Midwife & nail tech: ‘Whether in a delivery room or my nail studio, I love supporting women’

Meet Leila Zahedi: a midwife, nail tech & co-founder of Better Births London – best known as The Midwives in Your Pocket® (MIYP®), a WhatsApp support service offering real-time, compassionate guidance seven days per week.

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Born in Iran, Leila moved to London and was raised by her single mother and older sister. “Growing up in a household led by strong, inspiring women shaped everything about me,” she says.

“Whether I’m supporting women through birth, helping them feel confident with a fresh set of nails, or working to improve maternity care, it all comes back to honouring women and their strength.”

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You first trained as a midwife. Can you tell us more about this?

“I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do at university, so I scanned through the list of degrees. When I landed on Midwifery, something clicked. Interestingly, it wasn’t even the babies that drew me in – it was always the women. From the very beginning, it’s been about them.

I began my journey into midwifery in 2011: the same year I delivered my first baby as a student. I qualified in 2014 with a first class honours degree and from that moment on, I never looked back. It felt less like a career choice and more like a calling.

When did you decide to also train in nails?

My journey into the world of nails officially began in November 2022, when I trained with Bio Sculpture. But the spark was lit long before that. Back in school, I was the girl with every Barry M nail polish colour under the sun, and I would often paint my friends’ nails! The idea of turning that passion into a profession had always been in the back of my mind. But it wasn’t until the pandemic, while I was still working in the NHS, that the dream started to take shape.

What similarities are there between your roles as a midwife and nail tech?

At the heart of everything I do – whether I’m catching babies or painting nails – is simply this: I love being with women and offering them the space to be themselves. To vent, to laugh, to cry, to relax, to switch off. Whether I’m in a delivery room or my nail studio, I’m holding space for women to just be.

In both spaces, I get to help women feel beautiful. In midwifery, it’s from the inside out: nurturing their confidence, power and trust in themselves. With nails, it’s the outside in: giving them a moment of luxury, a fresh set and a confidence boost they carry into the rest of their day.

Both also allow me to build real relationships. My nail clients are all regulars, visiting every three weeks. I know which base suits them best, what colour complements their skin tone, and even who’s driving them mad at work. That same philosophy underpins great maternity care. Continuity of care means a woman doesn’t have to repeat her story at every appointment – she builds trust with the same midwife, and in turn, we can offer safer, more personalised care.

At the heart of both roles is this: people want to feel safe, understood and well looked after. Whether I’m helping bring a baby into the world or perfecting someone’s almond shape, that’s always my goal.

When and why did you start Better Births London?

I co-founded it in 2017 with my work wife, Katie Benyohai, after we taught an NHS antenatal class together. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive – everyone loved the class, but more importantly, they loved us. Better Births London began with bespoke antenatal education, but we quickly evolved into something far more impactful.

We created MIYP® to fill a critical gap in maternity care. Too often, we saw women fall through the cracks – attending antenatal classes (both NHS and private) yet still unaware of essential information, like what an episiotomy is or how labour might require medical assistance. There’s a huge focus on the ideal scenarios: water births, pain-free labours, exclusive breastfeeding, but very little is said about the moments when nature needs a helping hand, such as inductions, interventions and instrumental births. These are the moments where education and support are most vital.

Keep up-to-date with Better Births London via Instagram and www.betterbirthslondon.com