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Your beliefs, choices and traditions matter
Your maternity care should respect them too
Maternity Care That Respects Your Culture & Faith
Your culture, faith, traditions and personal beliefs are part of who you are, and they deserve to be respected throughout your pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.
Care That Starts With You
Every woman and every family comes to pregnancy and birth with their own experiences, beliefs, traditions and values.
For some families, culture or faith may play an important role in decisions around pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. For others, it may have very little influence at all.
I will never assume what matters to you because of your ethnicity, culture or religion.
Instead, I will ask.
Having time to get to know you means we can talk openly about anything that is important to you and consider how your wishes can be respected within your maternity care.
Your Faith and Religious Beliefs
Your religious beliefs may influence some of the choices you make during pregnancy, birth or after your baby arrives.
There may be particular practices you would like to observe, times when you wish to pray, dietary requirements, preferences around examinations or aspects of your care that you would like your midwife to understand.
You may also have particular wishes surrounding your baby immediately after birth.
You should feel comfortable talking about these with me.
If something is important to you, I want to know about it.
Culture, Traditions and Birth
Cultural traditions surrounding pregnancy and birth can be incredibly important to some families.
They may influence who you would like present during labour, how you would like to be supported, the role of your partner or wider family, your preferences around food, how you wish to care for yourself after birth or traditions surrounding your newborn baby.
There is no checklist I expect you to fit into.
Even within the same culture or religion, individual families can have completely different beliefs and traditions.
My role is to understand yours.
Privacy and Modesty
Privacy and modesty can be particularly important during maternity care.
Pregnancy and birth inevitably involve examinations and procedures that can feel very personal.
If you have preferences about how examinations are carried out, who is present, clothing or covering your body, please tell me.
Wherever possible and clinically appropriate, I will work with you to protect your dignity and make sure you understand what is happening before an examination or procedure takes place.
Your consent matters throughout your care.
Making Space For Prayer and Religious Practice
If prayer or another religious practice is important to you, we can talk about how this may be incorporated into your care.
That might simply mean allowing quiet time and privacy, understanding particular times or practices that matter to you, or ensuring that your birth preferences reflect your faith.
These conversations can form part of your antenatal care and birth planning, rather than waiting until you are in labour to explain what is important to you.
Fasting During Pregnancy
Some religions include periods of fasting, and pregnancy can raise additional questions about whether and how you wish to participate.
If you are considering fasting during pregnancy, we can discuss your individual circumstances and make sure you have appropriate information to help you make an informed decision.
Where specialist medical or religious advice is needed, I will encourage you to speak with the appropriate healthcare professional or trusted religious adviser.
The decision should be based on you, your pregnancy and your beliefs, rather than assumptions about what you should or should not do.
Blood and Blood Products
For some people, religious or personal beliefs may influence decisions about receiving blood or certain blood products.
If this applies to you, it is important that we discuss it during pregnancy rather than waiting until an emergency occurs.
We can talk about your wishes, make sure they are clearly documented and discuss them with the wider maternity team where appropriate.
This gives you the opportunity to ask questions, understand your options and make informed decisions about your care.
After Your Baby Is Born
Culture and faith can remain just as important during the postnatal period.
Your family may have traditions surrounding rest and recovery, food, visitors, feeding, bathing your baby, naming ceremonies, prayer or other practices following birth.
My postnatal care takes place within your home and your family environment.
I am there to provide safe midwifery care while respecting the fact that I am also entering your space, your family and your traditions.
Caring For Your Baby
There may also be religious or cultural practices that are important to you in the first hours or days of your baby's life.
If there is something you would like to happen, or something you would prefer not to happen, please talk to me about it during pregnancy whenever possible.
We can discuss what can safely be incorporated into your care and make sure your wishes are understood.
I Will Ask, Not Assume
This is probably the most important part of this page.
Your ethnicity does not tell me what you believe.
Your religion does not tell me exactly how you practise your faith.
And your culture does not tell me what choices you will make about your pregnancy or birth.
So I won't assume.
I will ask what matters to you, listen to your answer and provide care that respects you as an individual.
That is what personalised midwifery care means to me.
When Your Wishes Need Wider Discussion
There may occasionally be situations where a particular request needs discussion with your maternity team or another healthcare professional, particularly if there are clinical considerations involved.
If that happens, I will explain why and help you understand the information and options available to you.
Respecting your beliefs does not mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means having those conversations with you, openly and respectfully, and keeping you involved in decisions about your care.
Care That Is Guided By You
The name Guided By You Midwifery reflects the way I believe maternity care should feel.
You bring your history, family, culture, faith, values and hopes for your pregnancy and birth.
I bring my midwifery knowledge, clinical experience and time to listen.
Together, we can plan care that is safe, informed and centred around what matters to you.
Get In Touch
If you are looking for a private midwife who will take the time to understand your individual wishes, culture, faith or family traditions, please get in touch.
I provide personalised private midwifery care across London, Essex and Hertfordshire, supporting families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.