Birthlight Cambridge - About Us

Sally Lomas

I have always enjoyed working intuitively and flexibly. From my years of experience as an artist in London to my closer contact with families in my work as a teacher and counsellor, and now my involvement with Birthlight, I have tried to be true to my inner feelings and values.

I originally trained as a textiles designer and with a partner opened a shop in Fulham Rd producing exclusive hand painted silks. I learnt to combine my creative ideas with commercial realism. Although the business was successful I felt the need to expand my horizons and left the UK to travel through Asia, Australia and North America. I was fascinated by the glimpses into the lives of other cultures. I feel travelling has helped me to open my mind, to accept and explore different attitudes in the knowledge that we can all learn from and help each other.

I settled in California and with the birth of my first child my involvement with babies began. It was such a wonderful experience and I so enjoyed getting to know my new daughter.

I began by training and then working as a Montessori teacher with babies and children from birth to 3 years old. Over time I realised I had equal interest in the parents and their relationships within the family. My communication skills developed as I learnt to listen and to guide them.

On returning to England I trained as a counsellor but was unsure which direction to take. When I became pregnant with my second child I attended Birthlight classes with Françoise Freedman. Knowing the joy and support I felt being close to other women about to give birth and realising how special this was to me I knew it was work I needed to be involved with. I felt the different skills I had learnt over the years could come together to help others towards a more enjoyable birth experience.

I combined being a mother with continuing to study. I attended classes to learn from Françoise Freedman and trained at the Active Birth centre in London with Janet Balaskas.

I am now settled in Cambridge, have four children and have been teaching here for nearly 10 years. My training and experience has progressed and I now teach Antenatal Yoga, Aqua Yoga and Childbirth preparation courses for couples. I have helped to develop Birthlight courses to support families after the birth and I teach fun Baby Yoga and Baby swimming classes.

I have now become a director of Birthlight and I am involved in our teacher training programme (Director of Training). I believe passionately in the Birthlight vision, helping mothers and fathers towards an empowering birth experience and babies to a gentle and loving welcome to the world.

Amy Ellis MA ITEC

Amy has been working with the Cambridge Birthlight team as an antenatal teacher since 2002. She combines yoga postures with intuitive movement to raise body awareness, teaches simple but effective breathing techniques and uses guided vizualisation techniques to prepare women for labour and motherhood.

As an aromatherapist, masseur, reflexologist and energy worker she passes on self help techniques in her classes. These aim to enable women to ride the waves of labour in a conscious empowered way, as well as give them tools for life to maintain the health and well-being of themselves and their families.

Her classes run on a cyclical six theme basis covering labour stage one, labour stage two, positive pain management, posture, health and well-being, becoming a mother and bonding with your babe within.

Amy graduated in Social Anthropology from Manchester in 1992. This was followed by three months research into traditional healing systems in Uganda where she met traditional birth attendants and witnessed how knowledge was passed on between female specialists and selected relatives and friends. Upon returning to Oxford she worked as an administrator and conference assitant for GIFTS of HEALTH - the Global Initiative for Traditional Sytems of Health at The Churchill Hospital. After the conferences completion Amy was drawn to re-train as a health practitioner and obtained Diplomas in aromatherapy, massage, reflexology and reiki and certificates in applying oils for emotional health and massage in pregnancy. From 1996 she used her skills to work with a wide range of clients and taught within schools and colleges. In 1999 she returned to University to obtain a masters in Medical Anthropology from SOAS in which she specialized in the history and philosophy of yoga and ayurveda, and healing through circular dance forms. This complemented her personal practice of Iyengar yoga and Kriya yoga meditation.

In 2000 she married and moved to Cambridge and had her first child at home with the invaluable help of all that she had learnt by attending Birthlight classes. In 2002 Amy became an antenatal teacher. She has subsequently had two more children.

Gillian Nevin

I am a mother of four children and attended Active Birth with yoga Classes in London throughout my pregnancies. I found that the confidence and knowledge gained was the most invaluable contribution to the way in which I coped with the enormously powerful experience of labour and birth. I subsequently trained as a yoga teacher and an Active Birth Teacher with Janet Balaskas. I have taught Antenatal yoga, postnatal yoga and Baby Massage for many years. I have recently moved to Cambridge and have joined Birthlight. Before becoming an Active Birth Teacher, I taught Art History.

Victoria Ward

Victoria has worked in the voluntary sector for a children's charity and in local government in a variety of jobs. She attended Birthlight Antenatal Yoga and Baby Yoga classes with both her children and trained as an Antenatal Yogacise teacher in 2006, qualifying in December when she was seven months pregnant with her daughter. She also holds the Birthlight Baby Yoga Diploma and is working towards the Diploma in Antenatal Education, which will allow her to work as an NCT Antenatal Teacher.