Birthjourneys Midwifery

21/07/2025

I’m going to be taking a break from the Tuesday morning baby feeding cafes in Emmanuel church. From tomorrow, and after 3 years of providing weekly feeding support, I’ll not be around.

The sessions started when I had some free time following early retirement from NHS midwifery. I moved the ‘cafe’ from Bicester Tesco community room 8 months later, to the Emmanuel Church. Cheryl and the church team have been amazingly supportive and provided space every single week since then.

Separate to the feeding support, the current new parents group, Bicester New Mums Support Network, will still be meeting there.

But the feeding sessions aren’t so busy at the moment, and I’m finding it increasingly difficult to single handedly commit to them each week, knowing they’re benefiting so few.

The break may well be temporary, while I focus more time on my general midwifery and psychotherapy services. You never know, another qualified and eager feeding supporter may decide to continue the free sessions. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

If you know any new or expecting parents who were hoping to come along, please share this news with them. I’ll ensure the health visiting team, midwives, OBS and infant feeding team are aware.

In love and kindness,
Trudy

15/07/2025

Posted •

If you are expecting a baby and would like to see how our Banbury unit looks like, please sign up for our open afternoon, this Sunday, between 13:00-15:00 at our Horton Maternity- led unit!

This is a great chance to meet our team working at that unit, have a cup of tea and ask any question in relation to postnatal care.

To book your place, please call us on: 01295 229776.

We hope to see you this Sunday!

14/07/2025

I’m not going to get into town tomorrow morning to support folk at baby feeding cafe, I’m afraid.

Remember there is free support with the community midwives if your baby is under 4 weeks old. You can refer yourself to the OUH infant feeding team if your baby is up to 6weeks old. The health visiting team is at Emmanuel Church on Wednesday lunchtimes, and can always be contacted for support. There is also the Oxfordshire Breastfeeding Support (OBS) that holds appointment sessions online and face to face. La Leche league are also a good source of free support.

If you’d prefer one to one support at home, for baby feeding, postnatal debriefing or emotional wellbeing, do call me on 07823770858 or email me at trudy@birthjourneysmidwifery.com. You can tell me where you’re at, and where you’d like to be. I can explain what’s free locally (wouldn’t it be lovely if we sometimes didn’t have to pay for prompt support?), and how I can help.

Artist: Julie Dillon Makepeace

08/07/2025

❤️

07/07/2025

I’ll be at Emmanuel Church, Bure Park, Bicester in the morning. 9.30-11am. The more the merrier.

02/07/2025

Jaundice in newborn babies can present challenges in the early days. Our article looks at the importance of breastfeeding going well to prevent jaundice and what to do if your baby has jaundice:

https://www.laleche.org.uk/jaundice/

[Image: newborn baby with jaundice lying on his back with arms above his head in a green sleepsuit. Text: Jaundice and breastfeeding]

01/07/2025

Baby feeding cafe is on this morning. 9.30-11am at Emmanuel Church, Bure Park, Bicester. Come and get a bit of feeding support.

If your feeding journey has just started and you fancy using the feeding cafe as a practice run for getting out of the house and feeding while you’re out, we’re the perfect dummy run. You’ll be in a safe, nurturing place.

Little stumbles along your journey, or huge boulders presenting themselves along your journey, let us support you, walk with you until things settle. There’s no such thing as a silly or small question, and with so many years experience in midwifery (feeding and mental health), no problem you bring will be too big.

23/06/2025

I will be at Emmanuel Church, Bure Park, Bicester tomorrow morning (9.30-11am) as usual, offering free baby feeding support.

If your baby is born, then it’s not too young for you to join me for some advice and reassurance. Bring your partner, mum, mate. Anyone who is supporting you on your journey, is welcome.

If your baby is not yet born, and you’d like to pop in for a cuppa and have a few questions answered before baby arrives, then you’re very welcome too.

I’m an experienced registered midwife. I specialise in perinatal mental health, but I also feel passionately that feeding support should be freely available to all. No appointments. Just come along. No advertising. No gimmicks. No frills. No judgement. Any and all genders, ethnicity, and age. No bias. Just support given freely for those two hours on a Tuesday morning.

If you know someone who may not see this post/not on Facebook, if you can support a teen mum to come and get help, or act as a transport or translator for non-English speaking parents, please DO spread the kindness and help them to join us.

18/06/2025