HI, I'M CLAIRE HARBOTTLE, INDEPENDENT MIDWIFE. Here to support you on your birthing journey

Claire was a welcomed friendly face and talked me through any worries I had, I also think she was pre-empting my ‘mini meltdown’ that was to come around my plans not going to plan and she was on it as soon as it happened, even though there was nothing anyone could do or say, she was a great listener and offered professional opinions based on experience and knowledge but was also human with it, that’s something I’ve never got from my healthcare professionals before.

Claire is an extremely competent and experienced midwife, with a great deal of practical experiences in home and hospital births. She supported us and our Birth Choices, through-out both my pregnancies which included a twin pregnancy, home birth, hospital birth and a c-section. She listened to, and respected our wishes and was extremely supportive through-out the whole process. She has a calm demeanour and has our complete trust, and always has the best interest of baby and mum at heart. She was a wonderful chaperone during various stages of the hospital process, which at the time, gave me great comfort. Would highly recommend her and would use her services again in a heartbeat

Claire was my midwife for my second child. I had a lot of physical and emotional struggles during my pregnancy and I don’t know what I would have done without her support. She helped me to access NHS and other services that I needed, like physiotherapy and counselling, but it was knowing she was supporting me all the way that go me through really difficult times. She listened when I needed to reflect with someone I trusted. She helped me to find my strength and I went on to have a straightforward home birth. I highly recommend her for antenatal, birth and postnatal care, and also for reflecting on previous birth experiences.

After 2 previous less then ideal births I knew I needed to take a different approach for babies 3 and 4 which was a DCDA twin pregnancy. The best decision I ever made was having Claire as my independent midwife as it turned what was in theory my most high risk birth into probably the most empowering experience of my life. The care and compassion was second to none, the support and counselling she offered enabled me to trust my body and make informed choices. Her knowledge and ability to think outside the box and apply that knowledge amazed me throughout my time with Claire. Above all I trusted her like I had no other health care professional before because I knew she didn’t just do things “because it’s policy” and a one size fits all approach, she provided me with a high level of evidenced based individualised woman centred care.

I loved having Claire as my midwife. During my pregnancy I was feeling upset and quite stressed and with gentle encouragement from Claire I was able to open up and be more honest with myself and others about what was going on. I felt heard and acknowledged by Claire and whilst one may not immediately think this of the role of the midwife – it was essential to me. The continuity of care from Claire helped me go much more easily into birthing my daughter at home. I just really felt Claire was there for me -before and afterwards.

My midwives were just perfect. Claire’s smiley, calm, enthusiasm never wavered. I felt like she had confidence in me and the process and that rubbed off onto me.

From the first time I met Claire at my booking appointment I knew I had made the right decision. Claire spent hours discussing my previous birth experience, mental/physical health and wellbeing. My partner was also fully included with all discussions which was very important to both of us.

Claire made my pregnancy and birth really special and very reassuring. I can’t emphasise enough how different it is having an independent midwife who has the time to talk to you and wants to see how you and your baby are doing. Claire is an exceptional midwife who provides help, advice, information and support whenever you need it. I can’t rate her highly enough. I had a fantastic birth, and when I needed her in the weeks afterwards, she was there for me every time. Thank you Claire xxx

Claire is an amazing midwife, and I highly recommend her – I only wished I had known about her with my other pregnancies and births. She was a constant source of reassurance at a time when I was hugely anxious, following previous difficult births, and she always made me feel hugely reassured and safe. For every query I had, Claire used her seemingly inexhaustible knowledge of a range of up-to-date studies to answer, and that really helped me to make the right decisions for me, and ultimately to relax. The after care Claire also provided was invaluable to me, and made a huge difference knowing that both me and my baby were in safe hands.