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We love what we do..Our ante-natal courses are run by fully qualified midwives with over 75 years’ experience between them. Lorna, Katie, Claire and Jane are able to answer your questions based on their invaluable experiences and up to date training. They can help you understand the birth process and prepare for every eventuality with confidence.
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Katie Tibble: Dip HE, MSc
Hi all, my name is Katie and I look forward to hopefully meeting you all very soon in the near future.
Alongside Lorna, I will be facilitating your classes and hopefully provide you with all the information you need to prepare you and your birthing partner for when the time comes to birth your baby. I am a parent myself and as a result of attending antenatal classes in my pregnancy, I noticed that there were a few topic areas that could have been covered in more depth. This got Lorna and myself thinking, and the more we looked into it, the more we realised that there were a lot of parents to be out there who wanted education from an actual practicing midwife. As a result Lorna, Marie and I saw the opportunity to provide antenatal education with guaranteed up to date experience and knowledge from midwives working regularly in the local units around East Sussex. Birthing and Beyond was born! My back ground is that I have been a practising midwife within the NHS for over 14 years now. I have worked in different units, but have predominately spent most of my time practising in local units. I had the opportunity to complete a masters in women's health in 2011, which has led me to have more understanding around evidenced based practice. I have worked in every area of maternity, community, postnatal care, antenatal care, enjoyed many home births and as well as labour ward. My passion sits with labour and birth and this is the area I have predominately been working in for the last 8 years. I currently work and teach in the area of labour and birth, so spend the majority of my time on a labour ward supporting women in birth. I am also a Professional Midwifery Advocate, so I also advocate normal birth and supporting women and their families in this role too. I really hope that with our expertise and current practices that the team and I will be able to meet all your needs when preparing for your birth and becoming parents. |
Lorna Harmer: BSc Hons
Hi I'm Lorna, and I work in the Community setting caring for women during their pregnancies and afterwards with their babies.
I had worked the last 10 years in the hospital setting rotating between Antenatal/postnatal/labour ward/triage so I have extensive knowledge and experience in line with current policies and guidelines set by our governing bodies in the UK. I fancied a change of scenery and have a passion for antenatal education so set up Birthing&Beyond and moved to Community! I became a parent myself in 2013 and had a positive birth experience which I'm happy to share with you if we meet. What prompted me to start these classes was seeing first hand how unprepared new parents were when they came to hospital, in particular the first few days after birth. Unfortunately government cuts to the NHS have forced maternity services to be downgraded which in this area meant stopping Antenatal Classes. This fuelled our business venture even more. I hope you choose to share your journey with us..... Don't just wish for a positive birth...prepare for one! |
Marie Damara
As you can probably guess by the photo, I am Lorna’s identical twin sister (and best friend!)
My career background is in sales, marketing and administration so I handle all the boring (but necessary) side of things here at Birthing & Beyond! I have a 5 year old daughter and was lucky enough to have my sister Lorna by my side at the birth but also there throughout my pregnancy to answer any concerns or questions. I realise how lucky I was to have her help and also how invaluable this sort of support and guidance would be to any expectant, first time parents. Hence the decision to set up Birthing & Beyond in the East Sussex area. I will be your first point of contact for Birthing & Beyond so please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about the course |
Michelle Tant
Breastfeeding ConsultantHello, I’m Michelle and I am a midwife, qualified in 2015, working at the same Trust as Lorna and Katie.
When I had my son in 2005 I received very little information about breastfeeding other than what I could read up on and so when I started breastfeeding I was surprised that it wasn’t quite as easy as some books would have me believe! Thankfully I had some great support and decided to train as a breastfeeding peer supporter so that I could ‘give something back’. Through this I gained experience in working with women and their babies from a few hours old through to moving on to solids and beyond. I then qualified as a Breastfeeding Counsellor in early 2011, started teaching antenatal breastfeeding classes and have discovered this is where my passion is. The combined experience of being a midwife and breastfeeding counsellor has emphasised to me the value of antenatal breastfeeding education as so many parents were unprepared for the realities of the breastfeeding journey, in particular those first few hours as well as going forward. My aim is to give you the opportunity to ask questions in a safe and non-judgemental session, plus the information and tools you need to help you understand how breastfeeding works, what you can do to help the process, and importantly, the skills your baby brings to the party. |
Claire Bradley
RGN RM Dip HE BSc PGCHSCEHi everyone, I have worked for the NHS for 30 years now and look forward to sharing my experiences, stories and advice with you all.
I started out as an orthopaedic nurse - as far away from midwifery as you can get! This was in the East End of London, rich in life and diverse cultures. I started my midwifery career in 1992 there which was an amazing experience and will remain forever in my memories. Since moving to Brighton and Hove in 1994 I have worked predominately within the hospital setting but over the years I have been involved in all aspects of midwifery including home birth and parent education. I have worked as a senior midwife since 1998 coordinating the maternity department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital with a keen interest in education. For the past decade I have worked with an inspiring team of educators providing support to newly qualified midwives, medical students and support workers in all aspects of midwifery and clinical education. I strive to share my extensive knowledge and experience with our staff and the families I care for. I'm looking forward to meeting you all soon to share in your exciting journey and to prepare you for the new times ahead of you as a family. |
Jane Cleary
RGN RM Dip HE PGCHSCEHi there, my name is Jane and I really hope you decide to undertake the new Birthing Beyond classes starting in Brighton.
I will be working with Claire to facilitate your class and hopefully supporting you to feel prepared in becoming new parents. I am a mum of two girls and although I was a Midwife at the time of having my babies, I still felt I needed to do antenatal classes with my partner to prepare us in becoming parents. It gave us an opportunity to talk openly, gather information that we needed so we could make informed decisions and choices during the birth. I have worked as a midwife for 25 years and have worked in all areas of Midwifery. I am passionate about natural birth and have always loved homebirths and supporting women to have empowering, positive experiences. In 2006 I set up a service called Birth Stories which gives women and their partners an opportunity to talk about their birth during the postnatal time. Having worked within this for 10 years I learnt so much from listening to women and it helped me to understand the importance and value of preparing families realistically for birth and beyond. I continue to support natural birth, however I do believe that if women/partners feel prepared and informed about birth so they understand what is happening to them they can have positive experiences even if things are not as expected. I believe that it is how women and their partners feel within their journey of pregnancy and birth that matters most when starting the amazing (sometimes challenging) world of being a parent! More recently I have moved into education and completed my Masters module (PGCert) in higher education. I now work with Midwives, Doctors and Support workers to ensure that we have a safe and competent workforce. A large focus of education for me is sharing the value of communication, kindness and listening to women so we spend time encouraging professionals to understand the woman’s/partners perspective by sharing their stories. I have always loved midwifery and am so excited about starting these classes with a group of fantastic midwives. The benefit of being a practicing midwife ensures that the classes will be current and offer a genuine perspective of the local units at Brighton and Haywards Heath. Look forward to meeting you all. |
Rachel, Eastbourne
Me & my partner have just finished the 6 week course which we have thoroughly enjoyed & learned so much, with all our questions & worries answered. We've met some great people,friends for life, who are such an amazing support for this exciting & nervous time. Lorna & Katie are fabulous teachers and a continuing support in between sessions. We are so happy we chose Birthing & Beyond to guide us through our pregnancy :-) |
Amy, Eastbourne
If you are in doubt as to whether you should attend this I would thoroughly recommend it. Despite me thinking I was pretty clued up about pregnancy and labour, this proved me wrong and gave me so much useful and reassuring insight that I now feel confident and not scared and unsure about going into labour. Katie and Lorna are absolute experts, no question is a silly one and due to the size of the group, you feel like you can be open and honest about your uncertainties and questions. My partner also took a lot away from the course and I'm so pleased that when the time comes he will be equally as clued up as me! We met some fantastic friends who are going through exactly the same as us and I cannot wait for a baby reunion in a few months! |
Charlotte, Eastbourne
Me and my partner attended the December 2016 classes and I can't praise both Kate and Lorna enough. The classes were amazing and I learnt so much including the good the bad and the ugly bits of it all, I think it really helps that both Lorna and Kate are practicing Midwives and the advice they give is brilliant on what to expect before and after. I now feel 100% more confident in what to expect, I've also been able to meet some lovely other couples through the course who are also a great support. I would highly recommend this course to anyone. |
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