Testimonials

"I met Madelaine early on in my pregnancy and from the very start I knew we would get along great!  It took my husband and I quite a while to get over the shock of being pregnant, we were over the moon but just couldn’t believe it was happening! Throughout my antenatal care Madelaine was fantastic as this was my first baby so I had no idea what I was doing!  Madelaine provided clear guidance and gave me great advice which meant I was fully prepared for every stage of my pregnancy and my labour.  

In the end I chose a home birth, Madelaine prepared me for what would happen, my contractions started in the early evening, I messaged Madelaine and she arrived when she said she would and 5 hours later our baby was safely here.  There is no way I could have done it without Madeleine’s guidance and help, I didn’t need any drugs and amusingly in the end we didn’t even use the birthing pool we just cracked on!  I had the birth that I wanted and that would not have happened without Madeleine!!  Madelaine was supported by Rebecca who was also great throughout!  The care that Madelaine gave me during the week after was also brilliant, again she prepared me for everything that would happen and helped me to establish breastfeeding, at every stage giving great advice and care.  I felt sad when our time came to an end that’s how much Madelaine had an impact on me!  

 Overall Madelaine has been amazing and as a family we will never forget what a wonderful thing she and Rebecca did bringing our baby safely into the world in our own home, along with looking after me throughout my pregnancy and after my birth.  Madelaine was great with my husband, stepson and two dogs too!!  I cannot recommend Madelaine enough or thank her for all she has done for us.  

If you need any other information or have any questions please let me know and once again thank you to Madelaine and everyone who has been a part of my journey!  

Many thanks

Wendy"

" We travelled  from Ireland to the UK to have Madelaine again for the birth of our second child.

Thadhg was born at 6.10pm, weighed 7.9o7, and had a 36cm head circumference, and we had our dream birth. Tadhg came into this world as I was up in the sleeper cab of our house truck. My back arched standing on knelt knees, Tadhg was born in his amniotic fluid - which they say is auspicious. I had felt for his head as I began to feel the uncontrollable surges to push, I had felt a softness that was the amniotic fluid sack as I roared to bring him out.

Of course Tadhg was doing so much of the work too, bless his delicate beaming golden heart. He gave me the gift of a magic glow through birthing, I felt so enlivened. During the labour I said to Madelaine that I thought the head was coming, then I recall her telling me to stop pushing and taking my hands I felt your sack as I pushed you out, the sack burst and your head was in my hands. Warm fluid on my thighs Madelaine urged me to stop pushing and start little rapid pantings to look after my perineum - which I willfully did, and not a scratch. Then feeling the rest of your body come after. The peace, the bliss and the joy of the birth being almost fulfilled. Our midwife said, "take your baby". He was so peaceful, his little eyes open and taking in what they were experiencing. We both laughed to see that he was another boy, as we were convinced that he was a girl. Then out came the placenta - a messy affair with all the blood and the fluids, but we were in such bliss to have Tadhg safely with us.

We lay together in bed myself and Tadhg, the chord still attached. His dad would have had me carry him attached by chord for days till it came off naturally. We kept him attached to the chord for an hour. Then we cut it.

I was nervous about the birth and the pain this time around. A best friend who had had an orgasmic birthing experience, had expressed the importance of bringing as much love, pleasure, and joy to the birth as I was able. So I massaged myself as much as I could trying to bring as much pleasure to such a powerful experience. I massaged my breasts and all around where you were to come from. Exploring and experimenting to keep myself present throughout my contractions. I certainly had a most incredible experience of labor this time around! Thank you Madelaine, and the Universe.

 Love Kirsty, Dara, Jack and Tadhg xx"

" From the moment I met Madelaine I knew I had been blessed with the most amazing midwife and I will be forever grateful for meeting her. The day after our first meeting, I messaged Madelaine to say I was concerned that I hadn't felt the baby moving much, and by that afternoon she was at my house to listen to the baby's heartbeat and reassure me that everything was okay. When she left, she said, "I told you id look after you." I immediately felt so overwhelmed and happy to have her, as I could tell straight away how much she genuinely cared. I knew from the beginning that she was going to look after me no matter what.

Madelaine was always at the end of the phone to check how I was doing and answering any little question I had - not to mention she'd have the answer to any question in about 2 minutes! (I swear she knows EVERYTHING)

As soon as I met her, I felt genuinely excited about my birth, as I knew I could trust her 100%. After having a previous home birth with my first daughter who was back to back - Madelaine made it her mission that she wanted to make my second home birth even better - and she didn't disappoint. She'd refer to it as our "pool party" and would always talk about birth in a positive and relaxing way, which made me so excited to experience a birth with her. Not only did she make me so excited, but Madelaine also ensured I was well-educated in all aspects in order to make informed decisions about my birth.

I told Madelaine that I wanted a due date baby as it was on a Friday - my favorite day and the same day that my first daughter was born, but during a visit she took one look at me and said You've got at least another week to wait" and she was right (as she was about everything) So Friday 27th January, a week after our due date - our baby girl was born!

I texted Madelaine when I woke up in the morning to say that I had a feeling that the baby was definitely coming today. Before I'd even asked her to come she was on her way, 11 minutes later she arrived at my house and said she would've camped out in her car if I'd of said I didn't need her yet, just to make sure I was okay.

Madelaine arrived at 7.30, we had a cup of tea together, and she asked my partner to make me some breakfast. I listened to orders and ate my Weetabix then we went upstairs, so Madelaine could check me over and tell me whether it was nearly time, or whether she was sending me back to bed for nap... she lay me on the bed with some relaxing drum music while she examined me and then told me it was time to fill the birth pool. I felt so excited as the moment we'd been waiting for and talking about for weeks was finally here! I couldn't wait to go on the journey together.

I lay on my bed during contractions with my fire on, candles lit and my music playing. As they got stronger and stronger, Madelaine was there massaging my back and helping me through it every step of the way. I remember her saying "you trust me don't you?" and I did, with absolutely everything!

Madelaine told me that as soon I was in the pool, it was time to meet my baby... and she was right - of course. Our chunky 8 lbs 107 baby girl came into the world at 10.03 after the quickest and most relaxing birth I could've ever imagined. I will never forget hearing Madelaine say "catch your baby" as I couldn't quite believe it. It was the most serene and magical experience, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I will be forever grateful to Madelaine for everything she taught me and how prepared she made me feel in the lead up to my birth. She told me the whole time that I would have a beautiful home birth, and I believed every word she said, but I also felt so reassured knowing that whichever direction it took that I would be absolutely fine. Every event was explored and discussed with me, and I felt prepared for everything. This allowed me to have the most relaxed pregnancy and birth I could have pictured.

I will never be able to thank Madelaine enough, and I will always feel lucky to be blessed with her as my midwife.

Our second midwife Cristina was a ray of sunshine and always had a smile on her face. Even though we didn't meet until the final weeks of my pregnancy, I was so excited that she was going to be at the birth. Her warm presence made me feel so comfortable straight away, and I couldn't of been happier that she became apart of our journey.

She even made us homemade lasagna during the postnatal visit the day after our baby was born!

Both Christina and Madelaine would always make an effort to play with my 2-year-old daughter when they came for any visits and always let her "help" with any checks they were doing. It always just felt like you had friends round whenever they came, and I'll miss seeing them every week.

I will always treasure the memories made throughout my pregnancy and labor. Thank you for the most amazing experience.

Kind regards

Danielle"

" I had traumatic first birth in 2018 which involved post dates induction, failure to progress, an emergency caesarean section and delayed wound healing with infection where I was also treated poorly throughout. I knew that I needed different care and support for my second pregnancy.

I contacted a number of independent Midwives before finding my midwife Madelaine. I first spoke to Madelaine in early June 2021 when I was about 5 weeks pregnant for an initial meeting. I felt Madelaine was the right midwife for me after this meeting and decided to go ahead.

I then had appointments every 4 weeks with Madelaine which were extremely detailed and reassuring lasting 1 to 2 hours each time. We fully debriefed the previous birth so that I could understand what went wrong last time and covered a big range of topics. After a couple of appointments, I just knew I needed to have Madelaine at the birth, even if that meant my partner James couldn't be there in the event of a hospital birth, as covid restrictions only allowed one birth partner at the time, because I knew she would take the best care of me and support me advocating for myself.

As we approached the due date, I felt well prepared and informed of my choices for birth and all the possible plans. We had built up a good relationship with the hospital, with Madelaine attending appointments with myself and the consultant to agree detailed birth preferences

As with my first pregnancy I went overdue and started to have increased monitoring with the hospital from 40 + 12. At 40+15, I decided to be induced at the hospital via the balloon method. Madelaine stayed with me overnight whilst the balloon was in, ensuring I had emotional support during this long process and that I was getting the rest I needed for labour. After 24 hours, my waters were broken and 4 hours later I was started on the oxytocin drip. Madelaine was great support in this time, encouraging me to rest when I needed and be active and mobile when I wanted to as well. It was like a sleepover with a friend, dancing to 90s music. After a further 5 hours on the drip, I was examined and we discovered that, as with my first baby, no progress had been in the labour on the drip.

I made the decision not to continue with the induction and requested to have a caesarean section at this point. Decisions were made efficiently and nothing dragged on longer than it needed to. I went into the theatre having made my own decision and having the energy and awareness to express my choices. I couldn't have made the decision without having Madelaine there as I trusted that this was the best thing to do at this point rather than continue with the induction becoming tired and risking anything happening to my scar or the baby for no progress.

Baby Finley was then born at 1.46am to the Backstreet Boys, "Everybody". I got to see him straight away, have delayed cord clamping, cut his cord myself and have skin to skin in the theatre. Madelaine supported me to breastfeed him whilst we were still in the theatre which really helped to establish the feeding early on. I then stayed in hospital for one night.

Madelaine came to visit me my first day at home and many other times in that first week. She has a vast amount of knowledge regarding breastfeeding and really helped to get it well established and comfortable for me. She provided reassurance and spent time at each appointment going through my list of concerns. It was the postnatal experience that I hadn't realised I was missing last time. I feel I have recovered really well. Particularly feeling that I was physically able to look after him much more from the start.

Overall having Madeline support me through the birth of our second child has been life changing for me and one of the best decisions I have made. I honestly couldn't have done it without her and I am extremely grateful for all the care and support she provided. Despite the events of the birth being very similar to my first birth experience, this was positive for me and I feel very proud of myself for doing it."

- Jen

"For me, having seen how unwell Jen became during the first birth and postnatal recovery, combined with poor treatment she received, the second child we had always wanted did not seem like a possibility anymore. I did not ever want to be in that situation again, even if that meant we would not have more children. The stress of the first experience had stuck with me even 3 years later. When I found out Jen was pregnant again, my first thoughts were not the amazing joy they should be. I immediately worried about the birth and this was when I also knew we needed to find better support for her this time round. This didn't seem possible until I met Madelaine, who took me from not wanting a second child anymore to the point at which I would trust her to look after Jen during an induction process, labour (including caesarean section) without me even being at the birth. The first experience left me feeling like the medical professionals would miss things and not look after her which only I was be able to do. But, of course, I am not a doctor nor a midwife and so I did not have experience needed to do this fully. Madelaine however, had this covered and over the course of our antenatal appointments gained my full trust and confidence. What really made the difference, for me, was her attention to detail, her ability to understand what went wrong last time and how things could be different this time round, and seeing how she made Jen feel. I knew we were in the safest hands we could be and I am extremely grateful that despite having very similar birth events to last time, we ended up with a positive experience, a healthy baby AND healthy mum.
This whole second birth has been a completely contrasting to the first and I honestly believe this is due to Madelaine and her allowing us to create a good relationship with the hospital before the birth.  Everyone should be entitled to this level of care. If you are someone that wanted a second child but is no longer sure, my advice would be don't let the fear that "the system" has caused stop you living the life you want. As Madelaine would say there are always options and solutions."

-James

"  I was adamant from the moment I discovered my pregnancy that I wanted to birth at home in the comfort of my own surroundings, listening to my own body with the assistance of someone likeminded. From our first meeting with Madelaine I knew that I would get exactly what I wanted, just the way I wanted it to be and that Madelaine was the perfect person to deliver it! She is a true angel and the most wonderful woman. Most important of all, Madelaine listens and understands and was always completely supportive of my wants providing a wealth of practical knowledge to enable my pregnancy and birth to go as I hoped.

I was due on the 26th December and nobody wants to share their birthday with Christmas so when Madelaine asked if I had a time in mind when I wanted the baby to arrive it was music to my ears! We had discussed a date and when that day finally arrived, Madelaine greeted me with are you ready to have your baby today!?- Yes I was!! Upon examination (and very encouragingly) I was 3/4cm dilated with a soft cervix. Madelaine performed a sweep to help me along and 3 hours later my beautiful (surprise) baby boy came into the world; birthed without pain relief (being fed Minstrels by Student Midwife, Rebecca and assisted by Jeanette) Madeline provided invaluable encouragement, direction and love to both me and my husband. She involved him at every stage so he too felt a part of the process. Amongst the bliss of our new arrival, Madelaine, Jeanette and Rebecca cared for our family; helping me put myself back together, tending to the needs of our baby and most importantly allowing us to have those first intimate moments in what felt like complete privacy whilst they ensured everything was completed.

My antenatal and postnatal care was invaluable. The birth itself was absolutely amazing. None of this would have been possible without Madelaine! She is passionate, dedicated, loving, honest and the kindest of souls that I am so fortunate to have met. There is no doubt that we will meet again as there is no one else I'd rather guide me through another pregnancy/ birth journey.

Without a second thought I recommend Madelaine!

Love

Jade, Ryan, Avea-Lilly and Conor (Lazy Bones) x"

" It's nearly 3 months since the birth of our baby girl and looking back onto the pregnancy and birth I have nothing but fond memories. We were very blessed with the opportunity to have Madelaine care for us from 9 weeks into my first pregnancy all the way to 4 weeks after the birth. She quickly became a very loved and cherished part of our lives. The knowledge and clarity she brought to the pregnancy was so comforting. She was there with every little question and concern with a well researched and effective solution to whatever I was struggling with. She emphasised the importance of taking care of myself and my body during the pregnancy and especially ensuring I had the energy leading up to the birth.

The morning of my due date I started having contractions and Madelaine was quickly on the other end of the phone to respond. A couple hours pass and Madelaine comes to do a full check on me and after hearing the words "your baby is coming tonight" it became real to me that this was the marathon we had all been training for. She was right there the whole way making suggestions and moving with me as things became more intense. Madelaine was a loving, direct and strong anchor throughout my labour, keeping me on track and grounded in my greatest feat. 5 hours later, our beautiful healthy baby girl was born at home with a drug free natural birth, just the way we planned, Halleluyah! Madelaines wonderful assistant, Leah was there the whole time ready to help however I needed, she helped me get myself put back together while Madelaine was caring for our daughter and ensuring she was healthy, happy and all wrapped up for the night. After making sure we had everything we need, she left us in our bliss. Later on we found out that they both went off to deliver another miracle that night! Not once had I any idea that Madelaine had another client in labour at the same time, she was so dedicated to us and didn't rush anything. They both came back everyday to check on our happy little family and were there for a whole month after whenever we needed them. Our aftercare was full of knowledge and very thorough answering every question we could ever even think to ask.

In one of our long chats at a prenatal appointment, Madelaine reminisced about her cherished childhood memories of playing with dolls. She told us about how she was always the one to deliver her dolls babies and how much joy this brought her. In everything Madelaine does she shows this deep passion for delivering miracles into the world. I couldn't dream of a more dedicated, loving, knowledgeable, strong and passionate Midwife to cherish in my heart forever. I couldn't recommend Madelaine enough!"

"  I would like to provide some feedback to the wonderful care Midwife Madeline Gors gifted me with her presence as she delivered Tadgh Fogarty to the world 2 weeks ago. From our very first encounter I instinctually knew she was the right companion, and professional, to guide me on this journey I hoped would come one day.

As a Paediatric Osteopath by profession, I knew much theory but not the experience of birth. Madeline educated me so much which empowered me to visualise Plan A, prepare for all plan B scenarios, understand the signs of labour and feel reassured by what to expect. With very detailed weekly meetings I knew The knowledge, had the confidence and the reassurance that my first baby to the world could be delivered safely at home. Indeed I didn't need to wait to have a 2nd baby to choose this option!

At the centre point of all Madeline's care was safety and making the best of all resources available for both Plan A and Plan B. I felt the birth scenario was clear and what would unfold I would be comfortable with as Madeline had everything thought through and prepared ahead.

I am the first Homebirther in my family, my community, in all my circle of friends. I am proud that Madeline supported and encouraged me to follow my instincts despite family concerns for a first time mother. I felt empowered to be instinctual, to follow my gut and to be supported emotionally, physically and spiritually by Madeline. She was and is a great blessing sent to me to safely guide Tadgh.

I cannot commend Madeline enough on her knowledge, her professionalism, her exceptional hands on skills. At the heart of all these attributes and competencies her heart is true to making you 'the queen of your birth, being your true physical being, empowered to birth as nature intended. This is the greatest gift and 'awakening of the mother's mana that someone could show you or remind you.

I thank Madeline from the bottom of my heart for guiding what was predetermined all along and making me the queen of Tadgh's birth."

" The minute I knew I was pregnant (Nov.21) with the pregnancy stick result in my hand, the first thought was Madeline! My amazing midwife from our last birth of Tadgh (2019), here in Ireland. We were one of her very last babies before she was headhunted to the UK. I always said I would follow her to the ends of the earth if we were blessed with another gift from above.

And so the journey and quite literally the voyage begun. When the hope of Madelaine coming back to Ireland or Northern Ireland, to be our Midwife were dashed, I tearfully knew there had to be a way.  Coming to UK! 

I was happy there was at least a way or a step to have a homebirth with Madelaine.

And so the journey found its way. My partner had been through the roller-coaster of emotions and locations of how we could have this baby with Madeline. When I sat him down with the U.K last resort scenario, he knew it had to happen. The Wednesday 8.30am Dublin-Holyhead ferry was booked weekly before the full move over to Liverpool at week 36 happened. It was wonderful to see Madelaine again with her big banner waiting at the train station for me. She was exactly how I remembered her! Not to mention excited and so enthusiastic that I was making my leap' to Liverpool.

She completed all checks, ultrasound, palpation time and all her other checks. I finally felt my care had begun" At week 34 (like the last pregnancy) we started on our path together.

We rented a beautiful Victorian house 10 mins away from Madelaines home. She would be so close for when that call would be made. My partner and a year old Tadgh returned to Ireland that weekend before the birth. They dropped me over by ferry with my 'Madeline list almost completed.

Although I was alone technically, I felt supported, safe and relaxed to focus on our mission! Madeline's presence was always with me at the house. She had a spare key, was on her phone checking on me, called to me everyday.

We even had some of our magic' check ups out in nature, by the beach, in the forest. We meditated and focused on our path ahead. I felt really focused, could push aside all the jobs' that needed doing at home, could think of myself and my baby 110%. The headspace of visualising was really clear and joyous.

That week of preparation with Madeline was a holiday on all levels - physically, emotionally and spiritually. I could connect with my baby completely. Madeline's presence and senses were so strong, she knew when the baby was to arrive, 'at the weekend', she said.

Roisin Fogarty was born on Sunday 19th of June just as she said! 38 weeks on the dot she came after a 37 min labour. An Intensely powerful labour, but as Madelaine had prepared me for, it would be a really fast and stage.

Everything Madeline had said happened. She educated and prepared me for every scenario and I trusted everything she said. Madeline was always clear and explained every situation so well. I felt strong and clear of what would be. I felt confident and safe in her hands and by her side.

I actually never had to 'call' Madeline who lived 10 mins away. She called on me that Sunday morning and knew by one look at my tired face we would have a baby by the afternoon, despite me having no symptoms!

Madeline not only birthed us, but also cared for me in my first week post partum. My partner arrived 5 days after the birth and Madeline was by my side for all that time nourishing, supporting. educating and doing everything for me to rest. The photo's of my time with Madeline in Liverpool are a testament to how well' I looked 1 week pre/post birth! (Definitely my return home to my 2 year old and life stacked up some tiredness since!).

Madeline is the most amazing Midwife and I would follow her to the ends of the earth. And I did! It was not my home but made it a home for that time. It was not my homeland but it was for that chapter. It was perfect because I had my Madelaine. If  Madelaine is doing her ‘vocation‘ in years ahead, I will be wanting my daughter to be blessed with her care. Maybe that wish will also come true x"

- Claire

"I have always wanted a home birth. I am a strong believer that all women have the ability to birth naturally and it is a right of passage that all women should experience. However, when I became pregnant with my daughter, no midwife wit the HSE would travel to our house in the countryside in Wicklow. I was devastated 1 decided to research...

The midwife I was matched with was Madelaine.

What can I say about Madelaine! From our very first meeting, I knew this was the woman I wanted as my midwife. I trusted her immediately. She oozes professionalism, positivity, has a wealth of experience and leaves no stone unturned. At our prenatal visits, she answered any concerns I had and at every session built up my confidence around birthing at home. She also gave me her private number and I could contact her at any time if I had any worries of concerns. This really put me at ease.

When it came to my labour, Madelaine arrived just in time. I felt like she could read what stage I was at without even asking. She didn't try interfere with my labour but guided me gently through it when I needed it the most. Before I knew it I was pushing the baby out and before I could even grasp that the baby was on its way, all I could hear was " Eimear! Grab your baby and check whether its a boy or

girl."

We got a massive shock when we saw it was a girl- as Madelaine suspected it before!

WE DID IT!!

The absolute euphoria, happiness and achievement I felt after experiencing a homebirth was an experience I will never forget. This could not have happened without Madelaine, I'm sure.

Madelaine continued to support me postnatally after the birth and with breastfeeding which really helped me beyond words. She is one of a kind.

If anyone in Ireland is contemplating a homebirth, then I would highly recommend Private Midwives Ireland and our midwife Madelaine.

With her cute German Accent she is revolutionising Ireland's attitude to homebirths one birth at a time. She left a deep impact on myself and my family and gave me the gift of being able to have my daughter at home which every woman deserves to experience.

Thank you Madelaine!

Love Eimear“

" Just wanted to send over my thanks for supporting me to have the most amazing and positive birth experience recently. I think it was fate that I ended up assigned to Madelaine, because from the first meeting we had I just knew this was going to be right for me.. I'm still trying to find the words to explain how brilliant she has been from that very first phone call and meeting, to us saying goodbyes 1 week post birth a few days ago. Because some things are just indeseribable. Madelaine is just that. One of a kind. The most amazing midwife and human being and I feel so lucky to have had her guide me through this journey to have a home birth. The combination of her knowledge and passion to inform her mothers to be, combined with her wonderful manner and nature meant that I never doubted I could do this.

Having had a very disempowering first birth experience in a hospital, I am now left feeling totally empowered and proud of myself for birthing my beautiful baby girl at home. I have learnt so much, and my life has been changed forever from this wonderful experience.

Madelaine's skill and motivation to ensure I didn't tear (having been coerced into an episiotomy in my previous hospital birth) has left for a much more pain free and speedy recovery physically post birth than I had experienced in the past. I cannot thank her enough.

I still can't believe that I was able to put my 16 month old to bed at 7.45pm at home, then just come downstairs and with Madelaine's amazing support, only 45mins later birth and hold my new baby

I will be highly recommending home births to anyone I come across who is even daneing with the idea of having a home birth."

- Emma