Where do I start when talking about how incredibly wonderful Rachel is - as a human and as a midwife. We are so blessed to have found her and to have had the opportunity to invite her into our pregnancy journey making up part of a small, intimate team that I wanted present for eventually my birth. Which was simply, me, my husband and Rachel. From the moment we met her we felt a connection. Of warmth, security and trust. Through her knowledge, life and midwifery experience and her heart she provides a safe home for you to rest in. Always there with the resources and information needed for any "recommended" portocol or situation you may be questioning, and any sensations and feelings you may be experiencing. Her continual reassurance for me was golden. Yes I had things to consider - varicose veins, rhesus negative blood, home birth over 40, anxiety, yet she brought the stats and facts for me to ponder over, let me naturally land on a response that felt right for my family, and supported us through it. No pokey questions, no judgement, just pure support and love. Throughout this 3rd pregnancy, after the sickness passed I felt quite anxious, all the way to the end, experiencing attacks at night alongside braxton hicks which was quite an unsettling experience. Feeling like labor was starting at 36 weeks, but Rachel was so extremely reassuring at the midnight phone calls, and even got insurance sorted for an earlier than typical homebirth. This was above and beyond. Rachel even took my blood at home (needle phobic), avoiding all hospital/clinic appointments that I wanted to avoid. My 4 year old son got to see what happened when taking blood, using a doppler to hear the baby - which he got to use himself, and eventually being present at the birth. He saw the support and friendship being offered to a women in this vulnerable, precious phase of life. Golden. The birth was miraculous. A few hours of active labour, and the baby was here. Rachel's presence was invaluable - I'll never forget grabbing her hand in my most needed time! I cannot understand how someone can be so solid, present, calm and reassuring whilst witnessing a women birthing a child, it. is. incredible. She was made for this! Her knowing words when I was in deep "only a few minutes to go" letting me know we'd nearly done it, I was nearly there! And afterwards, the unconditional care given. Our children came through, my daughter cut the cord and helped weigh the baby. The placenta and birth sac were shown to the children, and Rachel described their job, where the baby would have been inside the sac, how the placenta fed the bay etc and then she brought water colour paper to do placenta prints with - unreal. Utter bliss. We are so so grateful and blessed. Our post natal appointments were gorgeous - lots of feeding/latch advice, other professionals to consider for support (which we did with success) and our family has made a pact to make Rachel a firm friend, whether she likes it or not! She is a diamond in this crazy world. x
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Testimonials
Stories from the families I've had the privilege of supporting.
These stories are just a few — read more from families on Google.
Read our Google ReviewsRachel was an integral part of my pregnancy and birth. Her care, knowledge and intuition made me feel held and uplifted throughout the ante and post natal periods, reminding me always to trust my mothers instinct and that I have all the tools to help my baby thrive. Her visits to our house were golden and she filled me full of confidence and positivity, looking forward to the journey of number 2 already!
Read full reviewRachel helped us tremendously during two pregnancies and deliveries. She provides a unique integration of medical and alternative approaches that together offer not only safe delivery of a baby but a transformational experience for the whole family. She also helped us work together preparing me to be a birthing partner and a father.
Read full reviewOur entire journey with Rachel was wonderful. After a difficult 1st pregnancy and birth we knew we wanted something different for our second, and Rachel supported us every step of the way. Although not without its difficulties having Rachel by my side made my pregnancy journey wonderful. Someone who understood and supported my decisions throughout and advocated for me when needed. I couldn’t recommend her more. We had the most amazing home birth and she knew exactly what I needed without being asked. I felt safe and calm the whole time. Having Rachel’s care through pregnancy, birth and postpartum is something every woman deserves to experience.
Read full reviewHiring Rachel as our private midwife was the best thing we did. Rachel was so kind and caring, she really ‘got’ us and was able to give us so much invaluable information along the way. This was my second pregnancy and my experience was night and day compared to dealing with the NHS in my first pregnancy. Although unfortunately the home birth I had wanted wasn’t meant to be (again) and I had a second emergency c-section, thanks to Rachel looking after my and the baby’s welfare in the hospital and having at times to be really quite strong about it, it was such a positive experience. Thank you, thank you Rachel we will be forever grateful!
Read full reviewRachel supported me during pregnancy, birth and postpartum and I’m so grateful she was on that journey with us. She was understanding, supportive and kind and I felt so safe under her care. After a long labour I had to be transferred to the hospital but Rachel came with me, advocated for me when I couldn’t and stayed until the very end. As a first time mum, her postpartum care was immensely invaluable - it was wonderful to have her come to our home and support us in such a vulnerable time. Her visits brought us comfort and having her with us to navigate our lives as new parents was so reassuring. I honestly cannot recommend Rachel enough! I felt empowered and supported during my entire journey with her and I’m so glad we found her. Thank you, Rachel!
Read full reviewThroughout my third pregnancy, Rachel was not only my midwife but also my pillar and safe haven. T trusted her completely, which says a lot after having had some traumatic birth experiences. She made time to truly be with me, listened to my worries and frustrations, and above all she HONOURED and ENCOURAGED me to make my own choices which made me feel so EMPOWERED. Our birth was magical and Rachel’s calming and warm presence was exactly the energy I wanted in my birth space. She encouraged me to tune back in with my own instincts when I started looking for reassurance, because she knew I didn’t want any interventions or checks done. This meant I was able to fully sink back into my own body, instead of looking for outside validation. We had a beautiful homebirth and I would choose Rachel again if we ever have any more babies. Having had 3 babies and working in the birth world myself, I have seen a lot of midwives. No one has ever come close to the magic Rachel brings with her where ever she goes. She truly is a gem! Noa, doula
I had my first baby at a Midwife Led Unit (MLU), and ended up with a retained placenta and hemorrhaged 1.5 Litres of blood, because the environment and the timelines did not suit my baby and me For my second baby I planned a home birth. However, the Lockdowns had wreaked havoc on the home birth and ambulance services, so home births were officially cancelled by my NHS Trust when I was 40 weeks. Due to the significant stress of the 40 minute drive to the hospital, again I haemorrhaged soon after the baby was born. I ended up with a room full of medics, an unwanted Managed Third Stage and all of the drugs. Again I lost approx 1.5 Litres of blood, but I was fine to leave the hospital the next day. Also, I had tested positive for Group B Strep (GBS) during this pregnancy, but the baby was fine (I declined antibiotics) For my third baby, because I was outside of guidelines due to the haemorrhages and possible GBS; I was determined that I was going to Freebirth alone at home if the NHS home birth midwives were unable to support me. This pregnancy was different, in that I only saw the local midwife Rachel each and every time. Rachel heard me and my history and understood why I was reticent with many of the NHS services. I declined the bump measurement and declined the Consultant appointments that appeared in the post for me. Rachel explained the purpose of these provisions, which did make me think that I shouldn't just blindly decline; but I was confident that I just needed to get the environment right this third time. Due to my previous experiences with Consultants I knew that they would simply recommend that I gave birth in hospital, not understanding how physiological birth worked - like I knew Rachel did As an alternative to the hospital appointments, Rachel kindly arranged an appointment with the local Consultant Midwife. Rachel attended with my husband and supported me. We had a good discussion where the consequences of me bleeding out at home was clearly explained, but that they would try to support me to have the homebirth that I felt was right for me. Rachel and the Consultant Midwife said that they considered each case based on that woman's needs, and if I wanted a home birth, they would do everything within their power to support that. When the day came for me to go into labour, my husband's call to Hospital Triage got through to the MLU, and from there to Rachel. Because she knew me, she agreed to go on call that night, and happily the Consultant Midwife was also able to come to support us. The contractions ramped up at 11pm, so Rachel got in the car. She arrived about 12.20am and baby was born beautifully and calmly by candlelight at 12:47pm. Rachel had sneaked into the house between contractions and had only monitored the baby's heartbeat once. She did not monitor me, as she knew that I did not feel that would be necessary if I looked well. When we were waiting for my first natural birth of a placenta, Rachel encouraged me calmly, and did not tell me how much time I "had left". For the first time, I did not hemorrhage at this birth, and it was 100% physiological. Only my husband and I touched Merryn until after the golden hour Rachel had heard me and supported me and made herself available for me and my baby and the rest of my family. She did what I would expect a midwife to do, but what I understand is very difficult to put into practice in the big system. Merryn is a calm and joyful baby, he is well connected to me and a good breastfeeder - I think a lot of this can be traced back to his beautiful, natural birth Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
