Celebrating our Homebirth Team on International Day of the Midwife | News

Expecting a very fast labour with her second pregnancy, Hannah chose a home birth as the best option for her. That instinct proved spot on, with baby Isla giving Royal Surrey’s homebirth midwives just 15 minutes’ grace before her safe arrival.

Hannah said: “Just at the point when we thought we might have to birth her unsupported, our midwives Kirsty and Bev arrived. Having the reassurance was amazing.  When I needed them, they were there.”

Hannah had always thought about requesting a homebirth, thanks to the positive memories shared by her own Mum.

“I was a homebirth, so I already knew quite a lot about it,” she said. 

“My Mum very much talked about it and she’d always said how much it was a great experience, so it’s always been in the back of my mind.”

Hannah’s first baby was born premature, so for her second pregnancy it wasn’t a straightforward choice to opt for care from the Surrey Hills Homebirth Team.  But she says right from the initial conversation with a midwife she knew she’d made the right decision.

She said: “From the first time I met my allocated midwife Kirsty, I knew I was in safe hands.  Every appointment I had at home, she got to know my history and preferences for the birth.  It’s so lovely to have a familiar face and to be in your safe, home environment with such amazing support.”

Kirsty is the leader of the Homebirth Team and has been supporting birth at home for the last seven years.

She said: "Building relationships with the families in our care is both a privilege and a joy.  When the 'stars align' that we are on-call when someone in our individual caseload goes into labour and you have the honour of stepping into their birth space, as with the birth of Isla, those trusting relationships come full-circle.  People choose homebirths for a variety of reasons, and in this case of pre-empting a quick labour, it was by far the best decision, as little Isla was in a hurry to be born!"

The Surrey Hills Homebirth Team is just one of the birth options offered to our mums-to-be at Royal Surrey. Families have to be within catchment area and spaces are offered on a first come first served basis.  In 2025, 168 families booked for care with the team and the midwives supported the births of 89 boys and 79 girls over the year.  

Katy Lucas is matron of the Homebirth Team, said:

“These midwives receive wonderful feedback and have many sibling births as the years go on. To be part of the team and witness birth at home is a real privilege and as their Matron, I am extremely proud of the support, care and compassion they provide.”   

The 24/7 service sees the midwives monitor mums throughout pregnancy, be there for the birth, stay to support families immediately after birth and up to the first ten days following.  They also run monthly coffee mornings at different locations where you can meet mums who’re using or have used the service and chat to other midwives in the homebirth team. 

Hannah says, like her Mum, she will be sharing nothing but positive anecdotes to her daughters.

She said: “If I had another baby, although I’m not planning it, I would absolutely do it again!  I think it’s a fantastic service - I can’t thank them enough for their kind support before during and after the birth. They are really caring and genuinely compassionate, loving people who really care about giving the mum the birth that they want and making sure it’s safe in the most amazing way.”

On this International Day of the Midwife, we’re celebrating our midwives working with such dedication in all teams throughout the trust and thanking them for the wonderful support they give to families. Read more about their work to support families.