacher training- see link here www.yonishakti.co
I am also training as a teacher-facilitator of Yoga Nidra- see link here yoganidranetwork.org
Living in Somerset with my husband and our lovely sister Bhakti Yogini ~Sivani Mata Francis- see link here www.naturalmysticbhajans.co.uk/ in the beautiful rolling hills behind Glastonbury Tor on a smallholding with plants (not animals) and our 3 funny dogs & a couple of weird cats!
We have 5 grown up children & to date two beautiful granddaughters aged 7 & 8, (who I was midwife for) and a beautiful grandson of 18 months.
My memories of my own births remains clear to this day, my first home birth not going quite to plan and after having hours of contractions with my baby lying back to back (posterior), I was transferred to hospital & given the hormone drip. After many more hours I finally birthed squatting on the floor, watching in a mirror as my baby emerged 'sunny side up' with her eyes wide open! She was the first of 4 posterior labours & births ...my other 3 babies were born at home. This lived experience has given me a deep empathy along with skills for supporting long labour times. I also breast fed all my babies.
Alongside my life as a midwife, mother and grandmother, I love tending my garden, growing organic veg & beautiful flowers.
I see pregnancy & birth as a life affirming experience, a rite of passage and sacred event. My philosophy of care is deeply rooted in believing in women and their ability to birth their babies gently in the way they choose, and with who they choose to share it with. Even if plans change, being supported and feeling cared for can make the experience empowering and positive for her and her family.
For the past 13 years I have worked as a self employed independent midwife, getting to know the women & the families I care for, I don't have to rush around too much as I only carry a small caseload of women 'clients' who choose me to be their midwife.
I'm hooked on reading anything to do with empowering women in their pregnancy & birth choices, and love birth community networking & birth banter!
**** Sadly due to the lack of indemnity insurance for birth, I am not able at this time to offer birth care. I do have professional indemnity in place for ante natal and post natal birth care.
Proverb translated from The Tao Te Ching
You are a midwife, assisting at someone else's birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening. If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say: "We did it ourselves!"
Hello and welcome to my website. Here's a little insight about me and my midwifery care in and around Somerset.
I am a direct entry midwife which means I gained my midwifery qualification at university & in clinical practice without being a registered nurse first.
Prior to becoming a midwife my previous experience was spent in a caring way. I've been a nanny, worked in a crêche and have been a registered child-minder. I have also spent time as a Steiner parent & toddler group leader, and also attended many births as a 'birth friend'-Doula.
Currently alongside my life as a midwife, I share knowledge with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (author of Yoni Shakti) on her Well Women Yoga Teacher training and Pregnancy Yoga Teacher training- see link here www.yonishakti.co
I am also training as a teacher-facilitator of Yoga Nidra- see link here yoganidranetwork.org
Living in Somerset with my husband and our lovely sister Bhakti Yogini ~Sivani Mata Francis- see link here www.naturalmysticbhajans.co.uk/ in the beautiful rolling hills behind Glastonbury Tor on a smallholding with plants (not animals) and our 3 funny dogs & a couple of weird cats!
We have 5 grown up children & to date two beautiful granddaughters aged 7 & 8, (who I was midwife for) and a beautiful grandson of 18 months.
My memories of my own births remains clear to this day, my first home birth not going quite to plan and after having hours of contractions with my baby lying back to back (posterior), I was transferred to hospital & given the hormone drip. After many more hours I finally birthed squatting on the floor, watching in a mirror as my baby emerged 'sunny side up' with her eyes wide open! She was the first of 4 posterior labours & births ...my other 3 babies were born at home. This lived experience has given me a deep empathy along with skills for supporting long labour times. I also breast fed all my babies.
Alongside my life as a midwife, mother and grandmother, I love tending my garden, growing organic veg & beautiful flowers.
I see pregnancy & birth as a life affirming experience, a rite of passage and sacred event. My philosophy of care is deeply rooted in believing in women and their ability to birth their babies gently in the way they choose, and with who they choose to share it with. Even if plans change, being supported and feeling cared for can make the experience empowering and positive for her and her family.
For the past 13 years I have worked as a self employed independent midwife, getting to know the women & the families I care for, I don't have to rush around too much as I only carry a small caseload of women 'clients' who choose me to be their midwife.
I'm hooked on reading anything to do with empowering women in their pregnancy & birth choices, and love birth community networking & birth banter!
**** Sadly due to the lack of indemnity insurance for birth, I am not able at this time to offer birth care. I do have professional indemnity in place for ante natal and post natal birth care.
Proverb translated from The Tao Te Ching
You are a midwife, assisting at someone else's birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening. If you must take the lead, lead so that the mother is helped, yet still free and in charge. When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say: "We did it ourselves!"
