I often get asked about Hypnobirthing and whether I recommend it. What you learn in a hypnobirthing course is very similar to certain aspects of pregnancy yoga, so I absolutely recommend it! Hypnobirthing addresses the impact of language use during someone’s pregnancy and birthing journey. Hypnobirthing teaches you the power of words have on your psyche. Let’s …
Are you worried you may not get the support you want or need? Is your birth partner anxious that they won’t know how to help you in the way you need them to? Get your birth partner prepared before the big day by giving them a list of how they can help you in the …
I used my TENS machine throughout my early labour phase (which lasted 36 hours!) and well into my active labour phase, right until I stepped in my birth pool. My TENS machine was an ABSOLUTE lifesaver! Whilst it didn’t take away the sensations completely, it made them more manageable and took away the intensity. When …
Perhaps you’ve already heard of the importance of the pelvic floor. It acts like a hammock for our internal organs. It holds up our uterus, bladder, intestines, (basically all your abdominal organs) in place. Throughout pregnancy with your uterus and baby growing and becoming heavier extra strain is placed on the pelvic floor. A weak …
Something is happening! I love reading birth stories, and especially those of home births. So thought I would share the story of how Sienna arrived earthside! My surges started at 2am on Sunday. I had had a brilliant evening beforehand when my cousin came by for dinner – our first post-lockdown get-together. We ended up …
One of the most common concerns for women is the thought of tearing during childbirth. In fact, a quick google search using the keywords “how to reduce the risk of tearing during birth” shows about 380,000 results in 0.47 seconds! It was probably the only thing that I was anxious about before my labour. Because …
Collecting colostrum is sometimes termed colostrum harvesting. This is when you hand express colostrum before your baby is born. In a survey in 2016 (by Gestational Diabetes UK), a whooping 77% were not happy with the information and support giving around colostrum harvesting at their hospital. This is one of the reasons why I talked …
There is a growing trend in eating your own placenta for health benefits – this is called placentophagy. You may have heard of some people eating their own placenta and raving about the benefits. Or you may get squeamish at the thought of eating an organ that your body has made! In my last instagram …
What is optimal cord clamping? And why does it differ to delayed cord clamping? Your placenta is an amazing organ that feeds your baby with nutrients from your own oxygenated blood. It also removes your baby’s waste products. At birth, a third of your baby’s blood is still retained inside the placenta and it takes …
Two months before giving birth, I started to think of the essentials to pack for my hospital birth bag. Whilst doing research I came across some common items, which in my opinion were a mistake to pack. Keep reading if you don’t want to make these common mistakes when packing your own hospital bag! I …
