"The team went above and beyond to support me"

I planned to have a home birth for my first child. I made this decision quite late in my pregnancy (around 32 weeks). I emailed the Birth at Home team. Paula, the team leader, telephoned me the next day. We had a half an hour call discussing the options. Andrea, a midwife from the Birth at Home team, visited my husband and I in our home. She went through a thorough check list and answered all our questions. She gave us some time to make a decision and said that they would be in touch.

The next day I contacted the team to confirm our choice. From that point onwards I saw the same 3 midwives (Paula, Andrea and Sadie) in my home. The team were very thorough, and were focused on my baby and my choices.The continuity of care put me at ease. As my pregnancy approached 42 weeks, the team went above and beyond to support me, discussing the benefits and risks of interventions and taking calls after hospital appointments.

Ultimately I had an induction and a hospital birth, but the Birth at Home team continued my postnatal care. This was very reassuring in the postnatal period as I recovered from a high intervention birth. Again, the team went above and beyond to support me when my recovery hit bumps in the road. I'm so grateful for the care I received. Paula, Sadie and Andrea are women focused, with a wealth of knowledge, and an asset to birthing people.