Birthjourneys Midwifery

01/12/2025

28/11/2025

📣 Your voice matters. There's still time to take our surveys on coercion in maternity care 📣

Thank you to everyone who has already taken part. Your responses so far paint an alarming picture of widespread coercion, including pressure, explicit threats, misinformation, and even physical force.

Many describe being told they are “not allowed” to make decisions about their own care.

⚠️ Others report routine threats of social services referrals, trauma from escalation to safeguarding or police, and discriminatory treatment, with the most minoritised communities disproportionately affected.

Healthcare professionals tell us they are working in a growing blame culture, fearful of consequences for supporting personalised choices. Some midwives who speak up face bullying or isolation.

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼? To help drive systemic change and accountability in maternity care, please share your voice through our surveys before they close on 9 December. Your input will inform Birthrights’ campaigns and advocacy work. Learn more: www.bit.ly/ENDcoercion

Survey for healthcare professionals in maternity care: www.bit.ly/BR_HCP
Survey for women & birthing people: www.bit.ly/BR_WBP

25/11/2025

Are you passionate about helping babies get the best possible start in life?

Oxford Human Milk Bank needs YOU!

We are currently recruiting new donors across:

Oxfordshire

Buckinghamshire

Northamptonshire

Parts of Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Your donated milk can provide vital nutrition for premature and vulnerable babies who need it most.

Find full information about milk donation here:

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/maternity/feeding/milk-bank.aspx

Update: Although the website currently states we only accept donors with babies under 6 months old we are also accepting donors with babies over 6 months.

If you are interested in making an incredible difference, we’d love to hear from you ❤️

24/11/2025

✨Train to be a registered BfN volunteer✨

Are you passionate about breastfeeding?
Do you have experience breastfeeding your own children?
(including expressing)

Helper courses accepting applications:
Breastfeeding Network Brent
Breastfeeding Network Birmingham and Breastfeeding Network Telford & Wrekin
Breastfeeding Network Derbyshire
Haringey Breastfeeding Support

Closing dates vary - to apply, go to our website (link in bio)
Get Involved » Train to be a registered BfN volunteer

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/get-involved/train-to-be-a-registered-volunteer/

BfN training is open to mothers of all ages and backgrounds; to enable them to widen their knowledge, skills and experience to support breastfeeding within their communities or remotely 💜

[ID: BfN Volunteer Training Courses. Passionate about breastfeeding? Interested in volunteering as a peer supporter? Can you give a few hours every week, or month? Can you commit to 12 sessions (Helpers) or 14 sessions (Supporters)? Check if there's training available in your area today! www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/get-involved/train-to-be-a-registered-volunteer/]

24/11/2025

Our Christmas donations are much slower than usual this year… please help us if you can ❤️

24/11/2025

Are you happy with your birth plan? Do you want to chat it through with an independent, unbiased, midwife in a therapeutic way? You can explore your options, looking at the risks and benefits. But you can also consider your plan in a totally individual and personal way. It can be therapeutic to express how you’re feeling about the birth. Maybe you and your partner have yet to ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’, or you might just want to find a bit of peace with it all, so you can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and make space for the excitement and anticipation of meeting your baby.
Do get in touch by phoning 07823770858 or emailing me, trudy@birthjourneysmidwifery.com

I’m registered, insured, DBS checked, and I have many years of experience.

22/11/2025

How is your birth plan going? Would you like to get to the end of your pregnancy knowing you have all the tools in your bag to help you handle what might come your way? Have you got the positive mindset to help create open communication with maternity staff, with your partner, your family… to help ensure you have ‘YOU’ centred care, that your choices are understood and respected and upheld?

I worked locally, in the hospital and community maternity system for many years. I was never more content as a midwife, than when I was supporting individuals to get the care they needed.
I now work independently (with registration, insurance and CRB) to fill in the ever increasing gaps, to support women, partners and families to achieve the best outcomes for them, whatever that looks like.

I am also at the finishing point of full psychotherapy training. I can offer FREE support for trauma, depression, phobia alongside midwifery support (subject to current capacity).

I can meet you to help you process previous experiences, and to plan with fresh eyes as you move forwards. Whatever your anxieties, big or small, bringing a baby into the world should be magical.
Call me in 07823770858 or email me, trudy@birthjourneysmidwifery.com for a free chat about where you’re at and how I can help.

Art by Arna Baartz

16/11/2025

15/11/2025

There’s lots of good birth preparation out there. Some is free, and some you pay for. All of it will be really useful.

But do you feel like you’re EMOTIONALLY prepared for birth and parenthood? Would you like to understand how best to ride that wave of relationship change and lifestyle upheaval all at the same time as learning the practical skills of parenthood?

Would you like to equip yourself to manage the hurdles our current maternity system might place before you?

Or maybe you’ve had a few too many mates struggled postnatally with difficult births. Would you like to know how best to help yourselves, so you can better handle the stresses?

Are you worried how your partner might be around birth, or afterwards? Maybe you’d like to start working better together so you can best support each other when the time comes.

Do get in touch if I can support you to get into a stronger and more resilient place in readiness for birth and parenthood. Face to face, individual or couples, zoom, or as a small group. One, two or three sessions, totally client led.

Call me on 07823770858, or email trudy@birthjourneysmidwifery.com

Art by Morgan Casey.

04/08/2025

Pelvic girdle pain? Take a read of Nadine’s work.

Free guide for Pelvic Girdle Pain Recovery. Expert advice. Inexpensive strategies to help yourself. Feel reassured and get help now.

02/08/2025

21/07/2025

I’m going to be taking a break from the Tuesday morning baby feeding cafes in Emmanuel church. From tomorrow, and after 3 years of providing weekly feeding support, I’ll not be around.

The sessions started when I had some free time following early retirement from NHS midwifery. I moved the ‘cafe’ from Bicester Tesco community room 8 months later, to the Emmanuel Church. Cheryl and the church team have been amazingly supportive and provided space every single week since then.

Separate to the feeding support, the current new parents group, Bicester New Mums Support Network, will still be meeting there.

But the feeding sessions aren’t so busy at the moment, and I’m finding it increasingly difficult to single handedly commit to them each week, knowing they’re benefiting so few.

The break may well be temporary, while I focus more time on my general midwifery and psychotherapy services. You never know, another qualified and eager feeding supporter may decide to continue the free sessions. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

If you know any new or expecting parents who were hoping to come along, please share this news with them. I’ll ensure the health visiting team, midwives, OBS and infant feeding team are aware.

In love and kindness,
Trudy