Latest reads from my blog
Rebozo techniques for relaxation during uncertain times
I’m seeing a lot of understandably anxious pregnant women since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis. What will happen to my appointments and when I go into labour? Will I have to give birth alone? What will happen after the birth? I’ve tried to address as many of these questions in this blog about pregnancy…
Online learning and support for pregnancy, birth and beyond-how does it work?
Online learning and support for pregnancy, birth and beyond-how does it work? As we navigate the unexpected and unstable changes happening in our world right now, a lot of peoples are moving from offering them face to face to online. Some of these things that may feel normal and already be part of your life…
Pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period during the pandemic -what do you need to know?
Updated 24/03/20 in line with new RCOG guidelines If you are pregnant right now, I can imagine that the unpredictability of the pandemic situation might make you feel anxious. I am writing this to try and help allay fears, as well as suggest of list of ways you can get support for yourself. We haven’t…
A guide to postpartum recovery during the pandemic
I am writing a book on postnatal recovery. The pandemic lockdown inspired me to write a mini emergency postnatal recovery plan, as for the foreseeing future, most women in the UK (and in many other places in the world) are likely to be at home alone with their babies, with support from only a very…
The incredible things doulas do to support their clients
A criticism that is commonly heard in the doula world is that doulas are expensive. In the UK, healthcare is free at the point of contact. This can lead some people to believe that they shouldn’t pay for services when it comes to supporting people around anything linked to health and well-being. Last week, I…
Drum healing, bullshit?
I want to tell my story into drum healing because I hope that it may encourage others to explore this modality too. Before I moved from science into doulaing I had a friend called Peter Voshol who is a scientist and a shaman and made drums and did drum healing. I remember thinking :drum healing?…
Nurturing postpartum recipes-Chicken and red date soup
Yesterday I cooked and delivered a traditional Chinese postpartum dish called chicken and red date soup to a new mother. It is a tradition I started a few years ago when I supported my first Chinese client as a birth doula. She found me by asking if there was a Chinese doula in the local…
Why I want to change the nature of postnatal support
Earlier this week I wrote a blog that’s been playing on my mind for many years. It’s called “why I wish I had hired a postnatal doula” In this blog I explain how challenging I found new motherhood, how lonely and upset I felt through those early weeks and how I longed for some support…
Why I wish I had hired a postnatal doula
When I was pregnant with my first child, I hired a birth doula. This was the best thing I have ever done and it has had positive effects beyond anything I could have expected, because it didn’t just impact how positive my pregnancy and birth were, it led to a complete transformation of who I…