Emma's Antenatal

21/12/2025

I wonder if Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals will be paying for their community teams to train with Breech Without Borders as part of their upskilling???

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Fj8f6Ndzh/

20/12/2025

I don' know who this beautiful woman is - but it's always good to see breastfeeding & pumping normalised!!

B**b milk is a super power, I am blessed to have have fed both my boys 4 years each, back to back... what a surprise it was - i never expected it - because its the best kept secret - what an all round amazing parenting tool, so good for both mama and baby / toddler / child... great for teething pain, never need to worry about what to take out - always have mummy milk snack on tap!!

Power to the mamas!

Photographer Claire Rothstein shared the powerful image to Instagram alongside the caption: "A million reasons why I wanted to post this picture.

"Obviously looks incredible and was quite literally the dream to work with but also this shoot was about 6 months post her giving birth to her son, so between shots she was expressing/pumping as still breastfeeding.

"We had a mutual appreciation disagreement about whose idea it was to take this picture but I’m still sure it was hers which makes me love her even more.

"Breastfeeding is the most normal thing in the world and I can’t for the life of me imagine why or how it is ever frowned upon or scared of. I don’t even think it needs explaining but just wanted to put this out there, as if it even changes one person’s perception of something so natural, so normal, so amazing then that’s great.

"Besides she’s wearing Versace and diamonds and is just fu***ng major. Big shout out to all the girls 💪"

19/12/2025

Good info, oxygen saturation falls when babies are in that curled up position inncar seats.. tempting as it is to leave them there - hands up i have done it!!!
But there is another option if you are struggling - I offfer postnatal doula suppprt.

Its kind of like having your sister or aunty over, i can help get on top of washing - with a baby strapped to me while you sleep or togethet, blitz the kutchen, get some nourishing food in...

I am soooo bad at doing this for myself, arent we all - but i have always loooved doung it for others, maybe thats why... because i know how much of a lift it is.

Also can just help you get out to a grpup, go for a walk, help with feeding, batch cooking, i am multi skilled & talented & pretty good company - good listener!!

Also can do overnights, from January

Give me a shout xx

Car seats are designed to keep babies safe while travelling, but they’re not designed to be a main sleeping place. They’re not suitable for sleeping in for long periods so use them for transport only, not to replace cots, moses baskets or cribs.

It’s okay for your baby to fall asleep in a car seat when travelling but take them out as soon as you get to your destination and place them onto a firm, flat surface to sleep.

Learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/3R5I2fB

18/12/2025

Legal safeguards have been built in to our maternity system because of a long history of abuses of power taking place in public bodies.

Now the power is in our hands to hold our public bodies accountable.

To the law
To transparency in decision making
To share data

USE IT OR LOOSE IT!!

13/12/2025

Oh yes, and its tough if youve never seen / been at a birth before and not sure if it is ok to spur on the person they love. Heck transition is hard for everyone - why not talk to me about how i cam support both you and your partner during birth x

13/12/2025

After 2 weeks of intense campaigning & birth support & a long day of travel I'm very very happy to be back in my lovely van.

Its all mine & we've no-one to please, answer to or be judged by!!

Feeling so gratfeul for all the gifts and lessons that come my way.

The angels keep watching over us and i have so much hope for our UK Maternity services...

12/12/2025

My article “No More Asking Nicely: Women, Rights, and the Homebirth Crisis” is now published in Midwifery Matters (Association of Radical Midwives).

It's come out of weeks of watching lawful maternity care quietly dismantled in Gloucestershire, women being brushed off, decisions made without due process, and a system that seems to rely on women being too tired, too busy, too pregnant, too postnatal to push back.

Suspending homebirth isn’t a “preference issue”.
It’s a rights & safety issue.

It removes a lawful, evidence-based option.
It pushes more women into an overstretched obstetric system.

It increases intervention, trauma, and risk.
And it’s being done without transparency, proper scrutiny, or accountability.

This article is a line in the sand.

Women are learning the law.
Women are connecting the dots.
Women are organising, supporting one another, and refusing to be patronised any longer.

If you’re a midwife, doula, birth worker, or woman who has felt that quiet pressure to “stop making a fuss” — this is for you.

No more asking nicely.
We deserve lawful, safe, woman-centred maternity care.
And we’re not going anywhere.

✊🕯️

11/12/2025

📣 NEW FOI DOCUMENTS REVEAL MAJOR SAFETY CONCERNS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE MATERNITY CARE

Governance minutes from the LMNS & PQS workstreams show a very different picture from the one the public has been given.

Rising stillbirths, neonatal deaths under review, missed antenatal checks, overwhelmed triage, rising intervention rates, dashboard gaps — yet the services restricted were the safest parts of the system: Homebirth and our midwife-led Birth Centres.

None of the documents identify homebirth or midwife-led care as a primary safety concern.
The risks sit firmly inside the hospital system.

Transparency is now essential.
Women, midwives and families deserve to see what’s really happening behind the scenes.

Full article + documents here:
https://www.emmasantenatal.com/birth-advocacy-in-gloucestershire/what-gloucestershires-own-governance-minutes-reveal-about-maternity-safety-and-why-im-asking-for-transparency

Please share, comment and help raise awareness.
Knowledge is power — and it saves lives.

09/12/2025

09/12/2025

This isn’t just a “homebirth issue.” This affects every woman in Gloucestershire.

Today’s BBC coverage mentioned the suspension — but it still didn’t explain the real story:
our maternity system is losing the backbone that keeps all birth safe — community midwifery.

When community midwifery collapses, everything collapses with it:
• continuity of care
• skilled and experienced midwives
• personalised support
• safe birth environments
• trust between women and services

The media often frames this as a minority wanting “nice choices.”

The reality is quite the opposite.

Women are choosing for safety — long-term outcomes, fewer interventions, calmer labours, and healthier starts for their babies.

And when those safe options disappear, women do what women have always done:
they make the best choice available to protect themselves and their babies.

Even if that means birthing at home without a midwife, supported by partners, doulas or birthkeepers.

This is why we formed Gloucestershire Maternity Action Group.

Not to argue about homebirth — but to defend the entire maternity service from being stripped back until nothing is left.

To hold the trust accountable to their lawful duties.

We aim to protect community midwifery, and protect every birth, not just homebirth.

If you want to understand the national picture, I’ve linked a short film in the comments that shows what’s happening inside obstetric units across the UK.

More updates soon.
We’re just getting started.

09/12/2025

🚨 Gloucestershire Homebirth Suspension: What the BBC Didn’t Explain 🚨


The coverage this morning mentioned our campaign — but it missed the the issue - again.

This is not a story about “homebirth" or "women's preferences.”
This is about safety for all women, human rights and the dismantling of community midwifery in Gloucestershire.

When a Trust cannot run a homebirth service, it isn’t a small admin issue.

⛔️ It’s a warning sign.⛔️

A homebirth service depends on:

• experienced midwives
• safe skill-mix
• functioning community teams
• proper risk oversight
• lawful service-change processes

❌ None of that has been in place.

Women weren’t consulted.
AEQUIP has been withheld.
Continuity models have collapsed.
Independent midwives weren’t explored.
And community midwifery — the backbone of safe maternity care — is being stripped away.

This matters for every woman in Gloucestershire, regardless of where she wants to give birth.
Because when you lose community midwifery, you lose continuity, safety, and choice across the whole system.

This is why Gloucestershire Maternity Action Group formed — not by one person, but a collective of parents, doulas, midwives and birthworkers who refuse to watch services crumble in silence.

We will keep pushing for:
✅ lawful, transparent decision-making
✅ the reinstatement of community midwifery
✅ safe staffing
✅ real continuity
✅ accountability at every level

You can read the BBC piece here:
🔗 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r959zrdveo

And you can follow our campaign and updates on my page.

This is about protecting women’s rights, safety, and the integrity of midwifery for the next generation.

Bethany Po***ck was 38 weeks pregnant when she was told home births were being suspended.