I came to private midwives after doing a shed load of reading on birth, as this was my first pregnancy I had no idea on what to expect. I hadn’t received any continuity of care with the NHS, and by the time I was 32 weeks (when I started seeing Melanie) I had already seen 4 midwives on the NHS, never the same one twice. This wasn’t particularly reassuring as I had a real fear of giving birth and also of hospitals, so I started looking into ways to take back control and empower myself, and maybe find another way than what I’d been told birth would be – painful and an all round bad experience. This is when my partner and I stumbled upon hypnobirthing. At first I was quite cynical, but the more I read, the better I felt, and I realised my body was made to do this, and I had real trust in myself that I could try and have a natural, home birth. Well, this great new found knowledge didn’t coincide with my current experience on the NHS. I hadn’t had the same midwife twice and I worried I wouldn’t be able to get the right hormones flying with someone I met on the day. So I looked into Private Midwives, and hoped for the best. But what I received was so much more than I ever could have imagined. Melanie Ambrose, THE most amazing midwife and woman I could ever have asked for. As soon as we met we we’re completely on the same page as each other on everything. Hypnobirthing, birth, a woman's rights on birth, the power to do it your way, I could go on, but you get the idea. When Melanie left my house I felt like I had completely done the right thing and I was in the safest of hands. The more we met, the better I felt, Melanie was SO thorough, making sure to go through, not only the medical side of things but also the physical, and mental side of things too. Making sure I was well taken care of and answering every question I had, reassuringly and confidently. When I was 36 weeks, Melanie visited my partner and I and did some wonderful teaching on hypnobirthing, taking her time so we understood the different techniques and showing us different resources we could take advantage of (she also emailed these to me – what a star!). We also went through my birth plan and she told us everything we needed to know about birth, and gave me the reassurance I needed. As it was my first baby, and I was hoping for a home birth, I was often told this wouldn’t be achievable. Speaking to Melanie made me realise it was and there’s no reason I couldn’t give it a good go. Melanie then came the 2 and a half hours (on a good run) to my house weekly to do checks on the baby and myself, answering any new questions I had and solving any niggles that arose. I had a couple of false starts on my labour, and had texted Melanie very late at night, which she would always reply to right away (bless her soul!). When the ‘big day’ arrived, my due date no less, it was 5am, and Melanie was straight in the car on her way to us. Now this is where Melanie really came into her own, to say she was wonderful during my labour would be an understatement. I really couldn’t have done it without her. She kept everything so calm and ‘normal’, and ended up watching some really bizarre things on youtube with us, sorry Melanie! There were times when I asked Melanie if I could do it and she was very to the point and said ‘of course you can‘ which set me back into gear and motivated me again. At one point the baby had switched positions to a less favourable one, so Melanie did some rebozo work on me and the baby moved back to the left! She truly was a miracle worker. She did all her observations in the most un-invasive way, and it really did feel like it was just a ‘normal day’ hanging out with friends. At 8:44PM baby Winnie was born, I was guided all the way by Melanie’s calm and confident demeanour and I truly believe this is part of the reason I didn’t tear. After the birth Melanie was an absolute star, taking care of all three of us, not leaving our house until gone 2AM, to be back again around 10AM. (bearing in mind there was at least a 2 hour drive home), how that woman does it is amazing. She cared for me two weeks postnatally, helping us settle into family life, taking as much time as I needed with me. She truly was a ‘God send’. I had a few issues after birth and Melanie’s advice and care, I’m sure, sped my recovery up and knowing I had a shoulder to sometimes cry on (baby hormones are the worst!), and advice and friendship at the other end of the line really helped me in those first few weeks after birth.

Melanie truly is a spectacular woman and a wonderful midwife and is a fantastic asset to Private Midwives. One of the best decisions of my life so far is choosing Private Midwives and in turn Melanie to help me with my birth. I really did have a positive and empowering birth and I couldn’t have done it without Melanie. It’s a lasting experience that will stick with me forever and I couldn’t possibly thank Melanie enough for all of her care, support, knowledge and friendship over this time. She will always hold a very special place in my family’s heart.

Thank you Private Midwives for finding me Melanie, and in turn giving me a wonderful birth.

Kind regards,
Kathryn x