For midwife and educator Saaraa Sidikhan, supporting families has always been about more than clinical care. After years working across community midwifery, hospital care, homebirth and infant feeding, she became increasingly passionate about creating the time and space for women to feel genuinely heard, informed and supported. Her own experience of motherhood, combined with what she witnessed within maternity services, inspired her to create Birth Conversations with Saaraa, a personalised approach to antenatal and postnatal education that brings together evidence-based guidance, meaningful conversation and community connection. Through one-to-one sessions, infant feeding support and initiatives including motherhood circles and “Meet the Midwife” coffee mornings, Saaraa is creating the kind of supportive, non-clinical spaces she believes every family deserves. Here, she shares her story with The Natural Parent Magazine.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Midwifery has been at the heart of my career for many years, and for most of that time, I worked as a community midwife. Along the way, I also gained experience within the hospital setting, the homebirth team and as a specialist midwife in infant feeding. No matter where I worked, the part of the role I loved most was always the same – building genuine relationships with families and walking alongside them throughout such an important chapter of their lives.
I have always believed that no two women, babies or families are the same, which is why I became passionate about providing truly individualised care. I wanted every family to feel heard, supported and cared for in a way that reflected their own needs, background and choices.
Over time, though, I found working within the NHS increasingly difficult. The pressures on maternity services meant there was less and less time to offer the depth of support and reassurance that women deserved. I often left appointments wishing I had been able to answer more questions, spend longer listening or simply be more present. Antenatal education classes in community centres – something I felt brought women together and created such valuable support networks – gradually changed from being midwife-led to being led by midwife support workers. The role I had once loved was changing in ways that no longer aligned with the kind of midwife I wanted to be.
At the same time, I was trying to balance my career with being a mother to my three children. With little flexibility and constant pressure, I began sacrificing precious time with my family and I knew something had to change.
Advocating for women, supporting their choices and mentoring students had always been the parts of midwifery that fulfilled me most. Eventually, my focus naturally shifted towards education, and during maternity leave with my fourth child, I decided to take a leap and create my own business.
I wanted to return to the heart of why I became a midwife in the first place – to provide personalised, compassionate support rather than generic, “one-size-fits-all” antenatal and postnatal education. Through my clinical experience, I had also seen first-hand the huge gap in postnatal care and infant feeding support. Too many women were left feeling overwhelmed and unsupported during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
That is why I began offering non-traditional antenatal classes in the form of one-to-one conversational sessions tailored to each mother and their priorities, as well as postnatal and infant feeding support in women’s homes – aiming to create a safe and comfortable space where families could receive expert guidance tailored to them. I know how transformative the right support can be, not only in preventing feeding difficulties, excessive weight loss or complications such as prolonged jaundice, but also in protecting a mother’s mental wellbeing and helping families begin parenthood with confidence and reassurance.
Community has always been incredibly important to me and I wanted to create spaces where mothers felt connected, supported and never alone. This inspired me to create Little Souls, my motherhood circle, where we hold weekly “Meet the Midwife” coffee mornings. These sessions give women access to professional support in a warm, non-clinical environment where they can ask questions openly, seek reassurance and connect with other mothers, even if they do not need a full one-to-one session with me.
I also launched The Motherhood Conversation, a monthly virtual gathering held on the last Monday evening of every month. This allows women from all over the UK to come together with a midwife and other mothers to reflect, share experiences and support one another. Each month we explore different topics surrounding pregnancy, matrescence and motherhood, creating a space where women can grow together and feel empowered in their journeys.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Birth Conversations with Saaraa began from a simple belief: that parents deserve more time, space and support than many are able to access through routine appointments alone.
As a practising midwife and educator, I regularly met families who left appointments with unanswered questions or who simply wanted the opportunity to talk things through in a calm, personalised way. I wanted to create a space where people could access evidence-based information, feel heard and build confidence in their own decisions.
The first step was launching our Instagram page and creating educational content for parents. Through short videos, carousels and practical tips, we started sharing trusted information on pregnancy, birth, postnatal recovery, infant feeding and newborn care. This allowed us to begin building a community before the business officially launched.
Very quickly, I realised that many of the questions parents were asking were the very things that often are not fully covered within routine maternity care… the real-life, everyday concerns that families go home and Google at 2am. Questions around recovery, newborn behaviour, feeding challenges, emotional changes, sleep, relationships, confidence and what life actually looks like after birth.
That inspired me to create my New Parent Guide, a resource designed to bridge the gap between standard maternity care and the reality of early parenthood. The guide focuses on the topics that make up so much of a parent’s day-to-day experience, but which are often only briefly touched on in appointments. I wanted parents to have honest, evidence-based, practical support they could return to whenever they needed reassurance or guidance.
From there, Birth Conversations with Saaraa evolved into personalised one-to-one antenatal and postnatal education sessions, alongside community-focused initiatives such as The Monthly Motherhood Conversation and local mum-and-baby events like my meet the midwife coffee mornings and midwife stay and play sessions. While still in its early stages, the vision remains the same: to provide a warm, welcoming space where families can access trusted information, ask questions freely and feel supported throughout their journey into parenthood.
This business has grown from a genuine passion for education, connection and empowering families through conversation, and we’re only just getting started (I hope)!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The biggest breakthrough for me was realising that growing this business meant stepping far outside of my comfort zone. As a midwife, I was confident supporting women clinically and emotionally, but building a business required a completely different kind of confidence – putting myself out there, networking, creating partnerships and asking communities to trust my vision.
One of the most important turning points was beginning to collaborate with local coffee shops, community spaces and mosques to create safe and accessible environments for women and families to come together. I recognised that many mothers can feel isolated, especially in the postnatal period, and that support does not always have to happen in a clinical setting to be meaningful.
Reaching out to organisations and introducing myself was something that initially felt intimidating, but those conversations became the foundation of the community I am building today. It showed me that people genuinely value spaces where women feel welcomed, heard and supported.
Creating initiatives such as the weekly “Meet the Midwife” coffee mornings and The Monthly Motherhood Conversation helped transform Birth Conversations with Saaraa from simply an educational service into a growing community for mothers. That shift was a huge breakthrough for me, not only professionally, but personally too. It taught me that sometimes the biggest growth happens when you are willing to step into spaces that feel unfamiliar and trust the purpose behind what you are creating.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Like many of the parents I support, I wear several hats. Alongside running Birth Conversations with Saaraa, I work in education, deliver community-based sessions for families, undertake remote examiner work, and, most importantly, I’m a mum myself.
Balancing these roles requires organisation and flexibility, but I genuinely enjoy the variety. Each role complements the others in different ways. My work with families keeps me connected to the real questions and concerns parents have, while my education and examiner roles allow me to stay engaged with learning, professional standards and evidence-based practice.
Birth Conversations with Saaraa has been built to fit around family life rather than compete with it. By offering personalised virtual sessions and carefully managing my time, I’m able to create meaningful support for parents while still protecting time for my own family.
My experiences as both a healthcare professional and a mother have shaped the heart of the business. They remind me that parents don’t always need another class or checklist. Sometimes they simply need time, trusted information and a space to talk. Creating that space is what motivates me, and it’s a privilege to do work that aligns so closely with both my professional values and family life.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
One of the biggest challenges has been learning not to measure success solely by immediate results. When you’re building something from the ground up, there are moments when the bookings aren’t there yet, an event has low attendance or you’ve spent hours creating content that reaches only a handful of people.
In the early days, it’s easy to question yourself and wonder whether anyone is interested in what you’re offering. I’ve had to learn not to be disheartened by quiet periods and instead focus on the bigger picture: building trust, showing up consistently and believing in the value of what I’m creating.
Personally, it’s been a journey of growth and confidence. As healthcare professionals, we’re often comfortable supporting others, but putting yourself out there, promoting your work and asking people to invest in your services can feel much more vulnerable.
What has kept me going is remembering why I started. Every conversation, every parent who feels more informed and every message from someone who found a piece of content helpful reinforces the purpose behind Birth Conversations with Saaraa. I’ve learned that meaningful businesses aren’t built overnight, they’re built through consistency, patience and a willingness to keep showing up even when progress feels slow.
That lesson alone has been one of the most valuable parts of the journey so far.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
One of the biggest advantages is the freedom to create something that genuinely reflects my values. Birth Conversations with Saaraa has allowed me to combine my experience as a midwife, educator and mother to support families in a way that feels personal, flexible and meaningful. I love having the ability to respond to what parents need and to create services and community spaces that I believe make a difference.
Running my own business has also pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I’ve learned new skills, become more confident and discovered a creative side of myself that I didn’t fully appreciate before.
On the other hand, being responsible for everything can be challenging. You’re not just delivering the service, you’re also managing the marketing, administration, finances, website, social media and all the behind-the-scenes tasks that people don’t often see.
There can also be uncertainty. Unlike a traditional job, there are no guarantees when you’re building something new, and growth often takes longer than expected. It requires patience, resilience and a willingness to keep going even when results aren’t immediate.
That said, the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Seeing a business grow from an idea into something that supports real families is incredibly fulfilling, and I feel grateful to be building something with purpose and heart.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
My long-term vision is for Birth Conversations with Saaraa to grow into a sustainable business that allows me to support families on a much wider scale while giving me greater flexibility in how and where I work.
I’d love to continue expanding our personalised antenatal and postnatal education services, grow our community offerings and develop more accessible resources for parents. Ultimately, my goal is to build a business that creates meaningful impact while providing the freedom to work internationally and spend more time with my family.
More than anything, I hope Birth Conversations with Saaraa becomes a trusted name that parents associate with warmth, evidence-based information and genuine support. If, in a few years’ time, families are finding reassurance, confidence and connection through something I created, I’ll consider that a success.
While financial sustainability is important, the dream has never been just about running a business, it’s about creating something that makes a real difference in people’s lives while giving me the flexibility to live and work in a way that aligns with my values.
Visit birthconversationswithsaaraa.co.uk to find out more, and connect with Saaraa on Instagram.
