Laois midwife delivers range of new services to support new and expectant parents

A Ballyroan midwife has launched a new business which provides a wide range of holistic and innovative services to support women in Laois through pregnancy, labour and postpartum.

Helen O'Brien began her career in healthcare over 20 years ago and now she is determined to offer more avenues of support for women and families in Laois as they go through one of life's most momentous experiences.

Helen launched Midwife For You in recent months after she noticed a gap in non-hospital based maternity services in Laois.
Midwife For You is based in Ballyhyland, where Helen currently resides, and offers a wide range of services to empower parents as they begin their journey to parenthood.

Helen O'Brien pictured with her infant massage setup. 

The business offers infant, antenatal, and postnatal massages, maternity night care, sensory classes for babies, as well as a Whatsapp group which provides guidance for new and expectant parents.

Speaking to the Leinster Express / Laois Live, Helen said it was frustrating to see a lack of such maternity hubs in Laois and the wider region of the Midlands.

"If you were to look up different midwifery services, there's just nothing external from hospital based services. That's not to say I'm still very linked in with the hospital, midwives and colleagues."

She said these types of services are typically available in Dublin and larger cities, and they are long overdue in the Midlands.

"I thought that needs to come down to Laois. It needs to come to the Midlands and out of the city. It needs to come to the country folk."

Midwife For You's Ballyhyland premises.

Helen began working in the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise in 2000 when she was just 18-years-old. She started out as a multitask attendant working weekends before training to become a healthcare assistant in 2006 which was a step further into patient care.

The Ballyroan native said "there's not a corner of the hospital that I haven't seen." It was this experience in healthcare which attracted her to studying midwifery.

"I just remember one of the midwives saying to me when I was a healthcare assistant on maternity, that you're not dealing with sick patients. When you're a midwife, they're not sick, they're pregnant," Helen explained.

Helen's decision to go down the route of midwifery was also influenced by her own experiences as a mother. As well as a businesswoman and midwife, Helen also has her hands full with her three children aged 14, 12 and 8. 

"I had two babies before I'd done my training. So they were quite small when I went in. But you know what, it was brilliant. They'd say 'oh mammy's going to school as well!' I did push myself to the limits as my last baby was actually in the middle of my training so I took a year out when she was born."

Helen laughed: "You're just kind of in the thick of it and you get on with it."

The midwife-turned-entrepreneur started studying midwifery in UCD in 2015. After she completed her training in 2020, she returned to the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise.

Not shy from a challenge, Helen launched Midwife For You in recent months and she plans on adding even more services in the future.

Helen is also setting up a new parent and toddler group with Cuidiú in Ballyroan Community Hall starting in March.

Cuidiú is a parent-to-parent voluntary group which offers support to parents across the country. Helen said she and a group of other women aim to re-establish a Cuidiú branch for Laois and Athy as Covid restrictions led to the end of the group's meetings.

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The new parent and toddler group is suitable for babies and toddlers up to 3-years-old.

Helen said: "It’s just a relaxed space to chat, play, and connect over tea. No booking is required just drop in." The first meeting will be held on Friday, March 6 from 9.30am to 11am.