Testimonials
“Virginia Howes is a very calm midwife, she encouraged me when needed but kept herself in the background so as not to disturb the process unlike other midwives who keep wanting to check for this and that. From time to time she would monitor me using sonic aid, I did not need to move for that”
“I felt very well prepared in a short time, and very confident with Kay’s abilities. I just thought she was fab!”
“The information Kay provided was excellent; really helpful in making decisions and backing up decisions I had already made- like having a home birth. During labour it felt like having a friend, much better than a stranger”
“I have been involved in homebirth support for 10 years, and I run homebirth.org.uk , and do voluntary work for a midwifery website. I’ve spoken to many midwives over the years, so when I decided to book with an independent midwife for my fifth baby’s birth, I was quite clear about what sort of support I wanted. I chose Virginia Howes because I was impressed with her knowledge and understanding of every childbirth issue we discussed, and also because I liked her positive, no-nonsense attitude.
I felt confident that this midwife would not transfer me to hospital without good reason, but if she thought we needed to go, I trusted her to advise me. I felt confident that she would be on mine and my baby’s side. I knew that Kay Hardie, the other half of Kent Midwifery Practice, shared this ‘can-do’ attitude, but in the event I had all my antenatal and labour midwifery care from Virginia. As soon as I booked with their practice, a load lifted from my shoulders; I wouldn’t have to explain my circumstanes to every different midwife I met, or have a midwife who I’d never met attend me in labour”
“This time of year I am reminded of how I felt up to and after Daniel’s birth and they are not good memories of the process. Thank you so much Kay that I can now think back positively over Nathan and Levi’s”
“Throughout my pregnancy Virginia Howes from Kent Midwifery Practice was a constant source of information and comfort. I’m sure all her clients would agree with me that she came to be more than just a midwife, she became a friend as well”
“We were very impressed with the way Kay handled the problems during labour and with her diagnosis with what was causing the delay”
“We had a planned for a home birth and had booked a great independent midwife called Virginia Howes who I’d been seeing since about January. ….I have extremely positive thoughts and feelings about the birth and am very grateful I had some fantastic support from Kent Midwifery Practice. I would definitely do it this way again”
“Kay provided lots of information with balanced views. I trusted her to give me the facts and all options. I noticed a difference between hospital staff and Kay; she always informed me of my choices and the associated benefits and risks. My health and my baby’s were always her top priority. I know that has it not been for Kay’s support, I would not have had the birth experience I did and would almost certainly have had a c-section- something I strongly wished to avoid, and did.”
“We first met with Virginia Howes from Kent Midwifery Practice when I was 5 months pregnant. Although James agreed he had some concerns about a home birth and had never heard of independent midwives. However I was so determined that we decided to research widely into home birth and also into how independent midwives practise. We booked with Virginia as we believed her to be our closest chance of a home birth.”
“I found Kay hugely supportive, informative and approachable from the start of our relationship. I had complete faith and confidence in Kay and her decision making throughout my labour and delivery.”
“A big thank you to Virginia from Kent Midwifery Practice. We found out about Independent Midwives by picking up a leaflet at a scan clinic.....We followed Virginia Howes’ sound advice and we thought 9 months would be a long time away. We had appointments with Virginia every few weeks to check our progress and gradually we all got to know one another.”
“Thank you Kay. A very positive experience. Wonderful philosophy and support given to me. I shall recommend your services to many others”