In this heartfelt conversation, I speak with Nicole Schlögel – a former NHS midwife with 18 years' experience – who has since stepped away from institutional midwifery to support undisturbed, physiological birth outside the system.
Nicole shares her journey from hospital to home, from protocols to presence, and from midwife to wise woman. We explore birth as a sacred rite of passage, the myth of informed consent, fascia and bodywork, and the deep imprint birth leaves on both mother and baby.
🌿 Topics we cover include:
Nicole’s path from NHS midwife to independent birth worker
Fascia, aromatherapy & hands-on support in pregnancy
The myth of informed consent & midwife autonomy
The quietude between labour stages & altered states
Supporting breech babies & physiological birth
Trauma, imprinting, and the somatic body
Returning to wise woman traditions in modern birthkeeping
Nicole Schlögel is a former NHS midwife turned fascia therapist, aromatherapist, and birth educator. Based in Belfast, she now supports women through her clinic Essentially Birth, offering fascia-informed massage and movement sessions in pregnancy and postpartum. Nicole co-teaches Born Through Yoga, a body-led birth preparation course, and this October she’s hosting The Fabric of Birth — an in-person fascia workshop for practitioners that will take place at The Little Yoga House, Belfast.
She writes regularly on Substack about fascia, birth, and leaving the system behind. Her book 7 Secrets Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know Before Giving Birth was an instant bestseller on Amazon and it offers an honest guide to birth both inside and outside the system. Nicole is also working on Justine, a historical novel based on the life of a 17th-century German midwife.
To access her fascia release services, visit essentiallybirth.com or email nicole@essentiallybirth.com
To book a space on The Fabric of Birth, visit https://www.essentiallybirth.com/offers/bXETFr2i/checkout
As a listener of the Embodied Mother Podcast, you can access one of four Super Early Bird discounted places.
She is @essentiallybirth on Instagram and Essentially Birth on Facebook.
On Substack she's Nicole Schlögel, The Consciously Uncoupled Midwife, you can subscribe via
✨ I’d love to hear from you—how are these episodes landing with you? Would you like to share your story on the podcast? Contact me lauraguinnane@gmail.com
Find me on Instagram at here.
If you’ve experienced a caesarean birth, I offer 1:1 online support to guide you in your healing journey. Through birth story listening, scar tissue remediation, and somatic reconnection, we work together to support your return to wholeness and embodied presence. You can email me at lauraguinnane@gmail.com
You can follow my musings on motherhood on Substack here.
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Laura x