The user reps are people who are inspired to see local maternity services continue to develop and improve. They want to help other women and their families to give feedback on their experiences, in order to drive change in policies and care. We are always keen to have new volunteer user reps join the team, get in touch if you are interested.

The team in 2019:

Nina is the current Chair of MTW Maternity Voices Partnership and has two young boys.  She is a Doula and post natal health and fitness coach and has a real passion for empowering women so that their wants and needs are heard in order for their birth story have a positive outcome regardless of the circumstances.

 

Hannah is the former Chair of MTW Maternity Voices Partnership, having been the Chair of the previous committee ‘Birth Voices MSLC’. She lives in Tonbridge with her three children, her youngest son was born at home supported by the local community midwives. She is an NCT antenatal practitioner, yoga teacher and also a trained doula. She has a particular interest in informed decision making and consent in maternity and she also runs the local homebirth support group.

 

Nadia lives in Borough Green and has two grown up sons, the elder born at Maidstone Hospital and the younger at home. She has been an NCT teacher since 2000 and a user rep on the MSLC/MVP since 2013. She also volunteers on the helpline for the charity AIMS, providing research-based information and support to maternity service users.

 

 

Elisha has been a user representative for the MTW MVP since April 2016. She lives with her family in Forest Row, and all her maternity care was within the MTW trust. Elisha is a psychotherapist and counsellor in private practice and specialises in perinatal mental health, including pregnancy loss, fertility and the experiences of becoming a mother.

 

 

Louise lives in Tunbridge Wells. She is a hypnobirthing practitioner, an NCT antenatal teacher and also a Doula. She has supported parents planning their first birth, subsequent births, twin births, caesarean births, hypnobirths, at home, at hospital and birth centres and also has knowledge and experience in supporting women planning a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean). She also runs the Tunbridge Wells Positive Birth Movement free antenatal gatherings for parents. Her main interest is providing parents with the information, tools and techniques to plan a positive birth experience however or wherever their baby is born.

 

 

Catherine is a user representative member having moved from London to Tunbridge wells ten years ago with her husband and two children.  She qualified with an NCT diploma in birth and early parenthood education and runs antenatal courses in and around Tunbridge Wells.  She gains considerable anonymous user feedback about the experience of maternity services and is passionate about helping women and their birth partners plan the birth experience best suited to them, whether hospital, waterbirth, homebirth or Caesarean birth.  She is involved in reviews of different aspects of the local maternity services to ensure improvement of these for service users.