http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/4122372.Outstanding_Gwent_midwives_awarded/

7:20pm Thursday 12th February 2009

MUMS have helped to deliver awards to two Newport midwives for “going the extra mile”.

Hayley Pennells and Margaret Sullivan were among a number of staff recognised by the Gwent Healthcare Trust.

Most were nominated by their managers but the two midwives received citations from grateful mothers.

Mrs Pennells is a community midwife who actively promotes home births.

She helped Ann Gunther, who already had a son Caleb, bring baby Lilly into the world.

“I got to know Hayley really well, we built a good rapport and she was always there for advice. She really supported me to get a homebirth and I felt confident.”

She added that Mrs Pennells was not on shift when Lilly began to arrive but still came to her home for the birth.

“It’s a vocation for Hayley, not a job. She really deserves this award.”

Mrs Pennells had the youngest of her three children at home said helping with home births was the most enjoyable part of her job and the most rewarding.

Mrs Sullivan was both her mentor and her midwife.

She is also a community midwife who has dedicated more than 30 years to women and families in Newport.

Her commitment to her vocation is such that she decided not to retire completely last year and now continues her caring role on a part-time basis.

Mrs Sullivan even became godmother to one child who was born at home. His mum described her as “just a gem”.

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1078452?UserKey=

By Jamie Buchan

Published: 14/02/2009

A pioneering support group which offers advice and help to expectant mothers who want to give birth at home is poised for expansion.

The group was launched just after new year by Peterhead mums Amber Sebold and Charlie Paris. They hoped to give women in the north-east more informed choices about where they want their babies born.

The Homebirth Support Group, the first of its kind in the north of Scotland, has met twice at Peterhead since January and has already attracted mothers and mothers-to-be from as far afield as Banchory and Fraserburgh.

Now the group, which has won the backing of NHS Grampian, hopes to launch a new support service in Aberdeen, while keeping the Peterhead branch running.

It is hoped that funding can be secured to open a lending library.

Mother-of-two Miss Paris said: “We’re really pleased with how successful the group has been in the space of just a few weeks.

“People have been coming from all over the north-east, even despite the awful weather.

“We are now looking at setting up regular meetings in Aberdeen to try to include even more people.”

The 24-year-old, who stays at Prunier Drive with partner Jereon Raemakers, was advised against a home birth when she was pregnant with Ruben, now 18 months old.

She used natal hypnotherapy for a pain free birth. After she was examined by a midwife at her home, it was agreed that she was not in full-blown labour and the midwife went home.

Ms Paris ended up giving birth to Ruben on her hall landing with the help of her partner. She stressed she was very happy with the service provided by midwives in Peterhead.

Mrs Sebold moved to Scotland from Missouri in America, where – until recently – it was illegal for midwives to deliver children.

Mother to three-year-old Calvin and Corah, aged four, she is now planning her first home birth in May.

A date has yet to be set for the launch of the service in Aberdeen.

The group meets at Peterhead Hospital’s maternity unit on the second Tuesday of each month at 6.30pm.

For more details about the group visit www.bebo.com/grampian homebirth

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article5700975.ece

The singer and her boyfriend provide too much information

Erykah Badu and her boyfriend, Jay Electronica, have taken “sharing” to a whole new level — by guiding their fans through every minute detail of Badu’s homebirth via Twitter. She logged on first: “Morning! I’m in labour!” He then took over: “Everybody stand back. We’re waiting for the midwife to show” (at which point, you might think, he’d put the keyboard down). Next, the public were kindly informed he was “doing foot rubs when the contractions hit”. Then, newsflash! She was “dilated to 8½cm!”, and soon he was announcing to the world, “I see the head! It’s covered in hair!” (Electronica, lose the keyboard — you’ll drop the baby). Never mind the eeew factor — how annoying must it have been to receive constant updates from a man you don’t know direct from his girlfriend’s birthing pool? Probably almost as annoying as the whole thing was for Badu, who felt so moved by her beau’s global posts on the state of her cervix that she named her baby Mars Merkaba.

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/southend/4133848.11lb_8oz_Lilyrose_was_a_big_surprise/

5:00pm Wednesday 18th February 2009

A COUPLE got a big surprise when their baby daughter was born at home, weighing a whopping 11lb 8oz.

Baby Lilyrose was delivered at the Southend home of Georgina and Daniel Holmes, and midwives who helped deliver the heavyweight tot said she was the biggest they had ever seen during a home birth.

But the drama was not over once she had arrived, as after having got stuck at the shoulders in the final stages of delivery, Lilyrose had to be resuscitated immediately after birth.

Mrs Holmes, 31, of Leamington Road, said: “Watching them resuscitate her was just terrifying. It felt like a lifetime before she came round, but the midwives were amazing.

“Lilyrose was a big surprise, quite literally! It wasn’t until her head was delivered that anyone had any idea of her size, and then everyone’s faces just changed colour – they couldn’t believe it.”

Mrs Holmes, who had only gas and air during the birth, said the new arrival was settling in well, but added her size was causing a few teething problems.

“It’s been tricky because she doesn’t fit into anything we bought for her, so we’ve had to buy lots of new things,” she said.

Four midwives attended the birth and the couple paid tribute to the team’s calm professionalism, as they managed the delivery and revived the newborn baby.

Mr Holmes, 33, said: “Our midwife did an extremely good job and we are so grateful to her.”

Lilyrose was taken to Southend Hospital for a check-up, but is now back at home with siblings Finley, 18 months, and Oliver, eight.

Her proud parents were told that Lilyrose was the largest baby anyone in the midwifery team could remember delivering in a home birth.

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://www.daventrytoday.co.uk/business/Helping-you-prepare-for-your.4875250.jp

Published Date: 15 January 2009
AN INDEPENDENT midwife is offering a personalised experience to expecting mothers.
Sue Kinross is a qualified midwife from Long Buckby who left the NHS to try and give mothers and fathers-to-be a more personal, relaxed, friendly and less stressful option for advice and care during and just after their pregnancy.

Mrs Kinross said: “I used to work for the NHS, but have been independent now for three years.

“Independent midwives can provide far more individualised care, also a lot of my clients have an independent midwife so they can guarantee a homebirth.

“The NHS is limited in the number of homebirths it can provide for, so it can’t guarantee a midwife for them.

“What is common these days is as soon as a woman finds out she’s pregnant she goes to her GP – but being pregnant is not a medical condition, it’s something natural and part of a woman’s life.

“Clearly the health of an expecting mother is important, but I think we’ve medicalised pregnancy.”

Mrs Kinross set up her company, Birthbundles, from her home and now covers an area stretching from Leicester to the south of Northamptonshire.

She said: “I can meet 10 times with one of my clients during their pregnancy, at their home and at times including evenings or weekends to suit them or their partner, and each visit can be one or two hours long.

“With the NHS midwives are employed by hospitals and you might get four or six visits, all about 15 minutes long.

“Many expecting mums and their partners also want to go to classes to help them prepare for the labour and birth and learn parenting skills. But it can be really hard to find spaces on these classes with the NHS and many end up using the National Childbirth Trust.

“Once labour starts I’ll get there and stay until they’ve given birth. And I’ll visit, every day if necessary, afterwards to help with all those things new parents have to cope with.”

Mrs Kinross says her aim is to offer expectant mothers a real friend to help her become a parent.

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=8997

By Pamela Owen/Petra Cooke, Reporters
Email: newburytoday@newburynews.co.uk
Phone: 01635 564533
More News | Back to homepage

New mums can now pop along to the supermarket for fruit and veg and to weigh-in their newborn tots

NEW mums can now weigh-in their newborn tots at a post-natal clinic in a local supermarket while getting life’s little essentials.
The Royal Berkshire NHS has now extended their services to the Sainsbury’s Savacentre in Calcot by providing post-natal clinics in the store.
Twice a week mothers will be able to take their babies to the advisory clinics while doing a spot of grocery shopping, meeting friends or even popping along to see the chemist.
The mastermind behind the idea and community manager of the NHS, Lesley Oliver, said: “It’s in a community setting and easily accessible and mothers can combine it with shopping or meeting friends.
“Until now the mothers will have waited at home for a community midwife to visit them or come into the hospital.”
The clinic is housed in the Sainsbury’s store on the first floor and mums are met by NHS staff who take them to a private room.
Babies aged between two and ten-days-old are eligible and mums will be given a time for their appointment after their first home-visit.
Qualified mid-wives then weigh the baby and are able to offer breastfeeding support and offer advice to the mothers.
Carley Bertous, aged 19, who lives nearby in Calcot, was the first mum to visit the store with her son Alfie, who is only 10 days-old.
Miss Bertous, who had a water-birth, said: “It’s so convenient to come here because I can do my shopping at the same time and it’s an opportunity to get out the house rather than wait for a mid-wife to come and see me.
“I was also able to register the birth at the West Berkshire Council office which is right next door, so it’s very convenient.”
Tricia Watkins, spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s, said the store is constantly striving to get involved with the community.
She said: “It made sense for the clinic to be here because it makes their lives easier. We sell baby products and there is also a pharmacist in-store.”
However group co-ordinator for the Newbury Homebirth, Charlotte Gander, said she believed that newborns should stay at home during their first few days.
She said: “I think this is a great service for women who would have otherwise had to travel across Reading to the hospital.
“But as a mum of three myself I believe that those early days are best spent snuggled at home getting to know your new baby.
“It is good women are being offered this choice but visits in the home should never be lost.”
The clinic is open every Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 2pm.

Tags : Homebirth UK

http://www.pr.com/press-release/128486

Louise Wilby and Anja Metzner, Tunbridge Wells’ most local and experienced independent midwives have joined forces to form Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives. Women will be able to choose between the increasingly stretched maternity service and individualised and woman-centred midwifery care from two dedicated homebirth midwives.

Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom, January 26, 2009 –(PR.com)– Louise Wilby, midwife of 20 years, lecturer and reflexologist and Anja Metzner, dedicated homebirth midwife since 2004 have joined to form Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives.

Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives offers continuity-of-care from two midwives, all midwifery care in the clients’ home, 24hour on-call service and extensive postnatal support until 6 weeks post birth.

The latest government paper, Maternity Matters, has promised women choice of place of birth and more importantly promises that ‘every woman will be supported by a midwife she knows and trusts throughout pregnancy and after birth’. Unfortunately, the local midwives are currently not able to offer continuity of care yet.

Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives enables women to choose the best care available: continuity of care from two dedicated midwives, labour support in the privacy of the home, support and advocacy in case of hospital transfer and extensive postnatal support.

Anja Metzner explains ‘We pride ourselves on given women and couples time, commitment and a superior level of care. Women tell us they feel supported, empowered and confident.

Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives covers most of West Kent and parts of East Sussex.

Anja and Louise are happy to discuss individual circumstances and advice on the best level of care.

For additional information on private midwifery care in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding area contact Anja Metzner or visit www.tunbridgewellsindependentmidwives.co.uk

Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives offers gold standard maternity care for women in Kent and Sussex.

Contact:
Anja Metzner, Independent Midwife
Tunbridge Wells Independent Midwives
0044- 01825 714538
http:// www.tunbridgewellsindependentmidwives.co.uk

Tags : Homebirth UK