Penny celebrates 38 years as a midwife
Harrow’s busiest community midwife has championed home births for more than 20 years saying it is still a great privilege to be present when a new baby arrives.
Penny Estall’s latest babe in arms is six-week-old Jesse Oldfield who was born at home in Harrow Weald (pictured with proud mum Katie and Penny).
Penny, who works as a community midwife at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I’ve been a midwife for nearly 40 years and it’s still a great privilege to be present at a birth. I still find it an amazing experience and have shed a few tears over the years.”
She is a veteran of more than 100 water births and assisted in hundreds of deliveries saying that mothers deliver babies, not midwives.
Penny, 62, said: “I’m there to assist and encourage women. I’m a great advocate of home births because they provide mums with a familiar relaxed environment to have their baby”
Her first home birth delivery was a ‘triple first’ as it was the woman’s first home birth, Penny’s first home delivery and her first assist in helping a delivery from a standing position.
“I’m semi-retired now and will find it hard to give up. It’s a wonderful vocation and I have a lot of happy memories.”
For more information about home births, click on https://bit.ly/2U9cGsw