Birth, Midwifery & Women, with Independent Midwife Nicky Grace

After a bit of a break the podcast is back! To kick off series 3, I'm sharing an interview with an independent midwife, Nicky Grace, whom I know personally through my local Home Birth Group.

[spp-player optin="off" ctabuttons="off" url=“youraudio.mp3"]
Save the Independent Midwife
I decided to start with this due to the recent shocking news here in the UK, that independent midwives are being forced out of work because their regulator, The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have announced that their professional indemnity insurance is no longer valid. This means that they can no longer attend births and if they do, they will be struck off.

This is a real hammer blow on so many levels;

women in the UK will be forced to use the NHS (ou national health service) depsite the fact that it does not have enough resources to satisfy demand
women who feel they need extra care and support during their pregnancy and birth, will no longer be able to receive the level of the support they seek

Some women pregnant women feel so strongly about this that they are seriously considering free-birthing (no midwifery support) which means that they are potentially exposed to increased risks in case the situation demands midwifery assistance.

Imagine if private dentists everywhere had just found out that their insurance was no longer valid and that they had to shut their practice. It wouldn't happen would it? So why does such a farcical situation unfold when it comes to something as important as birth and women's fundamental rights.

Here is more information about this crazy situation

This week's announcement: Indemnity provision for IMUK midwives is 'inappropriate', says NMC
Birthrights Criticises NMC for Independent Midwives Decision
I have a bit of a mini rant at the begining of the podcast, but really I wanted to use the podcast to shine a supportive ray of light on the incredible women that are midwives and for me sharing an interview with someone like Nicky does that brilliantly.

Nicky is an independent midwife who set up the Nottingham Home Birth Group, which is where I met her when I was planning my home births. She has been an independent midwife for many years *cough cough* and is also active in the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM). She also provides training to independent midwives through her Grace Academy of Midwifery and Birth.

Our conversation dances all over the birth topic - as you would expect! So the best thing to do is to settle in and enjoy!

 
New Fear Free Childbirth Member Area
During the podcast I mentioned the new Fear Free Childbirth member area, where you can access all the resources that accompany the podcast, as well as see the whole podcast archive organised by topic.

To join the Fear Free Childbirth member Are, just fill in your details below to receive your login details.



 

You can find out more about Nicky and her work at https://birthgrace.com/ 

Om Podcasten

The Fear Free Childbirth podcast is for parents-to-be who want to take the fear out of pregnancy, birth and beyond. The show is a mix of real-life positive stories, experts sharing their wisdom and Alexia sharing psychology insights to help you to get into a fearless mindset. Mindset is a key aspect that can help to you have a positive experience with all three, and it all starts with preparing for pregnancy and childbirth. One of the biggest fears parents-to-be face is the fear of the unknown. This is where this show can help. By learning more about what to expect, and how to handle it, you can lose one the fear and embrace the journey. It all started when Alexia experienced her first miscarriage and felt relief; she knew something was amiss. She had tokophobia, the extreme fear of pregnancy and birth, which is pretty terrifying. To help her cope with her pregnancy and the thought of the birth, Alexia developed a technique to get rid of her fears and anxieties. She went on to have two amazing births and she now teaches this technique to others that they too can overcome their fears and have the life they want. What started as a maternity leave project, is now an essential resource with tens of thousands now listening to Alexia’s podcast each month as they seek to lose The Fear and prepare for pregnancy, birth and motherhood. The podcast is credited with helping thousands of women around the world in having a positive birth experience. A empowered birth experience is the best way to start the parenting journey because it infuses you with strength and resilience. Alexia is the developer of the healing modality Head Trash Clearance, a coach, speaker, trainer and author of the books “Fearless Birthing: Clear your fears for a positive birth” and “Clear Your Head Trash: How to create clarity, peace and confidence in your life and work”. She works privately with people from all over the world, as well as supporting them with her online products and programs. Fear Free Childbirth is the online destination for women seeking to take the fear out of pregnancy and birth with fear-clearance meditations, online fear-clearance courses, professional training and specialist programs for overcoming tokophobia. Find out more at FearFreeChildbirth.com and Fearless-Birthing.com