Tommy's Midwives

The Tommy's Midwives' Helpline

The Tommy's Midwives' Helpline is a freephone line open 9-5, Monday to Friday, staffed by our specialist team of midwives, for anyone who needs advice, reassurance or support on any pregnancy or planning for pregnancy issue, including mental health. 

The midwives who run the line are specialists who can support you with any aspect of pregnancy loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy or termination for medical reasons) that would be helpful for you, including mental health and pregnancy after loss.

Call 0800 0147 800 or email [email protected].  

This is a non-urgent line, offering general support and advice. We will not be able to make local referrals for you. 

If you have bleeding, pain or your baby's movements have changed, get in touch with your Early Pregnancy Unit, midwife or hospital straightaway. 

Read about other symptoms to look out for here.

Black and Mixed Black Helpline

We have a special helpline reserved for Black and Mixed Black women and birthing people. This is because this group has a higher risk of having pregnancy problems than other ethnicities.

The line is also staffed by midwives and if you are of Black or Mixed Black heritage they are there to support on any pregnancy-related issue, including loss and pregnancy after loss. 

You can book your call with our Black and Mixed Black Helpline here.

All our midwives have different specialisms

Our midwives all work part-time for the NHS as well as on the Tommy's Helpline. This means they are close to what is happening in the real world of maternity and bereavement care. As well as being trained, experienced and expert midwives, they have all had extra training in specialist subjects and bring this to the line.

Kate, Tommy's Co-Midwifery Manager

Our midwifery manager Kate has worked for various NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers over the past decade - starting out on hospital maternity wards caring for mothers throughout pregnancy and birth, before moving into community roles where she could give families broader support, but always focusing largely on high risk antenatal care. 

Kate has been running Midwife Helpline since 2015, leading an expert team of midwives who provide advice and support to families needing specialist advice at any stage in their pregnancy journey. She has also taken on postgraduate study to understand more about reaching vulnerable and isolated pregnant women and birthing people and their families, enabling and improving their access to care services.

Providing an additional support for women and birthing people and their families can make a big difference in their lives. Pregnancy is very different for all women and birthing people, and can bring unpredictable challenges. Having Tommy’s Midwives at the end of the phone or email to being able to talk through anxieties and concerns, as well as providing up to date evidence based information and knowledge of ongoing recent research, can help women and birthing people feel empowered and have more control throughout their pregnancy."

Amina, Tommy's Co-Midwifery Manager

Amina has 15 years’ experience in midwifery care and is a passionate advocate for all families having the best pregnancy and birth experience no matter who they are or where they live. She fits her Tommy’s role around NHS maternity ward shifts, as well as sharing her expertise with specialist organisations like Muslim Mamas and Doulas Without Borders.

For me, the core of midwifery is embedded in kindness and support – and working at Tommy’s highlights just how big a difference being listened to, supported and treated with kindness makes, even during incredibly traumatic times. It's a privilege being trusted with people’s experiences and being able to support them when they feel there is nowhere to turn."

Sophie, Tommy's Midwife

Sophie has been working as a midwife in South London since 2011, and at Tommy’s since 2015, with experience across all aspects of maternity care from the antenatal clinic and in-patient wards to the low-risk birth centre and high-risk labour ward. She has also worked on the postnatal ward and as part of the planned caesarean sections team. Her areas of specialist interest are bereavement care, baby massage and water birth. 

I became a member of the Tommy’s Midwives team in September 2015 and feel privileged to be part of such a special charity! I work on the Tommy’s support line, giving advice and support to professionals as well as women, pregnant people, and their families."

Alanna, Tommy's Midwife

Alanna has 14 years of midwifery experience in both private and NHS maternity care and joined the Tommy’s Midwives team in June 2022. She has worked in many different areas of midwifery, including research. She currently fits her Tommy’s role in alongside her NHS work as a specialist birth choices and birth after caesarean lead midwife as well as teaching social antenatal education classes for new parents. She is an advocate for building relationships with women and birthing people and their families, many of whom she has been lucky enough to look after through more than one pregnancy. She is particularly passionate about providing continuity of care and improving postnatal services and support. 

I’m really proud of co-establishing our Tommy’s Black and Mixed Black Helpline back in 2022. As part of this service, I’m able to delegate my time to really focus on helping women and birthing people who aren’t sure who they might need to see, or who don’t feel confident or comfortable challenging what they might have been told by their healthcare provider. We can schedule follow up calls if you feel you need them, so you get some ongoing continuity too."

Alicia, Tommy's Midwife

Alicia joined Tommy’s in 2023 and is one of the midwives facilitating the Black and Mixed Black Helpline. Alicia actively campaigns for Black maternal and infant wellbeing as well as equitable access to high quality bereavement care following pregnancy or baby loss. Alicia is also the founder of Black Baby Loss Awareness Week.  

I love all areas of midwifery but working for Tommy’s allows me to provide support during often overlooked parts of the pregnancy journey – early pregnancy and pregnancy loss. While bereavement is not a part of everyone’s path to parenthood, it is a privilege to support the women, birthing people and families that call the helpline following pregnancy or baby loss and connect them with Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research."

Juliette, Tommy's Midwife

Juliette joined the Tommy’s Midwives team in October 2021 and is passionate about making sure people feel heard and supported wherever they are in their pregnancy journey. As a specialist pregnancy after loss lead midwife in the NHS her experience and expertise are in the areas of second and third trimester loss, preterm birth and pathways of care in pregnancy after loss. Juliette loves being part of the Tommy’s team and wholeheartedly believes that the best possible care comes from combining clinical expertise, compassion and the lived experience of those accessing maternity services.

Jules, Tommy's Midwife

Jules trained as a midwife in Birmingham in the mid 1990s and has worked in a number of maternity units both in the UK and Australia. She has 20 years of community midwifery experience, supporting a diverse range of social groups. She is a passionate advocate for continuity of care, equity and informed choice. In 2023 Jules secured a role as an early pregnancy specialist midwife in her local EPAU. This is an area of midwifery she is keen to turn her attention towards. Jule’s has helped on the Tommy’s Midwife support line since 2019 and secured a permanent role as a Tommy’s Midwife in 2022. Jules is also a qualified baby massage instructor and personal trainer with a special interest in pregnancy and postnatal health and wellbeing. 

I was absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to become one of the Tommy’s Midwives. Our support service is a lifeline for so many, when they may feel anxious and unsure where to seek help. They can express themselves without judgment or opinion and know they will be heard."

Jo, Tommy's Midwife

Jo has 20 years midwifery experience both within the NHS and private practice. Jo worked as a Tommy’s Midwife from between 2008 and 2013 and joined the team again recently in 2021. Jo has worked in all areas of midwifery supporting women, birthing people, and families including community, low risk birth centres and home births. Her area of speciality is bereavement care, having been a Specialist Bereavement Midwife for the last 10 years. She is also currently a student psychotherapist and hopes to offer this alongside her midwifery practice enabling her to truly provide individualised holistic care to women, birthing people and their families. Jo loves being back at Tommy’s and is passionate about women’s voices being heard.

Contact us

If you’re looking for support or advice from the team call our pregnancy line on 0800 014 7800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), or email us at [email protected].

You may not always get through straight away. Please leave us a message with your contact details and we will call you back as soon as possible. 

Please be aware that if your call raises a safeguarding concern (if we become concerned for your safety), then our team will share concerns with the appropriate authorities if necessary. 

All calls to our line are private and confidential, and you do not have to disclose personal information.

Promoting the Tommy's Helpline Service

If you are a health professional and would like to make the women and birthing people you care for aware of our service contact [email protected] to request free contact cards or fliers.