Personal Coaching
From Antenatal to Postnatal
About me
Fully qualified NCT Antenatal Consultant, Educator, Researcher, Mother
I started training as an antenatal teacher 26 years 6 months ago! I know the exact date because I was three months pregnant with my fourth child and I wanted something I was passionate about to keep ‘up my sleeve’ for when the kids got older! The ‘getting older’ bit took longer than I thought, but I was able to start teaching as a fully qualified NCT antenatal teacher about 25 years ago, and a truly wonderful time I’ve had of it.
Being an NCT childbirth educator is, I promise you, a unique honour – invited into a couples’ world at a defining and life-changing moment. You are witness to, perhaps co-discoverer of, a plethora of astonishing emotions and privy to this rollercoaster ride of discovery and joy. As a result, couples and their antenatal teacher inevitably form a close bond; it’s where it all becomes real, it’s the start of your child’s life, and yours as parents. And this friendship and relationship is something I have always valued.
From the time of my own births, I wanted to be part of this, offering parents a safe, warm haven in which to open up and explore their inner strengths to prepare for labour, and have the opportunity to discover everything they need to know to make practical and hands-on decisions during their birth and beyond. Importantly, I wanted to help parents feel well-informed and confident to work with their medical professionals by understanding all the procedures – from choosing which drugs and pain relief would be right for them to feeling confident making choices regarding interventions and caesareans – in order to give birth with optimum health and well-being for mother and baby.
I’ve had 5 children and, I must admit, there were times when it was tough and I doubted I’d make it through their childhood, let alone have a life after that! But, somehow I did, thanks to my husband (who heroically pitched in with the kids on every level), hard-fought tenacity and determination, and, not least, my amazing and brilliant kids. My oldest is now in her early 30s and my youngest mid-20s (I must have done something right!).
I also have the privilege of several grandchildren roaming around the place these days, which really is jolly good fun. You get all the loveliness and joy of kids, but they come with an added benefit which is quite charming – it’s called ‘you-can-send-me-home-at-end-of-the-day-Grandma-and-not-even-feel-bad-about-doing-it’, which, no word of a lie, has proved to be the proverbial cherry on the cake! Then, I can truly celebrate and enjoy the wonderfulness of knowing that nearly all my kids have left home to live meaningful lives of their own. No empty nest syndrome for me (well maybe a tear or two), not got time!
I’ve also worked full time (and part time – what a perfect invention that is) as a Programme Researcher for a TV company (anyone remember Thames Television – back in the day?), a Diary Secretary to two Chief Rabbis of the United Kingdom (I know, pretty different roles!), created my own employment agency with a dear friend, not to mention training and working as a medical secretary. Additionally, I’ve always enjoyed teaching on the side and have run classes on marriage, relationships, sexuality and all manner of women’s issues, for over 25 years. Yay for the busy life …
I have to say that all my varied roles over the years have, in one way or another, informed and contributed to my love and excitement in childbirth education, but I have now reached the welcome stage where I can delightedly focus on childbirth education as my beloved main profession and passion.
And, with any spare time that I might accidentally stumble across, I sing in a woman’s choir, I write books (including a smattering of poetry) and create, design and sell Word Art. And, I must add (perhaps my most worthwhile role to date) I do lots of babysitting!