Melissa Quinn Coyne, RM - Independent Midwife

The Midwives Clinic offers midwifery services at two convenient north London clinics:

• The Active Birth Centre, 25 Bickerton Road, London N19 5JT. Bookings: 020 7272 7003.

• Muswell Healing Arts, 169 Avenue Mews, off Queens Avenue, London N10 3NN. Bookings: 020 8365 3545.

What we offer:

Full antenatal check-ups: flexible one-to-one midwifery consultations are available at any point in your pregnancy. Why spend hours waiting in crowded surgeries when you can relax in the comfort and privacy of our clinic? In addition to physical health checks, you can discuss any questions or concerns that may have arisen during your pregnancy so far. Talk through your full range of birth options, including possible care givers and place of birth, with a midwife familiar with all the local options. You can visit once, or return several times to see the same midwife throughout your pregnancy.

Screening and Diagnostic tests: the range of tests available to childbearing women and newborns is always growing. We can discuss with you the pros and cons of each test, how appropriate it is to you as an individual, and the implications of testing results on you and your baby. If desired, we can arrange for some blood tests to be carried out at the clinic, or refer you for ultrasound or obstetric care.

The clinic offers a postnatal drop-in service for busy mums who’d like a quick chat about a specific issue. We have weighing scales and can record your baby’s weight in his or her red book. For breastfed babies, we have special growth charts that provide a better growth assessment than standard charts (which are based mainly on bottle-fed babies’ growth). This can be a real morale booster if your baby appears to be ‘falling off’ the growth curve on standard charts.

For mothers who would like a bit more time with a midwife, we also offer full length consultations (75 minutes). Get some help with breastfeeding, talk through your birth with an understanding professional, and have a full postnatal health check. We offer follow-on appointments so you can see the same midwife again, and can refer you to medical or complementary professionals for further care as needed.