LOVE YOUR BIRTH
BIRTH WITH LOVE

Do it on your own terms with an independent midwife

Welcome

My name is Irene Vine de Hoyos and I am an independent midwife covering Suffolk, Essex, East London and Cambridge.

I offer support during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. I can help you navigate childbirth as a rite of passage with knowledge, power, kindness and plenty of time regardless of what choices you make.

My passion is to help women step into their power and health professionals not take it away from them, whatever this means for you. 

If you want to know more about me, please read on or check my blog and Instagram.

UK NHS maternity care in numbers*.

Home Births
0 %
Cesarean Sections
9 %
Inductions
0 %
Women left alone**
0 %
Breastfed 6 weeks ***
0 %

Do you know that, according to high quality research, having the same independent midwife during your pregnancy, birth and postnatal period reduces your chances of interventions and increases your satisfaction with your birth experience?

Services

From whole packages of care, to community gatherings to single appointments. All you need is here and if not, you can always ask me for a quote. Enjoy the little extras in your packages such as TENS machine hire, baby massage, Entonox and a luxury goody bag with all you need to start your responsive parenting journey.
Independent Midwife East London

Home Birth

From 8 weeks pregnant until 6 weeks postnatal. I have several packages that vary in length to suit different budgets and needs. Birth at home or hospital.

Independent Midwife Cambridge

Consultancy

Do you have a question for an independent midwife? We can do your birth plan, review your previous birth, discuss your options for this one or just have a second opinion. Face to face or online.

Independent Midwife Homebirth

Resources

Explore the resources I am creating to help you navigate your pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Access high quality evidence based information so you can make informed choices.

Independent Midwife London

Parenting

Find out about baby wearing, cloth nappies, elimination communication, co-sleeping and how I am giving you the gear you need to start learning about them.

*From the ONS 2021, the NHS England, 2022-2023 and the CQC maternity survey 2024.
** 25% of women were left alone at some point during, or after, the birth at a time when it worried them. 10% were not able to get help when they needed it.
***Exclusively breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks
Pictures by  Ewa Jones Photography

Resources For Fetal Heart Monitoring

1.When did we start monitoring babies in labour?

For more high quality evidence around fetal monitoring please visit Kirsten website here, an obstetrician with a PHD in CTGs. https://birthsmalltalk.com/

In this post she discusses intermittent auscultation: https://birthsmalltalk.com/2023/08/23/what-is-intermittent-auscultation/

Hear her talk about the lack of evidence behind CTGs in this podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1eXZY973Oxbs1ducavpSAk?si=872f8c4077be4ba5

Post on the history of fetal heart monitoring: https://birthsmalltalk.com/2023/08/09/listening-to-the-fetus-the-history-of-fetal-heart-rate-monitoring/

Cochrane review comparing CTG to intermittent ausculation (CTG increases interventions
): https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006066.pub3/full

Does CTG use improve outcomes for high risk women? https://birthsmalltalk.com/2024/10/16/the-story-behind-our-paper/

2. How should we use intermittent auscultation in labour?

These are the NICE guidelines for fetal monitoring in labour: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng229/chapter/Recommendations

Midwife researcher and lecturer Rachel Reed has a brilliant article and podcast about this where she unpicks the evidence around the recommendations for intermittent auscultation protocols here https://www.rachelreed.website/blog/listening-to-baby-during-labour

and podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sJeIR3xUOr20EBRGilHxl?si=818537594dd04457

The WHO recommendations for intrapartum care: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/260178/9789241550215-eng.pdf?sequence=1

3. How does intermittent auscultation detect fetal distress?

For more on normal and abnormal heart rate monitoring watch this explanatory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni48bbtiZgs

4. What happens if there are concerns with the fetal heart rate at a homebirth?

NICE guidelines for fetal monitoring in labour: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng229/chapter/Recommendations

5.What is better for fetal monitoring in labour: a Doppler or a Pinard/fetoscope?

To read about the research and the experiences of midwives using a fetoscope/pinard antenatally and in labour check these links out.

Short facebook comments compiled in this magazine here: https://www.midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/wisdom-of-the-midwives-issue-131/

Midwives perceptions of fetoscope vrs Doppler Tanzania https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-018-1736-y

Midwives experiences of Pinard use Norway https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613822000407

Defense of fetoscope article by American midwives

https://hearthandhomemidwifery.com/blog/fetoscope-a-tool-of-the-midwifery-trade#:~:text=Fetoscope%20uses%20go%20beyond%20just,birthing%20person%20and%20the%20baby.

A Cochrane review that compares Doppler and Pinard use in low income countries: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008680.pub2/full

For a compilation of research that compares the use of Doppler to Pinard check this link: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/content?templateType=related&urlTitle=%2Fcentral%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fcentral%2FCN-01110791&doi=10.1002%2Fcentral%2FCN-01110791&p_p_id=scolariscontentdisplay_WAR_scolariscontentdisplay&_scolariscontentdisplay_WAR_scolariscontentdisplay_action=related-content&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_mode=view&type=central&contentLanguage=

6. What if you decline some or all fetal auscultations?

Is fetal monitoring essential?: https://birthsmalltalk.com/2024/11/06/myth-busting-3-fetal-monitoring-is-essential/

7. What to bear in mind about intermittent auscultation in labour?

Examples of womens experiences of fetal auscultation in labour: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519224002658#bib14