Interview with My Expert Midwife

Tommy's news, 11/06/2019

With the Tommy's awards just ahead of us, we sat down with Lesley Gilchrist of My Expert Midwife, one of our sponsors for the Tommy's awards 2019, to discuss the history of the organisation, what taboos they face and her advice for new mums.  

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself - who are you and how did My Expert Midwife come to be?

Hi, I’m Lesley Gilchrist, and I’ve been a midwife for over 15 years, my co-founder Claire Charlton is a pre and post-natal and baby massage specialist. When we met we quickly realised that we shared a joint passion for educating women about the reality and side effects of becoming a mum and that we wanted to develop products to relieve common problems during pregnancy and birth, that we felt did not already exist in the market

What is My Expert Midwife’s key focus and ethos?

That we are pregnancy experts who care about making pregnancy and parenthood as easy as possible. We will only develop and produce products that are necessary, practical, safe and effective; that our information will always be honest, taboo busting and relevant and that our customer care offers a world class, ‘no quibble’ policy.

What are the biggest taboos you as a business are challenging?

For women to feel confident enough to share their issues and problems in pregnancy and during parenting and talk openly about them in public forums, helping raise awareness and normalise taboos.

What’s your most memorable moment to date as a business owner?

When our ‘No Harm Nipple Balm’ won Bronze at the 2018 Mother and Baby Awards – it was our first big award.

What’s your favourite product from the range and why?

Spritz for Bits – it’s a hero product that works on anything from swelling and discomfort following childbirth to Mosquito bites and piles and varicose veins.

What do you think are the most important things for new mums to remember?

That you’re not expected to do it all alone – it is ok to ask for help and try ignore anything else that isn’t related to caring for yourself, your baby and your family

Why are supporting the Tommy’s Awards today?

Education around pregnancy and baby loss is vital in order to reduce the number of families affected. This cannot happen without funding, donations and volunteers – as a midwife, this charity has a special place in my heart

What’s your motto/message for those attending?

Pregnancy and baby loss affects a huge number of women and families, so once these awards are over give some thought to how you can support Tommy’s over the year; in time, donations or support.