Background

My interest in midwifery began with the birth of my first child in 1986. I was a young single mother, with no clue about pregnancy or birth, and so I borrowed several books from the library. Among these books were Birth Reborn by Michel Odent, Birth Without Violence by Frédérick Leboyer, and The Home Birth Handbook by Viki Junor and Marianne Monaco. I was inspired to plan my birth at home, but I had to overcome a surprising amount of opposition by doctors. The consultant obstetrician telephoned me at home and even threatened to visit me, he was so concerned. My GP struck me from his list. But using the advice in the Home Birth Handbook, I wrote directly to the local Supervisor of Midwives and was allocated a wonderful community midwife, Sister Udo, who helped me to plan my home birth. I also found another GP who was prepared to accept me onto his list. My home birth went very well and after seven hours of labour I had my little boy, Tom, at home attended by Sister Udo and another midwife. The GP arrived shortly after and sutured a small laceration.

A few years later I had another baby, Penny. I also planned to have Penny at home, but towards the end of my pregnancy I became aware that her movements had slowed significantly and I had some scans that showed she was very poorly. She was born with a major health condition that unfortunately meant she was very ill when she was born and lived for nine days, cared for in the neonatal unit at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham.

The births of my children, and Penny’s death, had profound effects and after several years, and after attending the home birth of a friend, Sian, I made the decision that I wanted to become a midwife. I began my midwifery training in 1997 with a feminist analysis that helped me to resist the pressures to conform to the fear and control of childbirth. I always knew that I wanted to work in a relationship model of midwifery. I was incredibly lucky with my University teachers and my midwife mentors. I was also a member of the Association of Radical Midwives right from my early days as a student, and there I gained the peer support, networking and education that has helped me and enriches my practice to this day.

I worked as a midwife in the NHS from 2000 – 2006, first in hospital settings and then for two years as a community midwife. In 2006 along with two dear colleagues (Kerri-Anne and Andrea) I set up an independent midwifery practice, Notts Independent Midwives. This way of working allowed me to practice true continuity of midwifery care, and was also a good way of allowing me to work flexibly around my growing young family as I had two more children, Leo and Jack. I was greatly helped in this by my supportive husband, Simon.

A couple of years down the line I set up my own practice, Grace Midwifery Ltd, working with local Independent Midwives to back each other up. Since then, I have had the privilege of accompanying many clients and their families on their journeys of pregnancy and birth. My own children are grown up and have flown the nest, and now I have grandchildren. I still value the flexibility that independent midwifery gives me, allowing me time to spend with my grown children and grandchildren.

I have always combined an interest in research with my love of birth and midwifery, and in 2011 I gained a Master’s in Research Methods. This has led to a combined clinical/academic career and as well as being an independent midwife I have been a part of many research studies. You can check out my ResearchGate profile here. This research background helps me to provide first-class evidence-based care for my clients, and I have also utilised this research and clinical combination as a midwifery lecturer at the University of Nottingham between 2022-2024.

In the summer of 2024 I graduated with a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Nottingham. This allowed me to combine my love of writing and my passion for midwifery, and write a memoir titled ‘With Woman: a memoir of birth, death and midwifery’. My memoir tells of my experiences of attending births as a midwife, in the light of my own experiences of childbirth, and the death of my baby daughter. I hope the book will be published in 2025.

Training

I undertake regular updates of emergency training and I am an experienced trainer myself. Here is a selection of the training I have taken to enhance my practice:

• Diploma in Midwifery (2000)
• MA in Research Methods (Health) (2011)
• Paramana Doula training with Michel Odent and Liliana Lammers
• Active Birth with Janet Balaskas
• Hypnobirthing Training – the Mongan Method
• Birth crisis (trauma) with Sheila Kitzinger
• Day at the Breech with Mary Cronk and Jane Evans
• Sex, Drugs and Birth with Tricia Anderson (article on differences between home and hospital birth by Tricia Anderson here)
• Perineal Care postgraduate module from the University of Nottingham (expert in perineal protection and repair)
• Safeguarding training each year
• Birth Emergencies training each year
• Cultural Competency training
• Fetal Physiology
• Intermittent Auscultation
• Mental Health
• Antenatal and Newborn Screening