Hello! My name is Kate and I'm a midwife living and working as an NHS midwife in Taunton, Somerset. 

Before midwifery I worked all over the place, I was a geographer, a reserve officer in the Royal Navy, a property manager, an administrator in a dental practice and an estate agent. I came to Midwifery as I wanted to put my feminism into practice and I am so glad I did! I love working on the Birth Centre and seeing families out in the community. Being a midwife is central to who I am now, I spend most of my time living and breathing it.

My goal as Taunton’s Village Midwife is to create a community, for you, your partner, and your growing family - which I feel like we have achieved in Taunton through our courses and free meet ups called ‘The No Sleep Club’ since I started teaching. I aim to give you the time, space, and information to enter birth and parenthood with choices and agency. I am always ready to chat about birth and babies for a few hours! I originally applied to join Sophie’s team because her vision was so aligned with mine. I want to enhance the service I provide as an NHS Midwife and give families all the information they need and want to make informed choices about their antenatal care and birth.

Behind the scenes I spend time reading everything under the sun about midwifery and birth, slowly painting my entire house green, writing and overthinking about life and the universe, snuggling my dog Bonnie, cycling around Taunton on my pink bicycle and attempting to keep my houseplants alive.

For information about the course dates or to enquire about 1:1 antenatal course or postnatal support options, you can email Kate at kate@thevillagemidwife.co.uk

Upcoming Taunton Antenatal Courses

Venue: National Trust Fyne Court, The Library, Broomfield, Taunton, TA5 2EH

November/December 2024 Antenatal Course in Taunton:

(for January/ February 2025 due dates - 2 spaces left!)

Saturday 23rd November 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 27th November 6.30-9pm, Saturday 30th November 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 4th December 7-9pm (online), Wednesday 11th December 6.30-9pm, Saturday 14th December 9am-12.30pm

January/February 2025 Antenatal Course in Taunton:

(for March 2025 due dates - New!)

Saturday 11th January 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 15th January 6.30-9pm, Saturday 18th January 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 22nd January 7-9pm (online), Wednesday 29th January 6.30-9pm, Saturday 1st February 9am-12.30pm

March 2025 Antenatal Course in Taunton:

(for April/ May 2025 due dates - New!)

Saturday 1st March - 9am-12.30pm, Wednesday 5th March - 6.30pm-9.00pm, Saturday 8th March - 9.00pm-12.30pm, Wednesday 12th March - 7.00pm-9.00pm (online), Wednesday 19th March - 6.30pm-9.00pm, Saturday 22nd March - 9.00am-12.30pm

Prices

Antenatal Course: £250

Refreshers Course: £150

When you book your space using the link below you just have to fill out your details and pay £100 now, £50 of which is your deposit. The rest is paid a week prior to the antenatal course starting or can be paid in instalments (email us to arrange this!)

Please note: We offer a £25 NHS discount for healthcare professionals, a £15 return discount for previous clients and a 35% single parent discount. We also offer discounts and payment plans to parents who are struggling financially - contact us for more information, no questions asked.

Want to see Kate 1:1 in Taunton?

You can do this during pregnancy or after in the postnatal period, I can provide sessions at your home which are flexible around your needs. The options include:

★    Feeding preparation & support

★    Birth debriefs

★    Postnatal support - in person at your home 

Please email Kate to arrange a time - kate@thevillagemidwife.co.uk

The No Sleep Club Taunton

A relaxed meet up for local parents - these are held at either Dough in Taunton (9 Bath Pl, Taunton TA1 1ER) or White Post Café near Wellington (Langford Budville, Wellington TA21 0RW)

Check Instagram for times or join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EWu8zVTi9SRGRtwqAxgHkJ

15th May - Dough

29th May - White Post

12th June - Dough

26th June - White Post

10th July - Dough

24th July - White Post

14th August - Dough

28th August - White Post

Email Kate at kate@thevillagemidwife.co.uk for more information or join the Facebook group! 

Postnatal Support

£40 for 2 hours for antenatal clients (and then £15 for every hour after that)

I offer postnatal support for antenatal clients. I can pop in postnatally and help with anything you need - an extra pair of hands to settle baby while you nap, helping with confidence around breastfeeding/bottle feeding, help with using a sling/carrier, a listening ear - whatever you need!

Please note, again - I can offer concessions for postnatal support so please let me know if you’d like support but would struggle with the cost. Please also note that sometimes I’ll signpost you to someone else if I feel that their support would be more valuable e.g if I think your baby might have a tongue tie

Preparation for feeding (plus support in the postnatal period)

£150 for 3 hours of in person time plus WhatsApp ongoing support

Lots of people ask me for help preparing for feeding their baby, a common source of anxiety! I offer a daytime session to discuss what you want to do with regards to feeding your baby (usually near the end of your pregnancy) and we can talk through any previous experiences you have, which can be helpful. We can talk through how to get breastfeeding off to a great start. how milk supply works, how to best attach baby to the breast and common issues that can come up.

I am then on hand for any feeding support via WhatsApp for the first 6 weeks where I can answer any questions - sometimes people find it helpful to create a WhatsApp group between you, me and your partner. I can also pop in (if you’re local to Taunton) and help with any support you need.

If you are struggling financially, please note I can offer concessions for postnatal feeding support - no questions asked.

Birth Debrief

£80 for a 2-3 hour session

A birth debrief session gives you the chance to talk about your birth experience with me in a safe, supportive, no judgement environment. We can go through what happened, step by step, which can help you process what happened.  We can talk about how you felt during birth and how you’re feeling now.

Often the unanswered questions we have about our birth experience can make it harder for our brains to process it. Being able to talk it through with a midwife can be hugely valuable. I can use my experience as a midwife to help you understand anything from your birth that you might want to understand further.

If it would be helpful, you can also request your notes from the hospital you gave birth at and we can use these to help - however this is not necessary.

I offer these sessions to partners as well as mums - or for both of you at the same time. I can come to your home, meet somewhere else, meet on Zoom or walk and talk, whatever is easiest and best for you.

Please email Kate to arrange a time at kate@thevillagemidwife.co.uk