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Hi my name is Louise. I have been a midwife for 17 years and I have been running my own businesses for 12 years.
I set up ‘Louise’s Antenatal Classes’ in December 2014. I offer antenatal classes for first time parents and for those who already have children, postnatal support and birth reflections. All my services take place in the couple’s home, at a time and date that suits them.
There are several advantages of one to one classes; the classes can be tailored around the couple and we can discuss any topic they wish. They are advantageous for those with busy work or life commitments. It is also relevant for those women whose birth maybe complicated by an existing medication condition or a complication in pregnancy and need advice on different alternatives for their birth.
The most satisfying part about running my classes is seeing the transformation in couples who may have been frightened or nervous about the upcoming birth before the class to feeling much more positive and confident about the process afterwards. I love hearing back from the couples I meet and hearing how their birth went. I really enjoy helping people and imparting my knowledge. I have women stay in touch with me for months after their baby has been born and this is just wonderful. I get pictures and updates as to how their babies are doing.
In 2017, I started offering birth reflection sessions. These sessions are for any women (or couple) who are upset or feel traumatised by their birth experience and wish to talk about it. It’s an opportunity to try to understand why things happened the way they did. The session is completely focused on the woman and/or couple. The pace is set by them, I take things really slowly, and depending on how upsetting discussing the birth is, we may stop and restart on another day.
Sometimes women ask for a birth reflections session as they are thinking about another pregnancy but the previous delivery still feels too raw. Sometimes the women are already pregnant and this brings back memories of the previous delivery. In both circumstances, the next or current pregnancy can be discussed. We can explore what you would like for the next pregnancy and delivery and I can help with keywords for you to start discussions with your health professionals.
My birth reflections sessions are open to women of all ages. It doesn’t matter how long ago the birth was, I will happily meet anyone who wants to talk their birth experience.
At the moment, I have the best of both worlds. I still have my NHS work which I love and will never stop as it ensures that I’m always up-to-date with best practice and current techniques. Being with women and their families is ultimately my role as a midwife but I also get to run my own business which I enjoy so much.
If you would like more information on my classes or birth reflections, please see www.louantenatal.com.
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