Just a fad? Having a doula became quite the thing in recent years. With the rise in celebrities like Meghan Markle having a doula at her birth, suddenly everyone seemed to want a doula too! In light of this doulas are seen by many as a trendy fad. I believe this has a lot to …
As we move back into this latest form of lockdown I’ve been reflecting on how the pandemic has impacted the work birth professionals do. It’s been a bit of a shit show! Doulas – birth workers – birth professionals are not viewed as essential by government or the NHS despite the evidence to the contrary! …
There are loads of birth worker – or doula – training programmes available in the UK so why did I decide to create another one. Not because I think I’m the shizzle of all birth workers and therefore you should all follow my lead. But because I wanted to create a programme that really equips …
Why I created a birth worker training programme … Read More »
You’re feeling all kinds of uncertain at the moment. Covid is still happening and effecting the provision of maternity services and; this might be your first pregnancy, you may want something different from last time but unsure how, or what, to ask for. At this point in our conversation I’d be steering you towards writing …
Your birth plan is the gateway to a fearless birth Read More »
This is so important when planning how you want to birth your baby. Your plan Pretty much EVERYONE acknowledges that it’s important to have a birth plan. Your birth plan is an opportunity to express your wishes on paper about how you’d like you birth your baby. Given that it is your human right to …
I know you want all the ‘feels’ – right? You picture your birth – and its beautiful and calm and your surrounded by love and your baby arrives easily and wonderfully – and its, well, perfect! When you picture your birth your don’t envisage having to negotiate and ask lots of questions and feel in …
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Sarah Ballard, experienced doula and postnatal group facilitator who has written a guest blog post about what to do in your postnatal period during these challenging times! Your new baby As anybody knows, having a baby is a challenging yet delicious time, made even harder by these intense …
Well this is totally fucked up isn’t it? Having been in self isolation for 12 days, for what may or may not be Covid-19, I can happily say I’ve run the entire gambit of emotions. I feel completely gutted that I missed the birth of my lovely client but she had an amazing birth and …
The last thing you might be thinking of when you’re preparing for the birth of your baby is food but labour requires energy. Having plenty of snacks with you ensures you don’t run out of fuel! They’re also great to offer your birth team if you’re at home. I’ve put together 5 snacks that I …
“Women planning birth at home or in a freestanding midwife-led unit were more likely to have a normal (vaginal) birth than women planning birth in an alongside midwife-led unit. Women planning birth in any of these 3 places were more likely to have a normal birth than women planning birth in an obstetric unit” NICE …
Why you should plan a home birth if you’re a first time parent and how to do it. Read More »