I became interested in midwifery when I experienced it for myself as a consumer 19 years ago.

I have to admit it was a very mixed experience of the pregnancy, birth, and parenthood continuum. Antenatally I was herded through busy clinics, staffed with stressed institutionalised midwives. Postnatally I was lucky enough to get 3 visits from 3 different midwives. They were all relieved to see that I was compos mentis enough to offer them a cup of tea and dispensed 3 differing opinions to the same breastfeeding query before a hasty discharge.

But my most enlightening introduction to midwifery came when I was experiencing a very long and painful first labour. The midwives that looked after my partner and me were warm, reassuring, encouraging, special people. They helped to introduce me to the confident and determined person that I didn’t know I was. That revelation has helped me to succeed in every challenge that has been met by me. My second daughter understood this and decided to try and catch me out by breaking all records known to man and arrived before anyone, (except me and the wonderful midwife) believed I was in labour!

I waited until both my daughters were at school before I trained and qualified as a midwife with King’s College London. Since then I have worked in hospitals all over London and also as an independent midwife in a large London based practice.

I have a background in homeopathy and am completing a qualification in homeopathy and women’s health, and have links to baby swim classes in southeast London.