Meet the Midwives

She/her
Midwife
Mother to Louis, (deceased) Grayson, Tom and Jake
Grandmother to Jaxon, Austin, Gunnar and Mackenzie

Hi my name is Helen and I began my journey as a midwife in 1984.
I was born at home and grew up in London UK. My mother chose a homebirth after being “treated like a naughty girl” by the hospital midwives during the birth of my elder brother. She taught me that childbirth was normal and nothing to be feared as your body does it for you and you just have to trust it! She said it’s hard work but nothing you can’t handle and hard work is challenging and rewarding! I grew up understanding that birth can be a loving and powerful experience.

I subsequently moved to NZ and worked as a hospital midwife for 7 years. During that time, I was very lucky to attend the homebirth of a very good friend of mine. I remember the feeling I had when walking in to her birthing space. I felt honoured and humbled to be present at such a transformative event. I remember saying to myself “so this is what birth is supposed to be like” I felt overwhelmed by the peaceful space and the love in the room. Such a contrast to the clinical environment of the hospital births I had attended. At that moment I knew where my heart in midwifery was and thus began my journey to becoming a homebirth midwife! After joining a Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) and attending homebirths in NZ for 4 years I then moved to Melbourne with my family and have stayed here since.

During my long and diverse career, I have worked predominantly in the homebirth space within Private MGP’s. I love doing homebirths and found my true passion as a midwife, learning from women birthing in their own environment. However, I have spent some time working on and off participating in hospital MGP/Homebirth programs (Sunshine where I met Ramona). I have worked with Mal for many years, both in the homebirth space and hospital MGP at the MHW.
I also spent some time working in NICU early in my career and later on working with student midwives as a clinical educator and university midwifery lecturer after gaining my Master of Midwifery degree.

Fast forward to 2022 which saw the rebirth of Organic Midwifery with Mal and Ramona. Last year we welcomed Joy Adcock, who has been a wonderful support and great addition to our group.

My name is Mal, and I believe birthing is a journey of self-discovery and self-belief. Every birth is unique and amazing. A huge part of my continued learning comes from the birthing women and the experiences and stories they share with me.

I began my midwifery career in 2002 when I started my Bachelor of Midwifery, graduating in 2005. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working primarily in midwifery-led models of care with low-risk women. I first met Helen at The Angliss Birth Centre in 2005, and we have been friends and colleagues ever since. In 2020, I met Ramona while she was working with Helen as part of The Sunshine Homebirth program. I felt an instant connection to her and could quickly tell our beliefs and passions were aligned. I first met Joy in 2024 when she joined Organic Midwifery and have very much enjoyed working alongside her and having her as part of our incredible team.

I began supporting women choosing to birth at home in 2008 and still believe today that it is the gold standard of midwifery care for low-risk women.

I have three adult children and four beautiful grandchildren whose births I was lucky enough to attend. I also supported both my daughter and daughter-in-law postnatally in the days and weeks following birth.

I am passionate about women and their partners being an integral part of their pregnancy and birthing journey as active decision-makers. My role is to inform and empower couples so they are ready and prepared for the birth of their newest family member and their transition into parenthood.

I am currently studying a Masters in Art-Based Therapy at MIECAT Institute and plan to use my Art Therapy qualification to help women and their families process birth trauma. I am also qualified in Internal Pelvic Release work after completing my apprenticeship with Fiona Hallinan in 2024.This is an incredible resource to help the body release trauma through internal release work. Sadly, 1 in 3 women experience feelings of trauma from their birth experience. I want to help couples find healing and closure from negative past birth experiences so they can enjoy the wonderful journey of birth ahead of them as a new beginning.

Good luck with your journey.

I lived several lives before midwifery finally called me in.

Birthing my own two daughters as a young woman whilst living overseas taught me many things about myself, about the wonder of birth and of the power and resilience of women. I’d always been drawn to work in caring roles – into the service and the nurture of others. Becoming a midwife would eventually be the natural progression for me and seemed a perfect coming together of the elements of my life I relished in- feminine empowerment, claiming autonomy, finding the strength in myself and others and having fun!

Once my (now) adult children were old enough, I relocated from Sweden and completed my midwifery studies here in Melbourne- a challenging and rewarding feat as a mature age student! But my love of learning, curious mind and refusal to settle for status quo saw me graduate top of my class and quickly move into a coveted Midwifery Group Practice role -supporting women both at home and in a busy tertiary hospital to achieve their ideal birth- on their terms. After over 7 years in the hospital system I then chose to move into private practice so I could truly support and advocate for women and birthing people’s right to autonomy over their choices.

More than 10 years on and I haven’t looked back. I have the best job in the world! No two pregnancy journeys are the same, no two births are the same; the goal posts move and I get to use my expertise and experience to work with families in proactively planning for and implementing skills and mind shift changes that will see the birth of, not only their baby, but of themselves as parents.

Forever the constant learner I have continued to add to my offerings, complementing my midwifery skills. I am now certified to offer Acuneedling, acupuncture performed by a midwife, working specifically on location points related to pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding and the early postnatal period. I am also an Internal Pelvic Release Work Practitioner, working with the soft tissues of the internal pelvis to support releasing tension and creating space to help aid in a more positive birthing experience. I am currently studying to become a Body Ready Method Pro, working 1:1 with clients offering personalised bodywork methods to support alignment and movement for a more comfortable pregnancy and easeful labour and birth. I am also a certified pregnancy and postnatal yoga teacher, offering group and private yoga classes.

I believe that an empowering birth can be one of the most uniting, life altering and affirming experiences in your life and it is my honour and passion to help you uncover yours.

Between appointments and providing labour care I love being active, pilates, yoga and hiking being my favourite activites! I also enjoy seeing live music and comedy, sampling a good wine and delicious meal with my partner and friends. At home I get to snuggle my beautiful greyhound and I travel back to Sweden regularly to bask in the glory of my three grandchildren 

I began my midwifery degree straight out of high school, with a desire to work in a caring health profession, and from the very first birth I witnessed, I have been captivated by birth. I believe the transition to motherhood is one of life’s most profound experiences, and I love being able to support women to feel confident and empowered in their journey.

Beginning my midwifery career in a tertiary hospital I was exposed to a huge range of experiences but was always passionate about supporting physiological birth and trying to keep interventions to a minimum. After my graduate year I volunteered as a midwife in Nigeria for a few months, and further discovered the innate strength and capacity of women’s bodies in an environment with very little resources. Returning home, I spent a few years working in a midwifery team model developing my midwifery skills across the full midwifery continuum, before seeking an opportunity to provide greater continuity of care through a Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) that included homebirth. On my first night working in the MGP I attended my first homebirth and was overwhelmed with a sense of “this is how birth is meant to be.” I spent the next four years supporting many women throughout their pregnancies and births, both at home and within the hospital, delighting in partnering with each unique family and birth. During my time in MGP I also completed my certification as an IBCLC and have continued to use these skills to help families navigate breastfeeding challenges.

I worked in a midwifery leadership and management role for a year before having the immense pleasure of being able to receive midwifery continuity of care myself while birthing my three children at home in calm and empowering births. I spent a few years focussing on my family, doing some casual midwifery work and completing a Master of Primary Maternity Care, including publishing the results of my research project and becoming an Endorsed Midwife.

For me, providing relationship-based continuity of midwifery care in private practice and supporting families to birth at home is the epitome of midwifery practice, and I also work part time as a midwifery lecturer.