“We had talked about independent midwifery care a while before we came back to the UK from New Zealand. Within several months of our return I was pregnant and found Debbie through Indie Midwife Sarah, who was unavailable at that time. We always wanted a home birth and our vision was realised this July with the birth of our first born, Alfred”
Being at home was such a treat - everything we needed to hand, comfy spaces, food and drinks, a nice loo, a bed, a calm atmosphere! We were just being normal! There was no reason for us to seek hospital "safety".
From the moment I met Debbie, I knew that she was special and our relationship formed easily over the months with regular visits, catching up at my home where we would have our baby boy, 9 months later. Debbie went above and beyond anything I had imagined independent care to look like. I wanted continuity of care but never knew how that could feel - especially when it came to the few weeks/months leading up to the birth and postpartum when feeling utterly overwhelmed, tired and blurry!
Her kindness shone through in every act. Debbie listens, offers friendly advice in a completely professional, non judgemental way - allowing us to make empowered decisions and reassure any concerns or questions we had. Calm and sunny and an absolute pleasure to have her with us for our transformation to Mum and Dad.
For anyone considering a home birth and independent care, I can hand on my heart recommend it! Thank you Debbie xxxx”
“I could not recommend Debbie enough. She was my second midwife and from the moment I first interacted with her I just knew how amazing she was. She has so much time for you, she is such a lovely and caring person. I couldn't be more grateful that our paths crossed and she supported me at the most vulnerable time with such compassion. She made me feel so comfortable and empowered. I only wish our time together had been much longer (it was quite a last minute thing!). Even after the birth, she still has been an amazing support. I wish I could keep her forever
Having Debbie on your team is something you will not regret!
“I decided I really wanted to try for a home birth over a year before we even got pregnant. I'd read into the benefits of giving birth in familiar surroundings, resulting in a much higher chance of having a natural physiological birth with less chance of intervention. We decided the best chance of getting this was having an independent midwife, especially after hearing the birthing centre at the RVI had been closed for some time due to staffing issues. I'd known about Debbie for a little while, after following a few North East midwives. We got in touch with Debbie when I was around 6 weeks pregnant and she was there from the very start, up until 2 months postpartum when I was having struggles breastfeeding. Continuity of care was so important to my partner and I - so this was really special.
I knew from the very first appointment Debbie was going to take such good care of us, and I felt a huge amount of trust in her very quickly.
She held the space at each appointment to listen to any concerns and answer any questions, as well as just being there for a hug and a chat. It really felt like the most lovely catch up with a friend at each appointment. There was so much time to go through any query and it was never rushed. She gave me so much confidence and helped me trust in myself.
When labour began and contractions started to get intense, Debbie was such a grounding support right from the get go. Encouraging and so calm for the full labour. She never left our side. Even though the end of our birth veered way off our plan, and resulted in a hospital transfer, I was able to cope with the changes so much better as we had such great support.
You can see she genuinely cares and loves each and every one of her clients and is so passionate about what she does.
Debbie is the warmest, kindest, most gentle soul l've ever come across and to be honest, I can't imagine welcoming another baby without her by my side.”