York midwife launches birth plan and consultation business to improve birth experiences and reduce birth trauma
Having worked in the NHS for nearly a decade, qualified and practising midwife Olivia Hicklenton has launched Birth Plan Consultations – a York-based business that provides birth plans and consultations to support women and couples to feel empowered in the delivery room.
Despite having delivered hundreds of healthy babies across the north of England, nothing could have prepared Olivia for her high-risk pregnancy and birth of her first child in 2023.
Post-pregnancy, Olivia discovered a gap in the market in that there was little to no in-depth birth plans readily available for complex medical births. Nor were there one-to-one classes to support and prepare women and their birth partners for all scenarios of labour.
Originally from Newcastle, Olivia (32) says: “Labour and birth can be a scary and traumatic time for many. Having experienced this for myself, I believe one of the greatest ways people can prepare is to get as much information as possible about the potential decisions they face accounting for every eventuality!
"This includes what could happen during labour, the delivery and birth itself and having a clear understanding of what medical and non-medical interventions might be offered along the way. No one plans to have a forceps delivery, and no one plans to have an emergency c-section but they do happen and I would like to help women know more about the reality of these situations before potentially being in them.”
Many studies have proven that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and birth trauma are reduced for mums and birth partners if they have had comprehensive birth plan discussion, and they have been given knowledge about birth before the labour or delivery.
Olivia continues: “Having spoken to many people, and their birth partners, about their birth story it became clear that their lack of awareness about certain situations caused excessive fear and negative feelings towards the labour and birth itself.
"Feelings of being out of control in these situations can lead to PTSD and trauma. As midwives, we aren’t always able to prevent something traumatic happening, but I would like to help expectant people feel more empowered and positive during the birth of their baby. By giving information about medical deliveries, interventions, and why they are crucial for keeping themself and baby safe, I want to ensure they have control over their birth and their body.
"I have brought together my professional and personal experiences in providing and receiving maternity care to create my business hoping that it makes a difference to people’s birth experiences.’’
Olivia runs her business alongside working at York Hospital as a Band 6 Midwife and has no intention of leaving the job she loves.
She adds: “I love being a midwife and being part of my patients’ journeys to bring new life into the world, I will never give this part of my life up. I hope having a business alongside my midwifery career will improve some patient’s experiences. If it does, then I feel that it would have all been worth it and that would make me incredibly happy.”
To find out more about Birth Plan Consultations, visit: www.etsy.com/shop/birthplanconsult