The Maternal Alchemist

25/05/2026

Get ready to POP!✨

Voting for the Best Wellbeing Specialist award closes at 1pm tomorrow (Tuesday 26th May) and I would love, truly love, for this community to carry us over the line!

We came so close last year - coming in second, but this year I really would LOVE to win!

Every vote is a quiet act of saying: yes, this work matters.

Yes, women deserve real support through pregnancy.
Yes, birth preparation and village-building and being genuinely held through one of life's biggest rites of passage is worth celebrating.

If you've been meaning to vote and haven't yet, today is the day.

Please, please, please - It’s a shameless plug I know, but it takes just a few moments.

If you have the time, why not use your other email address too to cast your vote.

It’s a numbers game baby, and I'm not ashamed to say that. The work is bigger than the badge but the winner status just might mean birth gets taken a little more seriously!

Visit https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/awards/vote/, select Best Wellbeing Specialist, search for The Maternal Alchemist, and check your junk folder for the confirmation email and to verify your vote!

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙𝒙

24/05/2026

✨ A note on Birthology ✨

Birthology, my immersive group container, is currently between cohorts.
It’s basically a blend between antenatal education, hypnobirthing, village building and birth cheerleading all rolled into one.

If you've been quietly wondering about it, watching from afar, or saving posts about it for later - I see you, and I want you to know what's coming.

When the doors open again, Birthology will be:

→ A live, six-week journey, held by me each week live on Zoom (because birth is a human experience and I want to walk the path with you)

→ A small, intentional circle of women preparing for birth together (there is nothing better than sharing this experience)

→ Evidence-based learning blended with embodied, holistic practice

→ Designed for the woman who wants more than standard antenatal education and who believes her birth can be what she wants. The one who is curious but discerning, ready to meet birth as a rite of passage rather than something to get through and endure.

It's not just a course you watch. This is my curation of what I think you need to know about having a baby. From early stages of creation and unlearning what you know about birth, to knowing the impact your birth environment has, and navigating appointments and postpartum.

If this is calling you, the best thing to do right now is join the waitlist. You'll be the first to know when dates are confirmed, and you'll get first access to the small number of spaces.

Drop me a message if you're interested in the Birthology course...

And in the meantime, why not take our Birth Magic Quiz right now to find out your birth learning archetype!

https://bit.ly/Birth_Quiz

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙

24/05/2026

🌊✨

Currently somewhere in Cornwall moving at the pace of the tides… collecting freckles and shells, drinking coffee by the sea, letting myself relax, being super present and saying yes to slow mornings with my boys 🤍

Half term energy is fully activated.

But while I’m off-grid(ish), the maternal magic is still flowing:

✨ Birthology is waiting for you (launches 4th June)
✨ FREE June calls are open to book
✨ the podcast is there for your walks, baths and 2am overthinking spirals

➡️ All links are in my bio 🔗

Everything I create is designed to help you feel calm, powerful, informed and deeply held entering your birth era so I hope you find a little something whilst I’m away.

Less fear.
More power.
More softness.
More “holy sh*t my body is incredible” energy.

You truly only get this exact pregnacy and birth experience once and so I want you to remember it as the moment you met yourself as the goddess you are. 👑

Now excuse me while I romantically stare at the boats, dreaming of ocean excursions and convincing myself sea air is a personality trait of mine. I love Cornish Aimee! 😂🌊🐚🧜🏼‍♀️

DM me:

“𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆, 𝑰’𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒎 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 _____.”

I’ll be in touch with ocean birth magic!

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙𝒙

21/05/2026

There's a lot of negativity in the news about maternity care at the moment, but I aim to shout about all the wondrous and positive aspects of having a baby!

That is exactly why being named a regional finalist for Best Wellbeing Specialist at the awards feels like more than just a lovely little gold badge to share.

It feels like proof that this work matters.

The classes, the circles, the conversations, the village we keep building together, one woman at a time.

It's an affirmation that maternal wellbeing should be at the top of everyone’s list - after all, we're all born!

In a season where the system is stretched, midwives are working harder than ever, and women are suffering greatly - the people who hold space differently are needed more than ever, and we bring the extra. The stuff you need to know, with time and space to explore your worries and concerns, and genuine care and support.

We know birth can be done differently and we want to tell the world.

Your vote would mean so much - not least shining a spotlight onto this realm of birth education.

Visit https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/awards/vote/

Then, select Best Wellbeing Specialist, and search for The Maternal Alchemist.

Look out for the confirmation email afterwards - it sometimes sneaks into junk.

Voting closes 1pm Tuesday 26 May!

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙𝒙

20/05/2026

Not every question needs a whole course.

Sometimes you just need a good old-fashioned chat - and there is literally nothing I love more than connecting heart to heart. 💞

A moment to breathe, untangle your thoughts, and feel genuinely met where you are.

The Golden Hour is a private 60-minute call.
Just you and me.
Led entirely by what you need to talk through.

These are just some of the topics I’ve discussed with mothers-to-be in the past:

→ Decoding a midwife appointment
→ Birth rights and options - induction, monitoring, place of birth
→ Creating a flexible and personal dream birth plan
→ Tools for labour: breathing, positions, environment
→ A birth story debrief from a previous experience
→ Fourth trimester support and finding the right specialists

Before our session, you’ll complete a short form to ensure our time spent together is efficient and tailored to your needs, and then, after our session, you'll receive a curated email with the resources, links and insights we touched on, so you can come back to them any time.

This is for the woman who needs space to think out loud with someone who understands birth holistically - because we all need to feel seen and heard in pregnancy.

✨ £111 | 60 minutes | Online ✨

USE promo code 20OFF this May and save £20

👩🏽‍💻 For more info, and to book - this is the link you need - https://www.aimeestrongman.com/the-golden-hour

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙

16/05/2026

14/05/2026

There's a moment in pregnancy where you know you want support… but you're not quite sure what kind, or whether you're "ready."

Maybe you're early on, and it all still feels far away. Maybe you've been quietly following along, gathering, wondering which pathway to take, or maybe you've already had a baby, but you want to do things differently this time around.

I want you to know: you don't have to have it figured out to start with…

You don't even need to know exactly what you need. That’s for me to help you with...

Take a free walk on a Friday morning.
Drop into a free Slumber Party on a Sunday evening.
Listen to an episode of The Pregnancy Playbook in the bath.
Read along on Substack.
Take the Birth Magic Quiz
.. or, give me a call ( I offer a 15-minute complimentary call to anyone).

I mean it - this is what I love to do - support women on this pathway to becoming mothers.

These are gentle invitations. The places you're allowed to gather without committing to anything. The places I show up, regardless of whether you ever book a thing.

Because long before baby carriers, pushchairs and hospital bags, women circled one another in kitchens and by warming fires. They didn't need a reason to stop by, they just knew who to go to. They just gathered.

🛖 The village is already here, and you have the key to the kingdom.

→ All info on the website - www.aimeestrongman.com

𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒆 𝒙

12/05/2026

𝙼𝚈𝚃𝙷: 𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙱𝙸𝚁𝚃𝙷 𝙸𝚂 𝚄𝙽𝚂𝙰𝙵𝙴

Let's talk about this one, because I hear it a lot.

There's a version of holistic birth that gets caricatured — candles and crystals and hoping for the best. And I understand why that picture makes people nervous.
But that is not what holistic birth means.

Holistic means whole.

It means considering your body, your mind, your nervous system, your environment, your instincts — alongside the evidence, alongside your care team, alongside everything that medicine has to offer.

It means being informed enough to ask good questions. Intentional enough to know what matters to you. Supported enough to feel safe whatever unfolds.

Holistic doesn't mean reckless. It means responsive.

The women I work with aren't opting out of the system. They're learning how to move through it with their eyes open, their voice clear, and their confidence intact.

That is not unsafe. That is exactly what good birth preparation looks like.

💻 If you'd love to explore what a more holistic approach to birth preparation could look like for you, book a free call via the link below — I'd love to talk it through with you.

https://aimeestrongman.as.me/schedule/59455500?fbclid=IwVERDUARS3RdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeyG-b5olcDbc_MZ0uzFI4sJeT4nSbmqkKGoccLBg0y-PM_YgjbPeLsf_RTfY_aem_MH1sLQFY9LT9pvYlvI8aYQ
→ Are there any elements or perceptions you have of holistic birth that you’d like me to address to help ease your mind? Message me or comment below…

12/05/2026

So I know I say I don’t like the stats well I do when it makes a difference to birth and eases the worry and the fear. I’m also a big fan of taking the intel and making it manageable because if you are anything like me I find it really hard to process information when written in research / medical jargon. I understand when it’s clear so this is what I’ve tried to help you with.

This is a really interesting study looking at women who chose water immersion in labour compared with women who chose an epidural found some pretty striking differences.
(❗️Important note: women chose their own pain relief method, so this can influence results therefore it’s not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison.)

Here are the simple takeaways in everyday language for us who who need to alchemise the jargon into real language that makes sense to us!

✽ Women labouring in water were far more likely to have a straightforward vaginal birth.

✽ Women who had an epidural were much more likely to end up with a caesarean birth.

✽ Women who gave birth in water were more likely to avoid tearing or cuts to the perineum.

✽ Women with epidurals were more likely to need an episiotomy (a surgical cut during birth).

✽ Babies born to the water immersion group generally had stronger condition scores after birth and were less likely to need NICU admission.

✽ Researchers found no increase in adverse outcomes for the water immersion group.

📋The overall takeaway?
For low-risk pregnancies, water immersion during labour may support a more physiological birth with fewer interventions and positive outcomes for both mother and baby.

Sounds good right?
Have you ever considered a water birth? Let me know below ⬇️

You can read the full study here: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/19/1919?utm_source=chatgpt.com

10/05/2026

Informed choice is your “Power Up” - it’s about you making big decisions with all the information you need.

Because how many times have you heard a pregnant woman say, “Oh, I’m just going to go with the flow”?

It sounds soft, it sounds easy - but you are giving away your power.

And the statistics tell their own story:

𝑩𝒚 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟎, 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝟑𝟎% 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

That’s double the WHO’s (World Health Organisation) recommended 10-15% - I think we all need to stop and take note.

Whose flow are you actually in?
The system’s rhythm? Someone else’s timeline? Or your own deep, instinctive knowing?

This is a life experience that will echo long after your baby’s birthday. It will be re-lived and stored as memory in your body. This metamorphosis into mother matters.

And I know how this can feel… especially when you’ve never done this before.
Part of you is trusting, but there’s also the part of you unsure where you even get to choose.

So let me gently remind you, you are allowed to ask questions and not know everything.

Because informed choice isn’t about controlling a situation or pretending you are an expert in birth (although you are the expert of your own body).

It’s about a conscious consideration.
It’s the pause before a yes wrapped up in the courage to say no or the grace and softness to say “not yet.” What will happen if we just wait?

You’re finding your voice to say:

What are my options?
What feels right for me?
What would support me to feel safe, seen, powerful here?

You stop outsourcing your power and you start embodying it.

We open this fully inside Birthology - my holistic antenatal space where we weave head, heart, and hearth so you feel informed, prepared, and held in something much bigger than fear.

And if you're not sure where to start, or you just want to talk through your options with someone who genuinely gets it - come and have a conversation with me.

A free call is the simplest first step. No pressure, no agenda. Just you, me, and everything you want to feel going into your birth.

📲 Link in bio to book yours.

Either way, you get to choose. And you get to feel like a goddess while you do it.

𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓐𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓮 𝔁𝔁