Our Philosophy

Pregnancy is a normal physiological but life changing event. We believe in providing one to one care. As mothers ourselves, we appreciate how difficult it is to know what choices and decisions there is to make during this exciting but daunting time. Our aim is to guide and support during this time. It is a real honour and privilege to be a part of a women’s birth, we are passionate that you have a positive and fulfilling experience in bringing your baby into the world.

We are experienced in water births, lotus births, VBAC (vaginal births after caesarean section) and women who have had previous traumatic births.

Qualifications

We are both members and registered with the NMC, IMA, Radical Midwives and AIMS. We regularly attend courses to keep our skills and knowledge up dated with the latest research and evidence.

Nanette Barrett
Dip He RM

Hi, my name is Nanette; I am married with three children. I have always believed birth to be a normal physiological event and that as women we can do this normally with very little help, this was indeed confirmed by having three normal births, two of which were home water births.  Having home births gave me a lot of confidence and control of my body and baby. I think it is unfortunate that this is often taken away from women now; it was for these reasons and indeed my birthing journey that sparked my passion for midwifery.

During my three-year diploma course at Greenwich University, I studied and researched water births, infertility and health promotion. I have attended numerous courses supporting and evaluating evidence on normal birth. My time as a student was also spent working with independent midwives, where I was very fortunate to witness many home births.

I made the decision to become an independent midwife as I felt this was the only way I could provide continuity of care and to give women a positive birth experience. My home birth rate is 80% with 90% of women birthing in water and 80% breast- feeding still breast-feeding six weeks after the birth. My experience includes VBACS and women who have had previous traumatic births. It is important as a midwife to keep skills and knowledge up to date with the latest evidence and research, for this reason I regularly attend courses.

I absolutely love being a midwife. I gain tremendous satisfaction getting to know a family and having the privilege of being part of their birth and watching them grow into a family

Odette Abououf
BSc RM,

I live in London with my four children. I have been working as an independent midwife in London since 2005.  Prior to this, I worked as a community midwife at St Thomas hospital.  It was becoming increasingly more difficult for me to provide continuity of care, which was one of the main reasons why I became a midwife.  Working as an independent midwife allows me to provide good care to women and their families.

I believe in promoting self-confidence and positive attitudes towards pregnancy, birth and parenthood. My maternity service has a strong holistic approach that empowers women through knowledge so that they are able to make informed choices about themselves and their baby, before, during and after birth.

My approach takes into account not only the physical aspects of a woman with child but also her emotional, cultural, religious and spiritual needs. Based on this belief, each woman is provided with an individualised service that is tailored to her own needs. 
My specialties include using natural remedies in pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. I am ALSO qualified (advanced life support in obstetrics) valid to 2011