Mary Cronk made me promise I would become an independent midwife, when she handed me her worn leather kit bag and pinards stethoscope.

The NHS has given me fourteen years of experience across every birth setting, from home to obstetric theatres, from the most straightforward physiological births to the most complex emergencies. It has shaped me into the midwife I am today, and I remain deeply grateful for everything it has taught me. But over those years I have also watched the conditions that make good midwifery possible slowly disappear. Larger caseloads. Shorter appointments. Fragmented postnatal care. Homebirth services suspended. Birth units reconfigured out of existence. Midwives spending more time documenting care than giving it. Independent practice allows me to return to the kind of midwifery I believe every family deserves.

Continuity of care

Being cared for by the same midwife throughout pregnancy, birth and the weeks afterwards, is the single most evidenced intervention in maternity care.

It is also, increasingly, what the NHS is unable to reliably provide. If you know and trust your midwife you’re more likely to have better outcomes, fewer interventions, higher rates of spontaneous birth, improved breastfeeding outcomes, greater satisfaction, and better physical and emotional wellbeing. The relationship between a midwife and the person they are caring for is the mechanism through which good midwifery works; it is what makes the nervous system feel safe enough to birth, and what Mary meant when she described the midwife as a professional servant: not to the institution, but to the individual.

Independent practice is where I can offer that properly. A small number of clients at a time. Genuine continuity. Unhurried appointments. Care that is built around your history, body, circumstances and needs, rather than around a system's constraints.

My philosophy

Birth is sacred, and in most cases, with proper support, physiological. It is a rite of passage with its own intelligence and its own requirements. Every person who gives birth deserves to be genuinely known and held throughout the transition to parenthood. Your care is shaped around you, not around organisational targets or clinic timetables. Appointments are never rushed, questions never need to be saved for another day so you can approach birth feeling informed, confident and deeply supported.

What I'm currently offering

I'm currently offering comprehensive antenatal and postnatal care. Full birth attendance (intrapartum care) is coming as soon as I complete the final practical steps into full independent practice.

If you're hoping for continuity throughout pregnancy and birth in 2027 and beyond, I'd love to hear from you so I can keep you updated.

Comprehensive antenatal & postnatal care

package includes:

• Around 10–12 antenatal appointments in your home

• Birth planning and preparation

• Birth reflection following previous births (where relevant)

• Ongoing support between appointments

• Home visits after your baby's birth until six weeks

• Infant feeding support

• Physical and emotional recovery

• Continuity with one known midwife throughout

£6,000

Birth preparation

Private antenatal education tailored entirely to you.

Topics include:

• understanding labour physiology

• hormones and birth

• movement and positions

• informed decision making

• birth preferences

• preparing partners

• infant feeding

• the early postnatal period

• practical newborn care

Single session: £60

Four-session course: £250

Pregnancy yoga & Yoga Nidrā

Drawing on training with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Nirlipta Tuli, Birthlight and Bristol School of Yoga.

Sessions are created individually according to specific themes and requirements and may include:

One session: £60

Six sessions: £300

Personalised Yoga Nidrā

A bespoke guided practice created specifically for your pregnancy and birth.

Recorded for you to keep and return to throughout pregnancy.

Also available after birth following a birth reflection session.

£95

Individual appointments

If you don't need a full package, appointments can be booked individually.

These might include:

• antenatal appointments

• postnatal visits

• birth planning

• birth reflection

• freebirth support

• infant feeding support

From £200

Looking ahead

I am currently insured to provide independent antenatal and postnatal care.

I am in the process of expanding my practice to offer full continuity of care, including attending births independently.

If this is something you're hoping for in a future pregnancy, I'd love to hear from you.

Joining my waiting list helps me understand local demand as I build this service.

How it works

I intentionally work with a small number of families at any one time so that every person receives genuine continuity and unhurried care.

Everything begins with a free 30-minute conversation.

We'll talk about your pregnancy, what you're looking for, and whether it feels like the right fit for us both.

Packages can be adapted around your needs.

Get in touch

If this feels like the kind of care you've been searching for, I'd love to hear from you.

Email:oli@healingbirths.co.uk to arrange a free introductory conversation.