Beautiful Birth Club
Made with Love...delivered with love...
Every birth is beautiful. From home birth to water birth, free birth to c-section, the creation and arrival of a new life is possibly the most magical moment a woman will ever experience. The Beautiful Birth Club is here to support you through that journey. This is a safe haven to escape the crazy stories, to help parents make choices through evidence based facts and to empower super women (mothers) to discover and experience the birth they truly desire. We offer private midwife services to empower and support you to have the birth you want, with support antenatally and postnatally. Contact me to learn more about my services, and how I can help you bring your own child into this beautiful world.
Meet The Founder of Beautiful Birth Club
Julia Melinek
Welcome to the Beautiful Birth Club. I am a registered midwife with a first class honours degree from King's College London and 8 years experience at a major London teaching hospital with an outstanding CQC rating. I am also an experienced doula, hypnotherapist and NLP counsellor with a passion for holistic oxytocin rich birth. I currently work exclusively as a private midwife, offering un-rushed, oxytocin rich continuity of care in the comfort of your home.
I have supported women through hypnobirth, water birth, home birth, epidural and C-section births. I have even helped support a woman giving birth outside a Costa coffee shop! I have supported teenagers and women who are terrified of birth, women whose plans have gone out of the window at the last minute and women who just want the most beautiful birth experience possible. However your birth goes, we can make it beautiful together. The whole experience starts months before the actual delivery and of course beyond the birth of the baby, including breast feeding support if needed. I am happy to support and cheer lead you for as long as you would like.
I see every pregnancy and birth as a miracle. I have three beautiful children of my own who were born with the assistance of angelic midwives. I have supported hundreds of women through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. No two women are the same and no two journeys are the same. My particular passions are hypno-birthing, water birth and home-birth but I am passionate about all birth. I also have experience with trauma survivors and women who have a fear of birth (tochophobia). I never forget what an honour and privilege it is that you have chosen to share the journey with me as you enter the Beautiful Birth Club.
Like your baby, my services were created with love and are delivered with love!
I am fully insured in my work with Private Midwives and am registered and accredited with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Why employ a Private Midwife?
“If continuity of care were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.”
John H. Kennell MD
What does a private midwife do?
We are there to hold your hand from beginning to end. We know that the evidence supporting continuity of care is extraordinary. Research shows this model to lead to happier outcomes for Mum and baby, fewer miscarriages / still-births, less need for analgesia, less episiotomy and higher rates of breast feeding.
Regular antenatal appointments of 1-2 hours in length in your home at a time to suit you
Support to birth your baby either at home or in hospital
Telephone and text support between appointments
Packages can include blood tests, scans and baby checks
Postnatal support at home with appointments lasting 1-2 hours each
Breast feeding and baby care support
Holistic care from a familiar midwife who knows you and understands your hopes and fears
Hypnobirthing and birth preparation support
Provision of evidence based clinical care with an emphasis on safety and woman centred care
We facilitate safe, positive and empowering birthing experiences by offering evidence based information, emotional support and physical / clinical support needed during this time. Together we will plan out your journey and assist with anything you want from hynobirthing, evidence to support your choices, massage, counselling, birthing positions, aromatherapy etc No two women are the same and no two journeys are the same. Our purpose is to support you to experience the most beautiful birth, however that looks to you.
Private Midwives are registered with the Nursing and Midwife Council and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
My particular passions are hypno-birthing and water-birth but I am passionate about all birth. I also have experience with trauma survivors and women who have a fear of birth (tochophobia). I never forget what an honour and privilege it is that you have chosen to share the journey with me as you enter the Beautiful Birth Club. The whole experience starts months before the actual delivery and of course beyond the birth of the baby, including breast feeding support if needed. I am happy to support and cheer lead you for as long as you would like.
Like your baby, my services were created with love and are delivered with love!
What are the benefits of having continuity of care?
Many academic studies have documented the benefits of having continuity of care. The recent Cochrane Review, Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth, showed a very high number of positive birth outcomes when continuity of care was offered.Women were less likely to have pain-relief medications administered and less likely to have a cesarean birth. Women also reported having a more positive childbirth experience. (http://www.childbirthconnection.org)
Other studies have shown that having a known and trusted midwife decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, the use of oxytocin by 40%, and requests for an epidural by 60%.
(Hodnett ED. Gates S Hofmeyr GJ. Sakala C. Continuous Support for Women During Childbirth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. CD003766, (2003).
Doula or midwife?
The word “doula” is an ancient Greek word meaning ‘woman caregiver’. Midwife means 'with woman'. The roles certainly overlap. However, only a midwife is trained to provide clinical care. It is illegal for a doula to work in place of a midwife. A private midwife can be there throughout the whole pregnancy journey and is a constant presence throughout the birth. She is someone you trust and who you will know will be an advocate for your wishes throughout.
Is a midwife a birth partner?
A midwife will support you clinically and emotionally throughout your birth, but it is more common for a midwife to work alongside a birth partner or partners. To have a significant other or relative by your side can increase the sense of wellbeing and the flow of oxytocin. A midwife will work with your birth partners to support you all to have a beautiful experience. A midwife can guide partner’s hands in labour massage, remind them of your chosen birth mantras, and ensure you are safe while your partner holds your space.
How should I choose a private midwife?
The most important part in choosing a miwife is the chemistry you (and your partner) feel with that person. The beauty of having a private midwife is that you have a part in choosing who will have the honour of being your midwife. You need to feel such faith in her as your advocate that you can relax in to your beautiful birthing zone knowing she has your back. I offer the first consultation free of charge. We can chat about the type of birth you would like to have and any other pregnancy issues you may be thinking about. This is your birth. My role is to keep you and baby safe and to empower and support you on your beautiful journey! If you feel I am the right person for you we can discuss next steps. If not, then I would encourage you to chat to another private midwife When you meet the right one, you will know!
Services
What I Do
Antenatal and pre-conception Visits
Let the journey begin...
After beginning our relationship with a meet and greet, I am there to support you through your pregnancy journey. I can offer evidence based sources to help you create your pregnancy and birth plans. All appointments will take place at a time and place to suit you, usually in your home, and will last 1-2 hours. We will check Mum and baby, listen in to and measure baby, check blood pressure and urine etc We also offer packages where we can take bloods at home and arrange scans. I will offer continuous emotional support throughout your journey and be available by phone or text between appointments. Depending on your wishes we can also spend this time practicing relaxation and hypno-birth techniques, planning for your birth, practicing colostrum harvesting and answering any questions you may have. We can design a personalised care plan based around your needs, starting at any point from conception to 36 weeks of pregnancy. Appointments are 4 weekly from 6-28 weeks of pregnancy, 2 weekly from 30 - 36 weeks and weekly thereafter.
Your birth - made with love and delivered with love
Personalised care with your private midwife
My role during your birth is to take care of you and your baby throughout whilst offering holistic support. My aim is that you achieve a beautiful birth, however this looks. We will have discussed every eventuality before labour so you can enter your beautiful birthing zone and know that we understand your wishes. I can also offer hypnobirthing support, create light and sound moods in the room, offer massage and protect your birthing zone so you can have the ultimate conditions for birth. If things don't go to plan I can ensure that your wishes are observed by liaising with the rest of the medical team. All births can be beautiful, even those that don't go to plan! I will stay with you until you are settled with your baby in your arms.
Postpartum and Breast Feeding Support
Creating beautiful bonds
After the birth I will support you as you bond with your new member of the family. I can offer feeding support, examine you and baby, assess and support you emotionally and help with baby care and any questions you may have about your newborn, your own body and your emotional wellbeing. We weigh baby, carry out the newborn NIPE assessment and the NBBS test at home. We can also offer enhanced lactation support packages. We offer 3-4 visits in the first week, 2 visits in the second week and weekly visits for week 3 and 4. visits are usually 1-2 hours long and in your home. I am also available to contact by phone/email throughout. The midwife / family relationship is a special one and I love to stay in contact and see your news and photos as your little bundle grows. This is a labour of love and I am here for you.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Please contact me for a fee schedule as I will tailor a package to suit you. As a guide, I charge £75 for a one off, one hour session, which is discounted for multiple sessions. A full antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal package is around £995.
I can offer substantial discounts in the case of genuine hardship.
Hypnobirthing and Trauma Counselling
Creating a beautiful state of mind
When we feel fear and dread we produce adrenalin which in turn inhibits the hormone Oxytocin. Oxytocin is the 'love' hormone, the hormone that gushes through our blood when we cuddle, when we make love, when we hold and breast feed our babies, and when we give birth. Oxytocin is essential to allow the uterus to contract. Part of my role is to ensure that your birth room is an oxytocin rich environment. This is helped by low lighting, calm and quiet, massage, and through the mother achieveing a semi hypnotic state known as neo-cortical inhibition. One of the best ways of achieveing this is through hypnobirthing. Hypnotherapy is also wonderful to overcome previous sexual or birth trauma or to conquer fear of child birth (tochophobia). I offer sessions before the birth and leave you to practice as you lead up to the birth. I then support you throughout the labour and birth to stay in your oxytocin rich zone.
Julia was like an angel from beginning to end. She anticipated my needs and empowered me to birth my darling big boy with no pain relief and no tears. She even ran out in early labour to fetch me much needed McDonalds fries. I can't recommend her highly enough.
Liz Hawkins
Julia has magical skills in communication and support. It is always a pleasure working with her
I.K. (VBAC and trauma midwife lead)
Julia enabled me to have the birth of my dreams. She was recommended to me after a traumatic experience with my first birth. She really empowered me to take control and to be at one with my beautiful baby. I had the birth of dreams and it made all the difference to the bonding process thereafter. I have already booked her for baby 3!
C.D. second time mother
“The parallels between making love and giving birth are clear, not only in terms of passion and love, but also because we need essentially the same conditions for both experiences: privacy and safety.”
Sarah Buckley
“There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don’t ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it.”
Sheryl Feldman
“Having a highly trained obstetrical surgeon attend a normal birth is analogous to having a pediatric surgeon babysit a healthy 2-year-old.”
Marsden Wagner
“Many women have described their experiences of childbirth as being associated with a spiritual uplifting, the power of which they have never previously been aware … To such a woman childbirth is a monument of joy within her memory. She turns to it in thought to seek again an ecstasy which passed too soon.”
Grantly Dick-Read
