As a mum to be you are embarking on an amazing and sometimes daunting journey. At Neighbourhood Midwives you will be supported on that journey by a midwife that you know and trust. Sadly in London 60% of women don't see the same midwife twice (RCM 2012) . Neighbourhood Midwives believe that the relationship between the woman and her midwife is at the heart of a good, safe childbirth experience. Our approach is built around a handful of fundamental principles:
You will have your own dedicated midwife. Whether you choose a midwife for all of your care or just the postnatal period, she will tailor that care to meet your individual needs. With our approach you will be able to:-
London and much of the surrounding home counties and Hampshire.
Our initial consultation with the midwife is free.
We offer different care packages from 10 days postnatal care through to our full care packages. We also offer top-up antenatal and postnatal care and one off appointments for birth talks, breastfeeding support and tongue tie division.
Please see our website for full information:
http://www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk/care-packages.php
I used Neighbourhood Midwives for my antenatal and postnatal care. My Midwife Eleanor was fantastic, she was experienced and really took her time to explain everything, and helped me to focus on general wellbeing such as good diet. My labour was incredibly long (over 3 days) and Eleanor was great, coming to the house and just keeping in contact. When we finally arrived in hospital my husband and I worked out that if we didn't have Eleanor we would have had to dealt with 5 different NHS midwives. Having Eleanor meant that my care was kept consistent as she was able to brief the NHS Midwives with my notes and I was able to focus on my labour. The aftercare I received from Eleanor was so good. She really looked after me, visiting the house everyday for the first week, supporting me through breast feeding and counselling me after labour. The whole care was invaluable. She also visited me regularly for 6 weeks after the birth.
I used the services of Neighbourhood Midwives for both of my births. They provide pre and postnatal care. It is a continual and consistent support emotionally and medically. They are extremely professional and very caring. The postnatal care was invaluable as they came everyday and were always there for support or questions. Having someone with you that you have built up a relationship with is very reassuring and comforting. They made sure that the hospital knew that they were coming and were able to help me keep to my birth plan. I am convinced my births would have been completely different if they hadn't been there to advise and reassure me.
I was supported during my first pregnancy and home birth by Rene, and again postnatally with the twins. I'd highly recommend this targeted personalised service. My husband and I felt calm, confident and well looked after with Rene's support!
I was nervous about pretty much all aspects of becoming a mother, and I found pregnancy pretty difficult. Neighbourhood Midwives were AMAZING. Having that one to one, personal care made such a difference. My labour was long and tricky, and I was so glad to have someone I knew to care for me and be my advocate in hospital. And having them visit in the days and weeks after was a lifesaver too. Highly, highly recommended.
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As the lead for clinical governance, Louise has a role in maintaining the high standards that the organisation prides itself on. This includes monitoring outcomes, writing guidelines, clinical audit and risk management. As part of this role she is also involved in the training and development of the midwives. She is a midwife with 24 years experience in both NHS and independent clinical practice and midwifery education in the UK and New Zealand.
I initially got in contact with Neighbourhood Midwives as I didn't feel 100% comfortable with the level of care offered by the NHS, and as a first time Mum I wanted more one on one support, and wanted to be taken care of. Prior to meeting with them, I didn't even realise that having a home birth was an option. As it turned out, I didn't have my child at home, but did start there and was very happy to do so. Tina and Rachel were just amazing - I had a very long labour - over 3 days - and they were incredible. Tina even slept on the floor in the hospital with me. The continuity of care was invaluable and I astonished at their level of dedication. The post pregnancy care was wonderful too - Tina was always available to text or talk to and would come over and provide support. Myself and my child both got infections after the birth, and I know I wouldn't have got through that time as well without Neighbourhood Midwives .
Alice 23 Jul 2014