25/12/2025
To the women
The babies
The bellies that carried hope
The hands that held space
The supporters, the providers, the protectors
The ones who show up loudly
And the ones who hold the edges quietly
To every single soul who has helped shape and strengthen this village
Thank you 🤍
Rosebuds has grown rapidly this year… and what a year it has been.
Babies arriving thick and fast, across homes and hospitals, in water and on land, in stillness and in fire.
Each birth imagined in its own way.
Each baby safe.
Each baby deeply held.
To the babies who kept my mind alive and curious…
Who stretched my thinking, sharpened my instincts and invited me to hyperfocus so I could offer better, deeper care.
Fifteen years of university… and I am still learning every single day.
You keep me growing.
You keep me humble.
And to the women who have witnessed an Emma eye roll…
The two hour appointments.
The constant “sorry I’m late… but they needed me.”
The spontaneous evidence based reels delivered mid consult, the random check in texts just to make sure you are okay, and the education that spills out whether you asked for it or not.
Thank you for believing anyway.
For the laughs, the tears, the empowering moments, the trust.
For the cackles, the side eyes, and the little attitudes that walk into my clinic and somehow leave standing a little taller.
To the Poppys, the Rubys…
The Spencers, the Nates, the Oscars.
To the tiny souls waiting patiently to meet their siblings.
To the ones whose approval I seek more often than I admit… and when I get it, the vibe says everything.
To the maternity ward midwives, the doctors, everyone in between…my work family,
Thank you for working alongside me with openness and mutual respect.
For the conversations, the shared decisions, and the steady focus on what matters most for families.
These moments of collaboration are quiet, powerful, and deeply valued.
Tonight I walked through my front door just after 6pm…
Just in time for tea.
Tired to the core… and profoundly blessed.
I may have missed moments in time with my own family.
But they live full lives.
They love deeply.
They are not perfect… but they are kind, and they are protectors.
They ask about my day.
They learn about equality, about advocacy, about support.
They understand choice.
They respect women, doctors, midwives, professionals.
They know there is no single norm.
And when I walk through the door, they simply ask…
“Mum… baby?”
“…boy?”
“All okay?”
And it really is that simple.
They are all okay 👌
This photo sums it all up.
Merry Christmas to everyone.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or simply see this as a pause in the year…
May you breathe.
May you rest.
May you feel held, even briefly.
With the last baby before Christmas arriving last night, the twelve days of Christmas may ring a little differently this year… and that feels quietly perfect.
And to a quiet angel…that has never asked of anything.
The one who works in the shadows.
The one who drops everything and runs.
Who turns up day after day when families need a midwife most …Tina, birth.southwest … your steady presence, skill and generosity have held so many moments this year. We will have deserved our two months off next year!
The EPPM world asks for sacrifice, flexibility, constant readiness, and the ripple touches every family at home.
Yet you continue to show up with strength, calm and deep understanding of why this work matters.
Thank you for believing.
Thank you for standing beside me.
2026 already feels full of beauty…
I can feel it waiting ✌🏼
