The care I received felt genuinely personal to me and my family
From around 25 weeks, the care I received felt genuinely personal to me and my family. My named midwife, Michaela, supported not just me but my husband and teenage son too. Having appointments at home meant my son could be involved in a way that simply wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, which meant a lot to us.
I also got to know the wider team through “meet the team” sessions, which helped build trust early on. Even when Michaela wasn’t available, someone from the team would check in or meet me at appointments. That continuity made a real difference, I never felt like just another patient.
When I went into labour, things moved quickly. The team were calm and responsive from the first call. Although my named midwife was on leave, the two midwives who arrived were familiar faces, which mattered so much to me. We had planned a home water birth, but our daughter had other ideas and arrived quickly and safely in our bathroom.
Despite how fast it all happened, I felt calm, safe, and supported throughout. The midwives guided me, reassured me, and helped me stay focused and trust my body.
Meeting our daughter was incredible, and 20 minutes later, our son was home to meet his baby sister. An unforgettable moment for us .
The support didn’t stop after the birth. The postnatal care, especially with breastfeeding, was consistent and thoughtful from all the team. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble, and I always felt well looked after and considered.
I’m keen to come along to a meet the team session face to face one time with Olivia! Very grateful for your care and support at one of the most vulnerable and life changing chapters of our lives.
Having such a positive birth experience made a real difference to my recovery and those early days with our baby girl. I truly believe the care from the BAH team played a big part in that! Choosing to birth at home and receive the continuity of care from the team was the best decision we made!
Safe, listened to and supported
I can’t thank my home birth team enough for the incredible care and support they provided throughout my pregnancy and labour. From the very first home appointment, I felt safe, listened to, and truly supported. Their expertise and kindness made such a difference, and even though I ultimately gave birth in the hospital, I know they made the right call for me and my baby.
A special thank you to Robyn and Rebecca, as well as the amazing community midwives who were with me at home during labour—you all went above and beyond to ensure I felt confident and cared for. Your calm and reassuring presence made all the difference, and I’m so grateful for the role you played in my journey.
I would absolutely recommend this team to anyone considering a home birth. Their dedication and compassionate care were outstanding!
Two babies born at home
In the last few years I’ve had two babies born at home (my second and third). My first was born was in hospital and although it was a straight forward birth it felt unnecessarily complicated by the midwives’s hurry to get him out.
After that experience I really wanted to have my second child at home and was lucky enough to live under the care umbrella of the Fife home birth team. My first home birth was long and intense, baby was sunny side up, it was hard going to push her out. Thankfully I was at home for that birth as my baby needed time and different positions to be born naturally. After my first experience in the hospital where there was such a rush to get baby out, I’m glad I wasn’t there for this birth as she wasn’t coming in a hurry. Baby was absolutely fine but needed time because of the awkward position she was in in my pelvis.
When I discovered I was having a third child, there was no doubt that I wanted this baby at home too. This was a very different experience to my first home birth, the third came very quickly. Robyn and her team arrived 20 minutes before he was born. I was on my hands and knees when they arrived and Robyn listened to baby’s heart beat; he wasn’t happy about being born so fast so Robyn suggested I lie on my side and he was much happier and his heart rate came back up and within 2 contractions he was coming out.
It is difficult to put into words how grateful I am that there is a home birth team here. Both births I felt in such safe hands. I think it is also worthy of note that - from my experience - the midwives on the home birth team tend to be more experienced. There are no doctors at immediate notice, so they make decisions and helped me give birth rather than extract the baby which is what my hospital experience felt like. The home birth team are amazing and I will always be grateful for how they helped me give birth.
Both homebirth babies were born in the bedroom and came into a world of calm. A calm room, calm midwives and because of them a calm mum too
Advocacy and empowerment
I just wanted to say a big thank you to the whole home birth team for your care and support over my pregnancy and birth.
From the onset Robyn made me feel confident that my choices and preferences were being listened to. I felt very empowered to make my own decisions and when I changed my mind about decisions I had made (namely, induction!), it was ok, helping me feel relaxed and happier during those last few days of pregnancy. Robyn was excellent when I saw the consultant who was asking about a date for induction and gave me the facts about what to expect and what protocols were in place in case of unexpected issues. During the birth, Robyn and Michaela (and student Sophie) were confident and calm and helped me feel this way too! I was lucky enough to not need after birth care and baby Eloise did brilliantly with weight gain etc. I definitely partly attribute this to how relaxed I felt during the birth and the time I was given to bond with Eloise after she arrived.
My husband would like to add:
It would be a travesty to lose the home birth team, the way they were able to discuss matters with consultants in front of Nicky with such confidence and leadership was beyond exceptional. I wish that everyone had this advocacy, especially first time mums, so that they could feel the same sense of empowerment and Nicky did with your support. Thank you for all your help and making the expectedly stressful situation so calm, allowing Eloise to come into this world in a relaxed and serene environment.
Huge thank you to you all
I wish that everyone had this advocacy, especially first time mums, so that they could feel the same sense of empowerment that Nicky and I did with your support.
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