midwife
Middle English midwif, from mid “with” (Old English) + wif “woman.”
to be with woman.
- One who works in partnership with women.
- One who is with you through pregnancy, birth, and the weeks that follow.
- One who orders your tests and ultrasounds, and tells you what the results mean for you.
- One who prescribes what you need, and brings someone else in when that's the right call.
- One who watches for complications in you and your baby, and knows when to act.
- One who attends your birth, and stays through the hours after.
- One who cares for your baby as much as for you, and helps you feed them.
- One who teaches you birth, parenthood, and the whole of your reproductive life.
- One who knows your cycle, and what it does across a month and across a life.
- One who is with you at the thresholds, whether or not there's a baby.
- One whose care meets you emotionally, culturally and spiritually as well as physically.
You might have already chosen where you're giving birth. Many women who come to me have, and they chose it because it felt like the safest option. Some are still deciding, and that's a good time to talk too.
Then the questions start.
What will this test change?
Can you say no?
Is the plan you've been given the plan you want?
No one loves your baby more than you do. That's exactly why the decisions should be yours.
I've sat with women who couldn't decide, and the thing that helps is unpacking the information you've been given, filling the gaps, and making space while you work out how you feel about it. That's when it gets clear, and where you know you can look back and say you made the best decision you could.
The early weeks are the part most women get least help with. You're discharged, and then it's you, at home, working it out.
Some women book me before the birth because they can see that coming. A planned caesarean, and wanting someone there when you walk in the door. A body that will need more recovery than most. A determination to breastfeed, with someone on hand for when it gets hard.
Autonomous doesn't mean alone.
All of it is for one thing. The best possible start to your life together.All of it is the same job. Being with a woman while something changes.
Midwifery Care
Antenatal and postnatal care, birth debriefs, and support through pregnancy sickness. In Paddington, the Lower Blue Mountains, or online. Medicare rebates apply.
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Education
Full-day workshops for homebirth and VBAC, and bespoke one-to-one birth education. So you know what to do with what you know.
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Circles & Rites of Passage
Women's circles, the Women's Cycle Map, and ceremonial work for the thresholds women move through. With or without a baby.
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Complete Midwifery Care
Books closed until late 2027
Full continuity through pregnancy, birth and the weeks after, with one midwife.
If that's what you were hoping for, the next best thing is to book in anyway. Most of what makes continuity work is having someone who knows you and has time. You can have that now, alongside whatever care you've already chosen.
See appointments →Not sure what you need?
Most women who contact me start by saying they didn't know a midwife could do this. So if you're not sure whether what you're after is something I can help with, ask. It usually is.
Not ready for either?
Start with the Birth Plan Template and Guide. A step-by-step way to work out what matters to you, understand your options, and communicate clearly with everyone supporting you. Free to download.
Get the template →