New Life founders
I founded New Life with support from my sister Bonny, with a simple mission. We want to eradicate feelings of fear and failure, often associated with birth and parenting, and positively impact perinatal mental health in the UK.
We believe that to improve health at a global level, we need to support parents in giving their kids the best start and healthiest start in life. At New Life, we do this by offering:
- Classes to prepare expectant parents for labour, birth and parenting
- Training to empower midwives and health professionals to offer the best antenatal education programmes to their communities.
- Coaching to give new and expectant parents the space to figure out how to create a healthy, happy home for themselves and their children to thrive in.
We are passionate about providing people with the knowledge, tools and professional support to make informed choices that suit their individual needs.
Our professional backgrounds
Bonny is a midwife, working as a Matron at Southmead Hospital Maternity Unit in Bristol.
I am a certified Health Coach and qualified first aid instructor. Before establishing New Life, I studied Psychology (with a particular interest in mental health and child development) and worked in conference and event management. My qualifications include:
- Bsc (Hons) Psychology
- Level 5 Diploma in Health Coaching
- First Aid Instructor and Assessor (adult and paediatric)
- FAQ Level 3 First Aid at Work
- AED instructor.
- 12-Hour Paediatric First Aid
Alongside New Life, I am a member of the ASSIST and ASSIST II Study Team at North Bristol NHS Trust, exploring the feasibility of a new device for assisted birth. The studies are exploring the safety and clinical impact of the Odon device for women and their babies, as well as the medical professionals using the instrument to help women in labour. A number of papers have been published from this research:
O’Brien, S., Hotton, E.J., Lenguerrand, E. et al. The ASSIST Study – The BD Odon Device for assisted vaginal birth: a safety and feasibility study. Trials 20, 159 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3249-z
Hotton EJ, Alvarez M, Lenguerrand E, Wade J, Blencowe NS, Draycott TJ, Crofts JF; ASSIST II Study Group. The Odon Device™ for assisted vaginal birth: a feasibility study to investigate safety and efficacy-The ASSIST II study. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2021 Mar 19;7(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s40814-021-00814-2. PMID: 33741082; PMCID: PMC7977305.
Hotton, E.J., Lenguerrand, E., Alvarez, M., O’Brien, S., Draycott, T.J., Crofts, J.F., Arulkumaran, S., Bale, N., Blencowe, N.S., Draycott, T.J. and Exell, L., 2021. Outcomes of the novel Odon Device in indicated operative vaginal birth. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 224(6), pp.607-e1.
Hotton EJ, Blencowe NS, Lenguerrand E, Draycott TJ, Crofts JF, Wade J. Women’s experiences of the Odon Device to assist vaginal birth and participation in intrapartum research: a qualitative study in a maternity unit in the Southwest of England. BMJ Open. 2021 Dec 15;11(12):e057023. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057023. PMID: 34911726; PMCID: PMC8679107.
New Life Classes
Working with a number of local doctors, midwives and healthcare specialists we developed a comprehensive, evidence-based antenatal course and hired local, registered midwives to teach for us. Our course is practical, realistic and will help you, as first-time parents, to approach birth, feeding and parenting with confidence, by giving you the tools, social and professional support to cope, even if things don’t go quite to plan.
Why choose us?
Our vision
To eradicate feelings of failure and positively influence perinatal mental health in the UK.
Our values
Network
Building strong networks of friends and like-minded professionals is at the heart of what we do.
Education
Ultimately our core function is to educate new parents. We believe education is the best tool for helping people improve their lives, by providing more choice and control. New Life is a place of opportunity, where we encourage our midwives to share their passion and expertise. It provides a strong foundation of learning, encouraging our community to share information and learn from each other.
Wellbeing
Our vision is to eradicate feelings of failure and positively influence postnatal depression rates in the UK. Our practical, open and friendly approach gives parents the tools they need to approach birth and parenting with confidence, encouraging discussion, improving knowledge and reducing fear of the unknown.
Leadership
We want to be a leading light in the provision of perinatal classes in the UK, helping parents and midwives alike to reach their full potential. We are flexible, solutions-focused and act decisively on feedback we receive, striving to continually improve ourselves and what we do.
Inclusivity
We do not consider the circumstances in which parents join us to be a barrier to being able to support them and positively impact their birth and parenting journey. We welcome diversity, and no-one is excluded because of their individual choices or beliefs. Each person we work with is treated with respect and valued.
Family
We are committed to helping build stronger families, encouraging new parents to communicate more openly and effectively on a range of topics that will help give them the best start with their new baby.
Empathy
Everyone has their own story and we recognise there is no one-size fits all approach to birth or parenting. We get to know our customers and staff as individuals, meeting them where they are and equipping them to face their individual situations with compassion and understanding.
