About Us


Jane Spedding

I moved to Brighton in 1987 to go to university and never really left! I live here with my husband and my 3 daughters aged 16, 14 and 6. I became involved with peer support for breastfeeding when my second daughter was a baby, and later trained as a midwife. I am now a practising registered midwife and have worked in the area since 2002 in both hospital and community settings. As a midwife, and a mother, I am able to discuss pregnancy, birth and the early days with new babies (though both Sandra and I recommended that specific medical matters are discussed with your own midwife or doctor). Throughout my career I have enjoyed teaching antenatal classes. However, classes offered by the NHS have been severely cut back over the past few years, and I strongly believe that one of the biggest benefits of antenatal classes is meeting other people who are going through a similar experience at the same time. My own experience of attending antenatal classes tells me that people who meet at these classes can become lifelong friends. I am keen for peasinapod to not only provide empowering and useful information, but also to enable expectant parents to develop their own supportive networks, which will help them through the highs and lows of parenthood.

My particular interest in the joys and challenges of twin pregnancy , birth and beyond is quite recent, and prompted by Sandra having her twins last year! I was surprised to realise how few classes there are specifically aimed at parents expecting multiples and hope peasinapod fills this gap. In my spare time (ha ha!) I enjoy crochet, baking, reading, walking on the Downs and attempting to grow fruit and vegetables at my allotment.

Sandra Caldwell

I qualified as a midwife in 2002 having worked in other industries and aspects of health care first. You could say I took a very roundabout route to where I am now though the experiences I have had on the way have been invaluable! After leaving school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. A “year out” travelling led to a degree in English Literature and Media Studies, studying in Leicester.  I fell into a job in advertising purely by chance with one of the big ad agencies in London. Straight away I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term but I worked there as a media researcher for 3 years. I finally left in 1997 and moved to Brighton with my partner Richard. I started my nursing diploma in the same year and qualified in 2000, knowing from fairly early on that midwifery was my goal.

I feel there is something magical about pregnancy and birth. Despite the increased medicalisation of this amazing rite of passage, I believe that midwives are and should be fundamental in helping women and their families make that journey. I was lucky to receive mentorship from some very experienced midwives whose skill and approach to the care they gave still influence me now. I have worked both in hospital and community settings - firstly in Brighton and then in Worthing. I think my job is a very special one and to share a family’s birth experience is a very privileged position to be in - from that first booking appointment to when you finally get to meet the baby! I now have three children and had very different pregnancy and birth experiences. My first pregnancy with my son was uncomplicated and very easy but the labour was long and I ended up in hospital despite hopes for a homebirth. Being pregnant with twins last year (2009) was a totally different story and was complicated both emotionally and physically. I was induced but against expectation, their birth was very quick and easy! I quickly discovered when I was pregnant with the girls that there were no antenatal classes specifically for expectant multiple mums. Being a midwife felt like a huge advantage when it came to knowing what to expect in a twin pregnancy and preparing for the birth. It was the “after” bit that worried me the most! Luckily I had some good support from friends who had recently had twins and I have read every book I was able to get my hands on! peasinapod was created in order to fill that gap in the market and I hope that our professional knowledge and personal experiences of motherhood will help other expectant mums to prepare for the sometimes hard but wonderful world of being a mum to more than one.

Please look through our website and contact us for more information.