The Southwest Indie Midwife

14/10/2025

You're having a coffee with some mama friends, rubbing your growing bump and admiring their gorgeous squishy babies....and then the birth horror stories start to flow.

You find yourself in a bit of a spiral, worrying about how the baby will come out and will you also have a similar story to share.

You really want a calm and positive birth but you never seem to hear stories like that!

Don't worry, I've got you...here are my top tips to increase your chance of a positive birth experience....

✨Firstly, if you can, get continuity of care from an experienced midwife through your whole journey. The NHS often has teams, but it can be a postcode lottery. Ask your midwife if you can be looked after in this model (or book an independent midwife). This model of care is evidence based to demonstrate almost every measurable outcome in maternity care is improved, in particular birth trauma is reduced and your chance of having a straightforward birth increased.

✨ Use your BRAIN. Don't be afraid to ask....Why are you suggesting this care pathway...what's the BENEFITS are there any RISKS, is there an ALTERNATIVE available, what does your INTUITION tell you and what happens if you do NOTHING.

✨ Look at birth mapping and what an A, B & C plan might look like. What would your choices be if faced with an induction of labour or a caesarean birth instead of what you planned, or if you planned a caesarean but then laboured what choices might you make

✨Learn about birth physiology! Good antenatal education is so important. Understand how your hormones work and how you and your birth partners can support them. Think about where you want to birth your baby. Birth place matters as it increases or decreases your chance of intervention, but one place may be safer than another dependant on your individual circumstances.

✨ Don't just decide to go with the flow. Knowledge is power and have your birth team on your side

✨ Seek out positive birth stories. Watch the film Born at Home, find positive birth communities, change your narrative from within. We are programmed to believe birth has to be a certain way because of media and exposure.

What things worked for you??

07/10/2025

That time I left my vulv@ at my clients house 🤣

But on a serious note...when you book me, you aren't just booking your clinical midwifery care.

You are booking

WhatsApp support in day time hours for anything non urgent. My clients have loved this for any time they are unsure about something, having a wobble, didn't understand information they were given by another healthcare provider, postnatal questions and generally having a midwife in your pocket! (I am pretty small 🤣)

Antenatal education...it doesn't matter what baby this is, this is still a vital and valuable element of my full care packages. We reframe birth, look at why our belief system is what it is, and then work through from your perspective to help you learn to believe in your own power 💪✨ birth partners learn advocacy skills that are invaluable and you get 1:1 hypnobirthing support.

Connection through continuity of care...this is a Biggie!! Evidence based to improve almost every measurable outcome when it comes to pregnancy, birth and your postnatal journey. Continuity reduces the chance of preterm birth, having a caesarean or instrumental birth, having a traumatic birth and increasing your chance of breastfeeding successfully

Postnatal support that provides 80% more contact points than the NHS. All your screening taken care of, you don't need to leave the house for a single appointment, I come to you. I have 19 years of breastfeeding expertise to help your feeding journey off to the best start possible.

When you book a private independent midwife, you are booking connection, evidence based care. The TIME to hear you and ensure your care is genuinely about your needs.

BOOK A FREE ENQUIRY APPOINTMENT TO FIND OUT MORE

www.indiemidwife.co.uk

07932048540

mel@indiemidwife.co.uk

01/10/2025

❣️ WOMEN ARE CHANGING THEIR OWN NARRATIVES AROUND BIRTH❣️

Interventions are increasing, yet outcomes aren't improving in the NHS and the families I work with have chosen a different path to empowered birth.

Choosing to work with an independent midwife means guaranteed CONTINUITY OF CARE. This is gold standard, evidenced based midwifery care from the same known midwife throughout your whole pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey....this is something you are unlikely to experience with the NHS where care is fractured and broken up in to community and hospital care and where you may not see the same midwife twice through your whole pregnancy. Continuity of care has demonstrated benefits on almost every measurable outcome in maternity care, from reduced caesarean birth rates to reducing trauma.

When you book an independent midwife you also guarantee you will have access to homebirth if this is where you choose to have your baby. Not only this but you will have two highly experienced homebirth specialist midwives at your birth providing you with physiology informed care and safe birth care to the highest standards.

Nourishing postnatal care, where you receive evidenced based feeding support and expertise. I come with 19 years of breastfeeding expertise. I support physiology well in to the weeks following the birth to help you and your baby adapt to life together. This is family centred care where I come to you. No clinic appointments or schedules to keep.

If you are interested in enhanced, bespoke and empowering midwifery care, with all appointments in your home. Trauma informed and holistic care that is nuanced, evidenced based and person centred....then get in touch for a free discovery appointment

www.indiemidwife.co.uk

07932048540

Mel@indiemidwife.co.uk

15/09/2025

🌟 Safe Homebirth 🌟

One of the questions I get asked the most:

Is homebirth safe?

The answer?

In the UK homebirth is very safe, particularly if you have a low complexity pregnancy....see some of my other posts for the research on this.

Part of what makes homebirth safe is having skilled and experienced homebirth midwives at your birth...who are experienced in birth physiology and can recognise when things aren't quite as they should be and escalate for support or help from our obstetric colleagues in the hospital.

We would really prefer not to have any emergency happen at home, and birth often gives us warning signs that things aren't quite following the plan we would expect.

The good news is that our skill and experience ( a combined 2 decades of homebirth midwifery magic) means we are very skilled at identifying and potentially resolving any problems before they become emergencies.

My biggest and most favourite tool at homebirths is having a trusted second midwife alongside me...if you book birth with me that is Katie, and I do the same for her. We work on the basis of friendship and trust as well as being super passionate birth nerds!

We also both carry a big kit bag full of equipment and medications to use should we need them.

Both of us take part in skills and drills training at least every year to ensure we stay up to date with how to manage emergency situations in birth ...things such as bleeding after birth or resuscitation.

Part of our biggest safety measure is the fact we practice in a model called continuity of care...this is a relational model of care where you see the same midwife through your whole pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. This is very protective of safe birth, is demonstrated to improve almost every measurable outcome in pregnancy and birth and means you can relax, trust we will provide safe birth care and listen to you no matter what.

The good news is we don't often have to get the emergency kit out and mostly we can drink tea intelligently, tuning in to you, your birthing vibes and making sure we don't interrupt your oxytocin bubble 🫶

12/09/2025

Hey I'm Mel aka The Southwest Indie Midwife

I'm a private, independent midwife.

I work outside of the NHS to provide you with care that is relationship based, ensures the care meets your needs as an individual person and is on a schedule to suit you.

I specialise in homebirth but support all kinds of birth. My favourite kind of birth is the one where you felt empowered and in control of your choices and decisions 💪🫶

The way I work has a special name, called Continuity of Care (coc). this way of working has loads of evidence to support the benefits to women and babies - in fact almost every measurable outcome in maternity is improved with continuity of care!

I'm a massive birth nerd and want you to have a safe, empowered birth, supported in a way that feels right for you and with evidenced based care at it's heart. Minimising harm, minimising trauma, promoting your sense of empowerment.

Interested in finding out more?

Get in touch for a free enquiry appointment. Let me know your due date and I can tell you if I still have space on my caseload.

I have very limited space for Autumn 2025 and 2026 birth space is filling up.

21/04/2025

My 2025 books are now full for independent midwifery care 💞

22/03/2025

Did you know I can provide planned hospital birth support too?

With a planned hospital birth I am there as your professional advocate and to provide physical and emotional support...

Think....

Vibes in the room

Time to think through and understand decisions

Physical support with biomechanics & massage

Emotional support and hypnobirthing affirmations

Ensuring you are eating and drinking

Support for your birthing partner to feel empowered and involved in the birth

This mama had an incredible, fierce and strong labour and a beautiful baby is now earthside.

She crushed labour so hard she even broke her birth comb! Which is a new one for me!

Congratulations to this beautiful family ✨

15/03/2025

What a great time we had today at talking to so many women and families about the possibilities when you hire an independent midwife for your care....

✨Nurturing and holistic care that treats you like the individual you are

✨Bespoke and tailored care to your needs

✨ Two midwives at your homebirth with over 2 decades of midwifery and birth work experience between us

✨ Continuity of care and knowing your midwife, helping you to feel safe and in control

✨The most evidence based and up-to-date care adjacent and in collaboration with the NHS if needed

If you're interested in care that looks a little bit different, is totally centered around you and provides gold standard safe care then get in touch

28/01/2025

Take a listen 💞

02/01/2025

I reviewed this book and can wholeheartedly say it's an excellent and important read!

✨ NEW BOOK REVIEW ✨

📖 Supporting Autistic People Through Pregnancy & Childbirth by Hayley Morgan, Emma Durman & Karen Henry

An essential guide for providing compassionate, thoughtful, and inclusive care for autistic and neurodiverse people navigating pregnancy and birth. With insights from lived experiences and actionable strategies, this book is a must-read for all maternity professionals.

👉 https://www.all4maternity.com/supporting-autistic-people-through-pregnancy-childbirth/

📢 Members get 15% off—check the Members Zone for details!
Offer valid from the 1st January - 28th February 2025.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

29/12/2024

Went and hung out with today and we went through kit, obstetric emergencies and working together as second midwife for one another.

So excited to be working alongside her on this journey of IM life.

Katie is based in cornwall, so if you are planning a homebirth and looking for an independent midwife she's your girl. She's based near St Agnes.

Go give her a follow 🫶

26/12/2024

You're not brave for planning a homebirth....

You're informed .....

And by choosing homebirth in a continuity of care model you get gold standard care that is bespoke to your needs, safe and guaranteed access to homebirth.

As an independent, private midwife I am able to tailor my care to your needs and I'm always just a Whatsapp away pretty much whenever you need me!

If you want transformative midwifery care that isn't just tick box, but highly personalised and centres you in your care then get in touch today for a free no obligation enquiry appointment.

Link in bio

With thanks to Elisabeth Dawn for allowing me to share beautiful Mannaseh's birth from back in August, her second homebirth with me there to witness her strength and to welcome her chunky (4.3kg) baby boy earthside.

Beautiful photos by Rabbit House Studio Photography 😍