Joy Horner - Wise Woman on The Hill
Perinatal Consultant, mentor and Educator for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Haven’t you heard? Independent Midwives are still alive and kicking! I initially wrote this in 2015 to clear up the misinformation being given to women who were seeking care from an Independent Midwife. A lot has changed since then, but we’re still here. You may or may not know who Independent Midwives are. You may… Continue reading Have you heard? Independent Midwives are still alive and kicking!
According to the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM) “In the mid 70s, the majority of pregnant women in UK had labour induced by artificial rupture of membranes (ARM) around the date they were “due”. These initials were used when the group needed a name, using the dictionary definition of “radical”, (roots, origins, basics, etc.) which… Continue reading Radical Midwifery on the Road
Following on from my “Am I Allowed post” I phoned my dear friend and former colleague Mary Cronk. As well as a good chat with each other, I obtained her permission to post her assertiveness phrases. She re-quoted the phrases that I know by heart, and have recommended to many women. I had the pleasure of working with Mary… Continue reading Mary Cronk’s Assertiveness Phrases
I was lucky enough to be invited to lead a workshop at this years International Breech birth conference. My qualifications are that I have been lucky to work with Breech birth expert Mary Cronk MBE as an Independent midwife. We attended several breech births together and thus I started to learn breech birth skills. Our… Continue reading The Third International Breech Birth Conference. Washington DC November 2012
Has anyone ever told you that birth can be pleasurable or even pain free? It may be a very strange concept to women bombarded with stories of painful or traumatic birth. As an Independent midwife I rarely see women needing pharmacological pain relief, the main reasons being that they feel safe, loved and respected. They know and trust their midwife and know… Continue reading The Joy of birth
A woman this week asked me one of the things that make me want to get on my soapbox about assertiveness and women’s rights. What she said was “are you allowed to give birth to a breech baby?” My response, as ever, to this type of question is “it you who allows or disallows your care… Continue reading “Am I allowed?”
Breech birth is a very complex subject which requires in depth discussion with your care provider. I am lucky to have worked with one of the UK’s most experienced breech birth midwives, Mary Cronk, learning what I can about these unusual, but not abnormal presentations. I have attended many breech births, attended international breech conferences,… Continue reading Breech Birth
Cutting the baby’s umbilical cord is a ritual repeated unthinkingly by many doctors and midwives every day. Please educate yourself about the potential harm that could be caused for the baby by doing this. In 1796, Dr Erasmus Darwin, a physician, and the grandfather of Charles Darwin, published a book in which he highlighted the dangers of cutting the… Continue reading Optimal cord clamping is a much kinder transition for the newborn baby