Enlisting the help of Tina was the best decision we ever made, her support towards the end of my pregnancy and in those first 6 weeks was invaluable. Being a first-time parent is daunting with so many unknowns, questions and conflicting information but having Tina’s expert advice on tap made the whole experience smoother and more enjoyable. I loved her daily visits and having that reassuring presence in those first few days was amazing. Emilia, our daughter was initially unwell when born and again, Tina was there offering guidance and checking in. I couldn’t recommend her enough, it was like having a highly qualified, knowledgeable, and caring Mum by your side.

Thank you again for everything, we would never have survived those first few weeks without you! Emilia is thriving, eating and sleeping well and has started some childcare last week so I can start getting back into work. Life is feeling normal(ish) again.

Fiona & Gavin

As first time parents and not having much family around us, we felt so fortunate to have Tina’s loving care, support and reassurance as we navigated parenthood. Nothing prepares you for this journey of becoming a mother, but Tina did. And I feel very blessed to have had her by my side throughout the final stretch of pregnancy, birth and those blurry weeks that followed. Thank you so much, Tina!

Elle & Tom Walsh

Enlisting the help of Tina and Nicky was absolutely the best decision we made when I found out I was pregnant. Recommended by a friend, Tina and Nicky made me feel supported and empowered as a first time mum from the very beginning. In particular, when things didn’t go to plan later on in my pregnancy (a late gestational diabetes diagnosis and a subsequent induction), Tina and Nicky were there to help me at every step and talk through any decisions I was being asked to make. Always at the end of the phone, they truly provided round the clock care for us, which I can never thank them enough for! I didn’t realise how much I would need post-natal care and support and found Tina and Nicky’s help priceless. No question was too small or too stupid to ask - they helped us to feel confident and in control whilst respecting what a special time it is for a new family. Tina and Nicky are exceptional midwives and saying goodbye to them was extremely hard at the end of our time together. They completely changed my experience of pregnancy, labour and postnatal care for the better and I cannot rate their care and expertise highly enough. Needless to say, I would recommend Tina and Nicky to any expecting parents - whether its the first or fourth time round!

Cheryl, Tom and baby George xx

Tina's sound expertise and advice, delivered with great sensitivity, was invaluable in the run up to and following the birth of my son. No query was too small to offer support with, while 'big picture' issues such as my recovery and baby's feeding were handled collaboratively and with kindness. I would thoroughly recommend SLIM's service.

Izzy, David and Alasdair

I highly recommend having Tina as your midwife if this is an option for you. As an expectant parent you spend ages picking the right buggy, crib and deciding what car seat to get, but don’t consider what support you and your baby might want after her birth. We live in a borough where the nhs do not provide postnatal midwife visits, so began to consider getting a private midwife after meeting Tina at our bump and baby antenatal classes. Having Tina support our family was by far and away the best asset we could have gotten. I (mam) am from Ireland so don’t have family close by. Having a nurturing, knowledgeable, calm and supportive midwife on call and for regular visits at such a daunting and challenging time was invaluable. We felt very out of our depth as first time parents but Tina was there to guide us through. Tina is warm and kind and we just instantly trusted her and felt we were in safe hands. She was incredibly responsive to any concerns or queries we had outside of sessions too. She is great at letting you know what you need to get right and all the things you really don’t need to concern yourself with.

We faced some obstacles early on, feeding being the biggest. Tina was there to help me persevere and find ways to ensure that I could breastfeed Alba. Every time Tina visited us, we came away happier about our situation.

We love Tina so much that we have already fantasized about having her to facilitate a future home birth should we ever get around to having another baby!!! It goes without saying that we would 100% book Tina again for postnatal support - the decision to book her initially was without a doubt the best one we made. We felt genuinely sad to say goodbye to her! She’s a gem and we will be forever grateful to her.

Hannah, Luke and Alba

If you are on the fence about getting some help after birth like I was, my advice, it'll be the best decision you ever make! Tina is an absolutely wonderful midwife and quite honestly dragged me through the first few weeks. She was so kind, caring and knowledgeable, the person you want on your team, cheering you on. The advice you get from the multitude of midwives and health workers is very overwhelming at a time when you feel very vulnerable. Tina was there at every step to hold your hand (literally!) and keep you on track. She's a really special person and her daily visits were the cornerstone of those very full-on first few weeks, in motherhood. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without her.

Kate, James and Jake.

We cannot recommend Tina enough, her guidance and support in the weeks after our daughter was born were invaluable and made everything feel possible and manageable. Her extensive knowledge is matched by her kindness and in those intense first few weeks her visits had such a positive impact. As new parents she gave us the confidence we needed to follow our instincts and helped us establish breastfeeding in the face of a lot of obstacles. Enlisting Tina's help was one of the best decisions we made!

Natasha, Ewan and Robin

We booked Tina for six weeks after a recommendation from my sister and we couldn’t have been more grateful to have her. She was indispensable from the word go looking after me physically and mentally, our baby and even my partner. As first time parents, she thought us all the basics and really gave us the confidence to trust our judgment and look after him. With so much conflicting information available in books, the internet and inevitably passed on to you by friends and family we found it unbelievably helpful to have a single, experienced and hugely knowledgeable authority that we could get in touch with and really rely on and trust. I honestly don’t think we would have been able to get through the first six weeks nearly half as enjoyably or competently without her and Nicki her hugely knowledgeable partner who also helped us (particularly with breastfeeding).

Lucy, George and Frankie

Tina was absolutely brilliant. From the first moment we met her a few months before our baby was born right through the first month of her life. She was so reassuring and helped us so much. Having someone so knowledgable on the end of the phone when we had even the smallest of questions or concerns made life so much easier. We cried when she discharged us as we knew we’d miss her so much, she’d become part of the family (a less annoying part).

Bekka Bowling

What can we say, Tina was a superstar from start to finish. As soon as I found out I was pregnant we'd decided we wanted a private midwife, someone who would take us under their wing for the duration of my pregnancy and be on hand for those early weeks and it was absolutely the best decision to choose South London Independent Midwives. As first time parents everything can feel so alien and overwhelming so having Tina care for us the whole way through was a godsend, particularly as this continuity of care is something you don't get on the NHS. She was always available to answer questions and put us at ease and having all my appointments at home, I felt relaxed and in control (as someone with White Coat syndrome this was huge). Tina's care 100% helped me have such brilliant pregnancy and ultimately led me to have a really positive labour experience in hospital (I went in at 9cm and had a water birth), meaning my first foray into motherhood was as calm and amazing as it could be. In those early weeks, Tina was a lifesaver and it felt like having a fairy godmother come over, checking on me and the baby and sharing her wisdom. We will forever be grateful for Tina's care and kindness and miss her hugely.

Annabelle, Matt and baby Henry.

As a first time mother with absolutely zero idea what it entailed, upon the recommendation of a friend, I enlisted the help of Tina and Nicky to help guide me through - and it was the best decision I made. As any pregnant woman knows, waddling around town isn’t super comfortable so having them come to the house was really ideal and their regular checks on baby’s heartbeat and my health made the journey so much more relaxing and enjoyable for myself and my boyfriend. They were also on hand via WhatsApp during my week-long hospital stay prior to my birth, sharing essential advice and generally keeping my spirits up. They really came into their own with the post-natal care. From teaching us how to read our baby’s cues and checking on my post-birth body, to ensuring breastfeeding was well established, we honestly don’t know how we’d have coped without them. They went above and beyond - especially during the height of the Covid pandemic - to ensure we were all happy and healthy. I have recommended them to everyone I know. Thank you both so much!

Bianca

I just wanted to send a v sincere message to say thank you, now I am out of the post partum fog. Without you, I wouldn’t still be breast feeding my chubby little baba nearly six months on, wouldn’t have known about her tongue tie and we would have both missed out on a lovely, calm feeding experience!!! Thank you soooo much Tina - we’ll never be able to repay you !!! Xxx

Danielle and Hallie

Given our pregnancy during COVID-19 times we were concerned about the amount of care and guidance through the process that NHS had the capacity to offer. After some research we approached South London Independent Midwives, and they offered us reassurance immediately. Both Tina and Nicky shared their expertise and experience throughout the pregnancy, right up to the delivery. They went above and beyond to ensure that we made the right decisions at the right times through a long and difficult labour, ensuring that both the baby and mummy were as well as they could be after birth. The complications after birth also included a prolongued difficulty in latching and feeding, and again, both Tina and Nicky had a wealth of knowledge to offer to help us resolve the issue, with patience, support and care, consistently.

These incredible women are the reason that our son Nicholas is still exclusively breastfeeding, months after birth; they are the reason that we felt safe and in good hands throughout the pregnancy and the birth, despite our worries, fears and uncertainties; they gave us such attention and care that we feel that there is literally no one out there in whose hands we could have felt safer. To this day I don't think we can summon the right words to give these women enough praise, because they did simply everything for us. We cannot recommend them enough; this is the single best investment we have made for our son's first steps in this world, and knowing we have had such good support we feel has set us up for much bigger things ahead of us.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Francesca, Aleks and Nico

Tina was our saviour in the first few weeks after Teddy was born. I knew I would want extra help with breastfeeding having heard from friends and family how hard it can be, but I had no idea how much extra support we would all need to get up and about after birth. Tina was there for me and Silas the moment Teddy arrived. She was cheering me on in hospital over Whatsapp and came in person the first morning we arrived home. Teddy had a tough time feeding, she diagnosed tongue tie and introduced us to the consultants to get it fixed. Without Tina I wouldn't be exclusively breastfeeding now. Tina has a wealth of knowledge about how to heal inside and out after giving birth, and a network of specialists to help. She was so caring and delivered no nonsense advice and instructions without any judgement. We so looked forward to her visits (and definitely took advantage of all the messages and calls in-between), Teddy loved it too. It felt like graduation day when we were discharged, I hope we bump into eachother one day when Teddy is older so we can introduce him to the cheerleader who got us off to such a good start. If you're thinking about getting an independent midwife, do it for your baby and do it for YOU.

The support of Tina and Nicky at South London Independent midwives was the best decision we made for my first pregnancy, especially in the light of the pandemic.

Tina came highly recommended, having supported the pregnancy and birth of two members of my family, (three babies in total).

With Covid 19 restrictions the provision and continuity of care from the NHS was limited but SLIM was able to provide a wonderful package of care. The Daffodil.

Tina takes a holistic approach to your pregnancy, looking at all aspects of yours and the baby's health throughout. I felt well cared for as an individual, and thoroughly informed every step of the way.

The postnatal care enabled me to give me and my baby the best possible start, with dedicated breastfeeding support and regular check ups for us both. I highly recommend SLIM, particularly for your first preganacy, to achieve the best possible outcomes for you and your baby.

Thank you Tina and Nicky.

Toyin and Dan

I decided to get private midwife care with my second baby having felt not as well supported as I would have liked both during and after my first pregnancy. I knew instantly following my introductory call with Tina and Nicky that I would feel completely comfortable in their care, and it really was the best decision I made during this pregnancy. I felt so reassured both during their visits leading up to my birth and after my baby had arrived. It was also great having them at the end of the phone for any queries that came up along the way. Both Nicky and Tina are incredibly experienced and knowledgeable, and not just in the obvious areas you would expect- they also had some great advice and guidance in terms of postpartum recovery, diet and well-being. Nicky and Tina are incredibly down-to-earth, approachable and have wonderfully calming natures. They are both great listeners and never made me feel silly with my multiple questions or concerns. Nicky and Tina also have a great Knowledge bank in terms of baby equipment and essentials. Tina identified a tongue tie in my son within his first week and was able to recommend a wonderful tongue tie specialist who was able to assess and treat my baby resulting in a much better breastfeeding experience. I cannot recommend Tina and Nicky enough. I am a much more relaxed and happy mum this time round, and I know that they played a huge part in making that happen! Thank you Xx

Lindsay

After the birth of our baby boy, Tina has been a wonderful, kind and compassionate support in the postnatal period. She has always made herself available to answer any question we had, helped us to establish a feeding plan for our son, and provide reassurance as to his weight gain when we have needed it. She looked after us and our son with tender loving care and has been a wonderful presence, especially during the times when we have not been able to access as much support as we might have liked elsewhere. Tina is a truly excellent midwife and a credit to her profession. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a nurturing experience to help you and your new family post or pre natally.

Rowan and Oz

Here is our testimonial, we tried to make it short, so people actually read and finish it :) and we mean every single word of it, and have so many many more words that still don’t come close to say how grateful we are for just everything you have done. This part is from me personally - if it wasn’t for you, I think my anxiety would be through the roof and I would have totally lost faith I could cope with breastfeeding.

"Having our baby was absolutely magical. And while we truly thought we were prepared and knew what’s coming, we couldn’t be more wrong. And all that amid global pandemic.Tina’s expertise, genuine care and kindness helped us to get hold of things, organise our life with our baby girl in it and enjoy every single moment of it. Tina was always there with a smile and reassuring words, even when we phoned her in the middle of the night. Tina saw all the things we didn’t even know one had to look out for - from closely monitoring weight gain and breastfeeding to tongue tie. To sum it up and it is not an exaggeration, we really don’t know how we would have made it without Tina."

Tobi and Lena

With all NHS postnatal visits restricted by COVID, we arranged for Tina to provide postnatal support following the birth of our daughter in August and I’m happy to say it was the best decision I made during my pregnancy!

Tina was an invaluable resource for those first few weeks and gave us so much confidence as new parents. Our daughter was jaundiced and losing weight and, with Tina’s guidance, we eliminated the jaundice in a few days and were back to birth weight by day 5. I’m convinced that, without Tina, we would have been readmitted to hospital.

Tina has so much expertise and was always available on WhatsApp or at the end of the phone for advice. She’s a wonderful, kind and caring person and very quickly felt like part of the family. We looked forward to every visit and it felt like the end of an era when we said goodbye. Our first few weeks as parents would have been so much harder and scarier without Tina’s support and I couldn’t recommend her more x

Gianna

Tina and Nicky supported us through every step of our baby journey. From the very beginning of our pregnancy, all the way to birth and breastfeeding.

During the challenges of 2020, Tina and Nicky were a lifeline of support to us, answering every ‘new parent’ question and helping us learn new techniques to develop a really successful breastfeeding technique.

We chose the Daffodil package which worked so well for us.

We will absolutely turn to them as and when we grow our family. We could not have done it without them!

We would highly recommend them to anyone starting out on their parenting journey.

Tina is wonderful! My son was born just as we went into lockdown and Tina visited us from the day after we came home from the hospital until he was 6 weeks. She is so kind, patient, knowledgeable and supportive and I don’t know how we would have got through that time without her. As well as thoroughly checking all the routine medical things like the baby’s weight and health, and my recovery, Tina spotted straight away that my baby had tongue tie and gave me huge amounts of practical and emotional support with breastfeeding and coping with a new baby. She is a very special person and I highly recommend her services.

Having a strong support network is something I’ve spoken about a lot. Having the right people in your corner makes you feel so much stronger and more confident in anything you do. As someone who suffers from anxiety, pregnancy and being a new mum have been a challenging time with so many unknowns. Tina Perridge in pic above is an independent midwife who supported me in the later stages of my pregnancy and post delivery. I can honestly say that working with Tina has been an invaluable in my journey into motherhood. Of course there is support available on the NHS but what I found is it lacked any continuity and that personal touch. For me personally I need something deeper and dare I say it more caring and that’s exactly what I’ve experienced from working with Tina. She genuinely cares, and understands the fears and anxieties of a new mum so well. Nothing feels like too much trouble for her. Over the last 3 months she’s been there to offer advice and assistance, she’s given me info I would not otherwise have received on birthing, breast feeding, and tongue tie among other things. She’s always at the end of the phone to answer all my panicked texts about all the new challenges I’ve been dealing with.

And what’s been really important to me is she gives me constant reassurance that I’m doing really well. As a new mum, especially for someone with anxiety this is soooo important. If you or someone you know Is on the journey towards motherhood or know any other pregnant mamas I would 100% recommend exploring the services of an independent midwife. You can contact Tina and her colleagues through her Instagram @southlondon_im or visit their website
She’s 100% in your corner.

If you’ve worked with someone who’s provided an excellent service and supported you through a stressful time tag them in the comments below.

Let’s get behind each other and give credit where it’s due

Katra Hamilton

After having my twins I got very little support in hospital and felt very nervous and to be honest scared about taking 2 babies home. I felt very unsure about everything and had not managed to breastfeed in hospital. We decided that some additional support would be helpful so looked to book a private midwife. What we had not banked on was Tina, she was an absolute life saver! She worked with me to get me breastfeeding (which unfortunately was not easy for me), answered all our questions on the babies, ensured they were gaining weight and all other baby related support. However the support which I had not banked on needing was the emotional support for me. Baby blues hit me quite bad and Tina was invaluable at helping me get through the first 6 weeks. I can not even begin to thank her for everything, if I had to sum it all up I would say she is a modern Mary Poppins just making everything seem like it will be okay (which as all parents will tell you it will be but with her help it seemed more believable!). If you are looking for a bit of additional support for what ever reason I can not recommend booking Tina enough.

Ali, mum of twins

Tina was an absolute rock for both my husband and I in the first few weeks after our first baby. Her gentle and calm reassurance gave us the confidence to transition into being parents. We really looked forward to her visits every morning, invariably with so many more questions from experiences the day before. She was so approachable, flexible and always willing to listen to our worries and patiently answer all our questions. I highly recommend Tina for any first time parent.’

Lara

I can’t rave enough of Independent Midwives! I think it was one of the biggest drivers of our positive birth experience (for first time parents, with no family in the UK). Tina and Annie provided top notch midwifery care in terms of knowledge, empathy and reliability. Through antenatal visits, no question was unreasonable and no story wasn’t worth listening to. They took the time to explain things and were knowledgable on what was based on evidence or only limited data or only anecdotal (as there can be lots of information out there!) During labour and birth, Tina was an absolute star guiding my husband and I as well as making sure the best care was provided for by the hospital. Post-natal visits were a dream as it provided reassurance that we’re doing things correctly, they can do heel prick and weigh ins at home and such good source of information for any issues. I would definitely recommend this service for anyone looking for strong, high quality and convenient pregnancy, birth and post natal care.

Jen and Jono