I support independent midwives.

I support private midwives.

I support NHS midwives.

I support doulas.

I support women who choose any of the above to share their birthing journey.

I support women who choose none of the above to share their birthing journey.

Let us support each other.

I believe that women want the best for their birth and for their baby.

I believe that midwives want the best.

I believe that doulas want the best.

I believe we are all on the same side, wanting what is best for women and babies. Let us stand together.

I believe there is more than one road to birthing a baby (aka there’s more than one way to skin a cat)

I am angered and saddened by the recent NMC ruling that independent midwives having insufficient indemnity should they have a claim made against them.

I am angered and saddened by the in-fighting that has started, just a week after that decision.

I am angered and saddened at the arguments I am witnessing between those who need to be working together to achieve a resolution.

We know the NHS is a patriarchal system. So is the NMC. And we should have learned that fighting these organisations on their terms is buying into their system. Nothing will actually change. It will produce another solution that allows us to limp on to the next battle for survival. It encourages in-fighting between those who know that women deserve the right to choose how to birth, where to birth and with whom to birth but differ in their approach to achieving the security of that right. We cannot continually fight this system, we need a new one.

Birth is a spiritual experience, whether we acknowledge that or not, or whether we recognise it or not. Witnessing the emergence of that new soul into the world is humbling. When we hold a newborn baby for the first time we embrace a little bit of heaven on earth. That is the energy we need to bring to this present setback, from the starting point of love and wanting the highest for each other, for women, for babies, for fathers, for families, for humanity.

Babies bring us their own wisdom, the wisdom of heaven, of unity and one-ness; we need to listen, learn and move forward together.