Having worked as a midwife on a labour ward for over 7 years, Lauren Brenton discovered a lot of families coming into the birth space with incorrect information, fear, horror stories, limited coping methods and a lack of confidence. Then when Covid-19 hit, the fear around birth increased dramatically due to the cessation of all in-person birth education classes. This is what drove her to take the leap into small business ownership and One Mama Midwife was born, with the aim of getting parents accurately prepared and excited about birth. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind One Mama Midwife, the pros and cons of running her own business, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
During Covid, all of the antenatal classes were stopped and families were coming into the hospital scared, alone and with very little idea of their options. This really made me think about the quality of the antenatal education we have available for families and realise that families really needed more. This is what inspired me to create the One Mama Midwife Antenatal Classes.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Initially, I started out by creating a free educational Instagram account in the height of Covid that provided families with information they could trust. Those then turned into in-person antenatal classes that I launched over Instagram and have grown through word of mouth.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
My biggest breakthrough is the feeling that I get knowing that I am actually helping families, by increasing the evidence-based, non-biased information that they receive. Hearing back from families that my classes have helped is the biggest breakthrough for my business.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
My classes enable me to be flexible around my family. I have 4 kids so for me, being able to do drop off/pick up and take them to after school activities allows me to be present with them.
