Joy Horner - Wise Woman on The Hill
Perinatal Consultant, mentor and Educator for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Caesarean birth is not everyone’s first choice when planning the type of birth we’d like. For many women and people who give birth it would be the very last type of birth they’d opt for. So when we are faced with our least favourite choice, the thing we’d worked so hard to avoid, our worst… Continue reading Unplanned Cesarean Birth. A warrior’s path.
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th April 2015 In Glastonbury I am so pleased to be once again running this popular workshop in Glastonbury with my partner Jady Mountjoy. Working with stories, art and practical techniques this 2 day workshop will prepare you for your journey to parenthood. Prepare for birth as a Rite of Passage.… Continue reading Birthing from Within Birth Preparation Weekend
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
This is a local group for the support of peaceful pregnancy, birth and parenting. Hosted by Joy Horner, radical midwife, mum, lecturer and some day writer. Inspired by the Freedom For Birth film I am determined to impart information about human rights in childbirth, facilitate discussions, and to support women on their journeys to parenthood. You don’t have… Continue reading Association of Radical Midwives monthly discussion group.
I was delighted to have made it to The Taunton Birth Forum this month as I have had such a busy Summer I have missed a few. It is always a pleasure to See Eleanor Copp and her husband Simon and learn from the speakers she invites along. This month was a real treat with… Continue reading Taunton Birth Forum 4th September 2012
Birth Joy (C) 2011 I have just returned from the fabulous MAMA Conference in Troon, Scotland, organised by the brilliant Cassie MacNamara. Mary Cronk MBE had been booked as a speaker but had recently suffered a bereavement, and asked me to talk on her behalf about breech birth. These are big shoes to fill! I… Continue reading MAMA Conference 26th and 27th April 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