Ilkley Private Midwife

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Ilkley Private Midwife

Hello, if you are looking for more support in your pregnancy or postnatal period please get in touch! Will I be a good parent? Will I be able to cope?

Hi, thank you for visiting my page and congratulations on your pregnancy or new baby. Unfortunately, pregnancy and being a parent can also bring with them feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, negative thoughts and being out of control. You are not on your own experiencing these feelings, however you are probably thinking you are. Are you disappointed with how you feel about being pregnant, maybe even g

uilty because you don't feel as excited as your partner? Does the thought of going through labour and giving birth fill you with dread and keep you awake at night? Does the thought of being a parent fill you with uncertainties? Will the baby like me? How will I manage financially? Are you already a parent only just managing to keep your head above water? Do you go to bed exhausted and wake up feeling less than refreshed? Are your days filled with worry, struggling to function as your usual self? Are you suffering with unexplained physical symptoms, headaches, stomach pains, nausea, skin problems, emotional eating, panic attacks, insomnia to name just a few? Anxiety won't go away on its own, and in order for you to enjoy this special time in your life I would like to help you. Together we will explore how your thoughts and belief systems are causing you to feel anxious. We will identify your 'triggers' that set off these feelings and work on reducing your daily emotional 'pressure gauge'. You will learn how to increase your self confidence and gain emotional control. These changes are not a 'sticking plaster' like so many other programs, I promise that you will see life long changes! Please do get in touch if you would like some more information about the services I provide. I offer a free 30 minute consultation by phone or zoom to see if my program is suitable for you.

02/08/2026

Your birth partner - whether that's your partner, a family member, a close friend, or a doula - will have an enormous impact on your experience. Not because they have medical knowledge, but because they set the tone in the room.

Choose someone who:

💛Genuinely understands and supports your hopes for your birth 💛
If you want a natural birth and your partner is anxious about anything that isn't maximum medical intervention, that anxiety will be in the room with you. Have the conversation now, not in active labour.

💛Will advocate for you if you can't advocate for yourself.💛
During labour, especially in transition, you may not be in a position to ask questions or push back on something. Your birth partner needs to know what you want, and be comfortable - gently but firmly - saying "She'd like a moment to think about that" or "Can you explain why that's being recommended?"

💛Has done some preparation themselves.💛
A birth partner who has read nothing, attended no classes, and has no idea what a contraction looks like isn't really equipped to support you. The best birth partners are informed ones.

💛If a doula is within your budget, even a newly qualified one, it's worth seriously considering.💛
Doulas provide continuous support throughout labour - something that, through no fault of their own, NHS midwives often can't offer due to workload. The evidence for continuous labour support is strong: it's associated with shorter labours, lower rates of intervention, and better birth experiences. Some doulas offer sliding scale fees, payment plans, or reduced rates for those who qualify - it's always worth asking.

29/07/2026

Setting yourself up for the birth you are hoping for:

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BIRTHPLACE

This is bigger than most people realise — and it's YOUR choice.

➡️ Want a natural, low-intervention birth? A midwifery-led unit or birth centre is your best bet. Lower lighting, birth pools, more time with midwives, and a culture that trusts the process.

➡️ Want an epidural or have a more complex pregnancy? A consultant-led hospital unit is where you need to be. Full pain relief options, obstetricians on hand, everything you need.

The environment you walk into will shape your experience. Don't go to a highly medicalised unit hoping for a natural birth, or to a birth centre hoping for an epidural. Match the place to what you actually want.

26/07/2026

just a simple question about something she was feeling at ten weeks.
We hadn’t spoken since her last baby was born, but she still thought to reach out rather than sit with it or search online. It stayed with me that the sense of safety we build doesn’t just disappear once the pregnancy is over.
Sometimes it simply means someone knows exactly who to come back to when they need a calm answer.

. .

22/07/2026

⭐ "To all my friends, my first question when I find out they are pregnant is, 'have you called Amanda yet?!'"

There's no greater compliment than being someone's first recommendation. I care for a maximum of 8 women at a time — so you're never just a number on a list.

If you're pregnant and wondering whether private midwifery is right for you, let's have a chat. 💬

📍 Based in Ilkley | Serving Yorkshire

19/07/2026

Pregnant and feeling like NHS appointments go by in a flash? You're not alone — and there's another option. 💙

As a private midwife, my appointments last up to two hours. No rushing. No checklists racing past you. Just you, your questions, and the space to feel genuinely heard.
I offer antenatal care, postnatal care, hypnobirthing courses, and a Calm Pregnancy Collective — whatever level of support feels right for you.

👉 Find out more with a conversation - Amanda 07828315622

08/07/2026

Let's clear something up about birth plans. 📋

➡️They're not a prediction of how your birth will go.
➡️They're not a contract.
➡️And if things end up different from what's written on the page, that is not a failure — that was always a possibility the plan should have accounted for.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽:

💛They explain what matters to you if everything goes as hoped.
💛They explain what matters to you if it doesn't.

And here's the bit that surprises people: your birth plan isn't really written for you. It's written for the team meeting you for the first time, often at 2am, who need to understand who you are and what you value i𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 90 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵!

If you want help building a birth plan that actually does its job — including the parts most templates leave out — that's exactly what we work through inside The Calm Pregnancy Collective and in 1:1 sessions.

Call me to see how I can help 😀 Amanda 07828 315622

05/07/2026

"Your due date isn't a deadline. It's a guess with a due date attached. Only 5% of babies arrive on it — the other 95% are just... on their own schedule.

My advice is to add another 2 weeks on to your 'due-date', at least it might stop being constantly asked if you've gone into labour yet - every few minutes by well meaning family and friends. Trust me - it can get so irritating! 😆

Remember: "40 weeks is an estimate, not an eviction notice."

28/06/2026

Something I've been sitting with this week.

Women shouldn't need to walk into birth armed with strategies. They shouldn't need to know the right words to say, or worry that asking a question will be taken as being "difficult."

And yet - 35 years as a midwife have shown me that preparation genuinely changes outcomes. Not because the system is working as it should, but because knowledge gives women something that no one can take from them: confidence in their own voice.

The maternity system has extraordinary people in it. I've worked alongside many of them. But the system itself too often asks women to fit around it, rather than fitting around women.

So yes - I'll keep teaching women their rights. I'll keep helping them write birth plans, ask better questions, and walk into birth knowing they don't have to simply accept what they're given.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮: 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.

If you're pregnant and feeling uncertain about what lies ahead, that feeling is valid. And you don't have to navigate it alone. 💚

👇 What's one thing you wish you'd known before your birth experience? I'd love to hear from you.

26/06/2026

Is anyone else finding breastfeeding in this heat a challenge? 🥵
You're not alone. Feeding a newborn in summer is genuinely hard work — for you AND your baby. A few simple things can make a real difference:
👶 Feed more frequently (your baby may be thirsty as well as hungry)

🪟 Find the coolest spot in your home

🧺 Pop a muslin between you to catch the sweat

💧 Hydrate yourself well — you need it too!

Exclusively breastfed babies don't need extra water — your milk does the job beautifully.

Save this for the next warm day and share it with a new parent who might need it. 💛

24/06/2026

Today the Ockenden Report into Nottingham maternity services was published -and every pregnant woman in England deserves to know what it found.

This is the largest review of a single NHS service in the history of this country. Over 2,500 cases. Stillbirths, neonatal deaths, babies left with life-changing brain injuries, mothers seriously harmed. Spanning more than twenty years. And new families were still being added to the review until May 2025 - the harm didn't stop when the investigation began.

The findings describe a decade of institutional cover-up. Senior leaders downgrading serious failings to avoid scrutiny. Families and coroners misled. Women consistently not listened to, not believed, and not involved in decisions about their own care.

This is not a Nottingham problem. This is a systemic problem.

We have had Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury, East Kent and now Nottingham - the biggest of them all. The same themes run through every single one: 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼, 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

So what does this mean for you, right now, as a pregnant woman?

✅ You have the right to be listened to. If something feels wrong, say it. Loudly. More than once if you need to.

✅ You can escalate your concerns. Martha's Rule - referenced in today's report, exists specifically so you can request an urgent second opinion if your care team isn't acting on your worries.

✅ Having knowledgeable, continuous support around you matters. Whether that's a doula, a birth partner who knows the system, or an independent midwife, having someone in your corner changes outcomes.

These reports are devastating. But they also hand us a responsibility: to make sure every woman knows her rights, and knows she doesn't have to accept care that doesn't feel right.

💬 If you want to understand your options in pregnancy and birth - I'm here. Drop me a message.

Because every family deserves better than this 🧡

Address

Ilkley
LS299JN

Telephone

+447828315622

Website

http://www.mycalmbirth.com/

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