FAQ's

As of July 2022, some registered Independent Midwives are now able to provide full antenatal, birth and postnatal care anywhere in the UK under their full indemnity membership. Insured Independent midwives are able to provide full care outside of the NHS throughout your pregnancy and birth, including for homebirths, early labour assessments and advocacy in a hospital setting.

Although we are on call for you throughout your pregnancy and postnatal period, we can only guarantee availability to attend births within your birth period of between 37- 42 weeks. If you labour or require us outside of that period we will try our best to be available but may be with another client.

An NHS midwife is employed by the hospital, the information and advice provided by these midwives is governed by the specific hospitals’ guidelines in which they work for, as guidelines vary from hospital to hospital and are usually based on that set hospitals costs, efficiency and regional targets/concerns. They have a duty to work within their trusts policies. Independent midwives are independent form any organisation so all information and advice they give is based on evidence-based practice and best outcomes for your particular situation. ​ Independent midwives have the autonomy to use their own professional judgement based on safety and your best outcome. The choice to select your own midwife, allows you to choose someone who shares your philosophy of care and birth. They have the freedom to tailor the information together with you to make informed choices based on your specific needs and desires.

Midwife are usually an hour long but can vary depending on what you and your requirements are. Antenatal appointments involve a full check including BP, urinalysis, checking fetal position, heart rate and fundal height. This usually takes around 15 minutes and the rest of the appointment is around any concerns, reviewing of scans blood results and information giving. ​ Midwife and Doula visits will be an hour to two hours long depending on our conversations. We will cover as much ground as you wish you need to from dismantling any fears, talking through birth physiology, birth wishes and early days of motherhood. ​ Postnatal visits can very often run longer as it involves a full check on both mother and baby. It can include checking/removal of stitches, reviewing blood loss, checking breasts/nipples, uterus, blood pressure, for infection and optimum recovery via diet nutrition and exercise. For your baby - this can involve observations of vital signs, cord healing and care, baby sleep patterns, monitoring jaundice, breast feeding support and discussions around temperature regulation and normal baby development.

For all our packages, we require a non-refundable fee to be made after our initial meeting, when you wish to confirm our services. This will secure your booking and our commitment to you around your due date with Womb and Bloom London. If you are in the early stages of your pregnancy and would like to book our services, we ask that you book an early pregnancy visit only at a cost of £250 and sign the contracts to secure your space for your EDD month but NO payment will be taken until 12 weeks gestation. If you prefer, all our packages may be paid in full at the booking appointment or may be paid in equal instalments throughout the pregnancy. The final payment must be paid before 36 weeks gestation. ​ For 1-2-1 antenatal preparation conversations payment can be made in three equal instalments of £250 at the 1st, 3rd and last appointment. ​ All one off appointments are to be paid in full prior to the visit/call. We also have an access fund for women who would otherwise be unable to access our services. If you feel this may be applicable for you, please send us an email or click on the contact section of our site to message us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

We cannot guarantee the outcome of your pregnancy and labour but believe that our thorough, individualised program of care will offer you the best chance of detecting any concerns (physical or emotional) during your pregnancy by providing you with one to one care. We know you will feel happier and more confident in your pregnancy which in turn increase your chances of a much more positive birth experience. ​ The agreement we make is based on trust. This includes you informing us of any complications you may be aware of before the booking takes place. This is so that we can plan appropriate care and backup if needed. We reserve the right to cancel your booking if you have withheld information about any significant problems that may impact how we support you. We may also cancel your booking if there is a significant breakdown of trust or communication. Of course, you also can cancel the booking if you are dissatisfied with the care we are offering. We will never share your personal details with third parties for the purposes of marketing. Although you are booked for private care with an Independent midwife you will still be entitled to scans, blood tests and prescriptions from your GP. You will also be kept within the NHS system for emergency admissions and hospital care such as a consultant appointment, or a planned hospital admission, which we can arrange if necessary.

Payment can be made via bank transfer or cash. Please discuss with us if you cannot afford the payments and we will be willing to review this on an honest and open basis.

Depending on your food tolerences and preferences. We will cook you a nourishing hot meal to bring to you home in the first week of your postpartum. Chicken Noodle Soup - This soup is liquid gold during those early weeks postpartum. Ingredients: 1 organic, free-range chicken Additional 2-4 pounds of chicken bones like necks, back, and feet (optional) 8 cups of filtered water 4 stalks of organic celery 4 large carrots Punch of parsley (chopped) 1 package of gluten-free pasta noodles (could use 4 cups of rice as well) Thyme, sage, salt & pepper Anna Jones fabulous carrot dahl 2 garlic cloves 2 thumb-size pieces of fresh ginger, peeled 2 green chillies 1 red onion, peeled Coconut or vegetable oil A small handful of curry leaves 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cinnamon 200g red lentils 1 × 400ml tin of coconut milk 400ml vegetable stock 6 carrots, peeled 2 large handfuls of spinach, washed, large stalks removed Banana Bread - sugar free 125 g unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing (at room temperature) 2 large eggs 4 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons runny honey 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice 250 g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting 1 big pinch of ground cinnamon 50 g pecans or walnuts