Beyond Midwives

10/03/2026

Abbie & Jack welcomed baby Solstice ❤️ At nearly 38 weeks pregnant I felt reduced movements and went into triage to be assessed. Following assessment and with medical advice, we decided it would be safest to induce labour. We were excited to meet our baby and confident in our decision.

The labour itself is a testament to beyond midwives. I had the pessary inserted and decided not to throw my birth plan in the bin just because things had changed. Me and my husband went through it and looked at what we could still do - I may not be able to have a water birth but I could still use my playlist and create a beautiful environment that would still release natural oxytocin.

When my waters didn’t break on their own a midwife broke them. I then utilised a passive hour (the first of two!) to see if my contractions would start naturally. Beyond midwives taught me to trust my body and that my babies birth was still in my control whilst balancing this with medical advice.

When the contractions started I remembered and worked with two mantras I learnt in the giving birth without fear workshop:

I let my body guide me and stayed mobile which is possible whilst having the monitors on even if it required a bit of manoeuvring. I was able to communicate with my midwife what I needed and they supported me and my husband in achieving that.

I asked for gas and air not realising how far along I was - I had been clear with what pain relief I did and didn’t feel comfortable with and knowing I’d already made those choices made me feel calmer and more in control.
Me and my husband sang along to Simon and Garfunkel in-between contractions and we still managed to laugh and feel peaceful even in a relatively clinical setting. Imagine our surprise when a midwife came to attach a trace on babies head (she loved to kick the monitor off) and told me I was 10cm. After another passive hour and then just over an hour of pushing our beautiful daughter entered the world. I had heard so many scary things about inductions. I felt at peace, in control and full of love. I genuinely don’t think I would have had such a positive experience if I didn’t have the tools from the beyond midwives courses.

10/03/2026

Here are just a few things to consider before agreeing to Induction of Labour 🤗

Enquiries around Induction of Labour is one of the most common reasons we are contacted by families. The rates of induction are ever increasing - Post dates, post term, too big, too small, too uncomfortable etc. Sometimes it can be life saving! But this decision requires careful consideration.

After many years as NHS Midwives, we have never understood more about a families journey during pregnancy. Since we opened our doors at Beyond Midwives, it’s helped us to realise how many expectant families are feeling overwhelmed about all the decisions they need to make… and they are all big decisions!

Whether it be all the different equipment choices, financial pressures, packing bags, type of birth, where to give birth, pain relief, vitamin K, how to manage visitors… the list goes on (and we found most of you also decide to move house or start a renovation 😅).

We understand, and we love to inform families so they feel confident in their decision making. This is one of the reasons we created our workshops to be so comprehensive… and importantly to help retain information, welcoming and comfortable ☺️

You will find once you have completed your antenatal course at Beyond Midwives, the support continues. You will have midwives to contact, a huge network to reach out to, free events and informative sessions available to all alumni. 🤲🏽

Take a look at our lovely Google reviews 🤩

04/03/2026

24/02/2026

Recently speaking to mums, the same conversations seem to arise. They have described the fourth trimester as the most challenging and the least prepared for 🪷

At Beyond Midwives, we are always listening… facilitator Maria from ‘Gently Speaking’ (not our Maria!) is now offering a regular nurturing evening for mums. The feedback from these sessions has led us to open up these lovely evening experiences as a regular offering.

The other topic which frequently arises is ‘how post-birth can I be?’… well we say, we are changed forever when we become a mum. Trying to get back to your old self seems dismissive of the right of passage you have experienced. However, we can certainly restore & rebalance 🤲🏽 and we definitely deserve it 🫶🏽 so even if baby is now a toddler, there is a mat and s space suitable for you 💕

16/02/2026

Thank you! It was so lovely to be involved in your story Meg & Peter 🫶🏽

Have you looked at our Google reviews?! 🥹

Beyond Midwives Antenatal Education has been carefully curated by Midwives with lived experience supporting labour and birth. Over the years, it was clear to see how much parents would have benefited from the information we now share in our workshops. Once we left the NHS, we researched how other countries have successfully reduced birth interventions and new baby concerns, and have positively improved maternity services. We took part in additional studies and reviewed research papers to truly understand the impact of holistic care models during a challenging time in families lives. With this deeper understanding, we were able to put together four comprehensive workshops and surrounding services to support our clients achieve a positive experience during their maternity care. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

14/02/2026

The first of our series of tips 🤲🏽

We would love for expectant parents to feel confident and excited about the birth of their baby and caring for baby. 🫶🏽

Firstly, it’s important to understand, whichever type of birth you plan for, some preparation for your mind and body is 100% going to be helpful.

The third trimester can be spent with intentional priorities -

💆🏽‍♀️ Resting and self-care (so important). Every new mum will advise to prioritise this. This is good for both mum and baby.

🧘🏽‍♀️ ⁠Preparing body and mind (together ideally). Whether you plan an abdominal or vaginal birth, there is a daily routine/ritual which will help you. The movement and positions in this post is to promote the opportunity for a spontaneous vaginal birth. We will be sharing tips to prepare and recover for an abdominal birth.

🛒 ⁠Preparing your home and purchasing for equipment you may you need (crazy how much choice there is!). Be confident in your decisions… there is no right/wrong, just options. Worse case scenario, you find out it wasn’t the best choice, but it won’t feel as important as you think it will. Don’t stress! Ask in your networks for mums to share their non-negotiables. The Beyond Midwives network of mums are great at this!

📒 ⁠Spend time together gathering information and learning about this important physiological process which we often interrupt, distrust, and fear. You need to enjoy the learning process, we know you don’t get as much free time together as you would like. Your preparation classes need to feel informative and non-biased… It needs to feel important to those who teach it to you so you can trust the information and both feel you have benefited.

We hope you find this series of tips helpful and it leads you to consider joining us for Antenatal workshops. Have you seen our Google reviews?! We love supporting expectant families 🙌🏽

Beyond Midwives is unique to the North-West, we are not a franchise, the team have invested their own time and finances to commit to this venture. We want families to look back at their maternity journey and feel that we made a difference 🙏🏽

https://beyondmidwives.co.uk/booking/

10/02/2026

Thank you for sharing Steffi & Benito 🫶🏽 We are so grateful you chose Beyond Midwives to help you to prepare 🥹

Here’s my story: I was exactly 36 weeks and 6 days when I started getting contractions (which I thought were Braxton Hicks). Little did I know it was the start of labour. Although I knew baby could arrive at any time from 37 weeks, I wasn’t expecting it at this stage of pregnancy, as most people I knew had gone past their due dates.

Funnily enough, my contractions started while my husband and I were attending the Positive Labour course at Beyond Midwives, which turned out to be perfect timing as it prepared us — especially my husband — for what to expect and gave us the confidence boost we really needed.

By around 8pm, the contractions became stronger and closer together. When I called the Women’s Hospital, they initially said I would need to go to the high-risk unit as I was still technically 36 weeks. However, by midnight my contractions were only minutes apart, and I was then told to head to the midwife-led unit instead.

Once there, my midwife checked my dilation and confirmed I was in active labour. As I wanted a water birth, they began preparing the pool while I focused on breathing techniques, listening to my playlist and using my birth ball. The midwife even gave me a back massage using her special blend of oils, which helped so much and really kept the oxytocin flowing.

Soon I was in the pool using gas and air for pain relief. At one point, I remember telling my husband, “I can’t do this,” but as it goes, you always can!

My labour was incredibly quick, and with the support and reassurance of my mum and husband, our baby boy arrived just 40 minutes later. My personal experience of the aftercare at the Women’s was amazing. I felt listened to, supported, and cared for every step of the way.

For any mums-to-be reading this: trust your body, trust your team, and trust that you are stronger than you think. 💛

Special thanks to Maria and Nadia, who gave us all the support we needed. The experience wouldn’t have been the same without the knowledge they passed on to us.

08/02/2026

How lovely to get such a great review from a celebrity! Thank you Jess 🫶🥰

29/01/2026

Our annual Mother’s Day Event is back!! 🥳

We love celebrating Mother’s Day with mums during pregnancy. This year we are inviting your mums also (no additional ticket needed). We realised so many expecting mum’s will wait until baby is here to celebrate this special day… but you are already mum’s!! 🤩

We always put out a lovely spread of food, drinks and treats. The games are always so uplifting and fun! You will have the opportunity to win prizes, meet other expecting mums, and meet our team. Each guest will also receive helpful information and useful vouchers to use at Beyond Midwives. 💐

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pregnancy-mothers-day-event-tickets-1981542545094?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile