Ask an Expert - Profiles
Cassy McNamara
Cassy is an Independent midwife. She provides holistic care for women throughout their pregnancies, their births-usually home water births- and in the early post natal period. Cassy has had the great pleasure of attending many births over the years, both at home and in the hospital and is passionate about informed choice and facilitating normal birth.
She is a member of the Royal college of Midwives, the Independent Midwives Association, The Association of Radical Midwives, The Association for Improvements in Maternity Services and is the country contact for Scotland for the International Alliance of Midwives.
Currently she is also a student supervisor of midwives and a founder member of birthchoices.co.uk, a free, unbiased, research based, information website for pregnant women and their families.
Debbie Lewis
Debbie is a specialist parent coach who regularly contributes on parenting issues to national and regional media including Channel 5's Trisha Goddard Show. Debbie runs Curve Coaching providing life coaching, parent coaching and professional training and has worked for over ten years with adults and children in a broad range of jobs including nanny and parenting consultant. Debbie is professionally trained in parenting skills, child development and family assessment and a registered member of The Parenting and Education Support Forum, The General Social Care Council, an NLP Practitioner and accredited life coach.
Eleanor Copp
Eleanor has been a nurse and Midwife in the NHS since 1987,working in London and Somerset. In 2005 she trained as a HypnoBirthing Practitioner, and has been teaching this course with spectacular results ever since. She is currently in the process of studying hypnotherapy/ psychotherapy at the Clifton Practice in Bristol.
As a Mother of 4 she is very alert to the pressures of modern day parenthood and the anxieties pregnancy brings. She works in Private Practice in the South West and the NHS, supporting couples and individuals to overcome their fears , empowering them to go forward and have the birth they truly desire and from September will be practising in General Hypnotherapy too.
www.hypnobirthingwitheleanor.com
Emma Pearce
Emma set up Butterfly Babies to help other parents find practical and environmentally sound products for babies and children.
Having felt very alone following the birth of her daughter, as she would only sleep in bed with her and loved being carried, it was only through chatting online with other mums that she realised others parented in similar ways and that it had a name - Attachment Parenting. This is an instinctive method of parenting that recognises both the parents and the child's need and tends to involve co-sleeping (i.e. sharing a bed), extended breastfeeding and responding to the babies developmental needs by carrying a baby for much of the time before they are mobile. Rather than being restrictive, this can be liberating as a carried baby simply is there, observing and absorbing life rather than being the centre of attention.
Another baby later, and as more and more parents kept stopping her in the street to find out where to buy the slings from, she realised that there was a growing market for them and opened a shop in Cardiff in 2005 selling a wide range of slings and complementary products. At the time her son was 6 months old so spent most of the time in the shop with her demonstrating the slings! All the products she sells she has personally tested with her two children and can therefore can advise from experience on the different types of slings and baby carriers available and the advantages and disadvantages of each. As well as the website, having a local shop where Mums (and Dads!) can try on the slings means that she has a good knowledge of what will suit different families and situations (including babies with special needs).
Jessica Shaw
Qualified from the BCNO in London in 2000 and has been working in Edinburgh since then. Her particular field of interest is in the treatment of babies & children, pregnant women and postural rehabilitation in conjunction with principles of pilates. Jessica is a structural and cranial osteopath.
Lizzie Welsh
Lizzie owns a real nappy website dedicated to helping parents find the best brand, or combination of brands, to suit their baby and their lifestyle.
She has 2 daughters: the first was in disposables, the second in real nappies - so she can compare the two in an informed and honest way. Lizzie set the business up 3 years ago after using a wide range of real nappies and accessories on her daughter. All the advice she offers is based on her own personal experience as well as feedback from customers.
In addition to advice on real nappy brands, Lizzie is also happy to advise on the day-to-day practicalities of using real nappies and information on what you'll need to get up and running.
Patrick Houser
Patrick Houser is a father and a grandfather the author of the Fathers-To-Be Handbook. His second son’s arrival was the first waterbirth in the US. This led him into nearly 25 years of support for birth choices and working with parents. He relocated to the UK 10 years ago. Patrick is a Fatherhood and Life Coach and co-founder of Fathers-To-Be(www.fatherstobe.org), a new concept in antenatal education for men. Fathers-To-Be also offers consulting and training for midwives, doulas, antenatal teachers and organisations working with families, on fathers.
Robyn McDonald
Robyn studied homeopathy at the Lakeland College and graduated in 2003. She also did a year practitioner development training at the Integrative College. Both courses include flower essences as supportive tools to homeopathic prescribing.
Homeopathy can be used to treat almost any condition be it mental, emotional or physical and is suitable for all stages of life. It works particularly well with children and can be used safely from first born onwards. It can be a huge support during pregnancy, labour and post natal conditions, for both mother and baby.
Remedies are gentle, non toxic and non habit forming and easy for babies and children to take. They can be effective when conventional treatments have not been and are especially good for treating women's hormonal imbalances without the use of the pill or HRT.
Robyn is also a trainee doula and is happy to answer any queries regarding doulas and birth assistance.
Sharon Trotter
Sharon Trotter is a Mother & Baby Consultant with special interests in breastfeeding and baby skincare. She works within the NHS and independently to advise and promote best practice in these areas.
Following publications in various peer reviewed midwifery journals, Sharon has implemented a new policy for baby skincare and cordcare, advocating the use of plain water for at least the first month of life.
This is now backed up by the recent Postnatal Care guidelines published by NICE (www.nice.org.uk), a Government organisation that advises NHS maternity units on best practice. It is hoped this approach will lead to a reduction in the development of chronic skin conditions that necessitate referral to dermatology clinics.
Sharon is founder and Director of TIPS Ltd and her recent TIPS Awards Scheme has just been launched on her website. Sharon’s best selling book, ‘Breastfeeding: the essential guide’ continues to feature in the top ten on Amazon.co.uk and her informative leaflet, (for parents and professionals) ‘Babycare – back to basics’™ is now in its fourth edition.
For more information on Sharon’s work and to read any of her articles go to: www.tipslimited.com.
Valerie Goedkoop
Valerie Goedkoop is a very experienced doula and one of the leading doula training course organisers in the UK.
She is herself a recognised doula and trainer with Doula UK (she was their chairperson for 2005). She is also a breastfeeding counsellor and volunteers weekly at her local breastfeeding clinic.
Valerie is a lay representative on the Pembury and Maidstone hospitals Maternity Services Liaison Committee in Kent. She is married and has 3 children.