choice
Inducing labour with Castor oil : is it safe?
Castor oil induction has bad press in the UK. Negative stories abound, claiming severe negative effects on mother and baby. For years, I too believed this to be true. I took it for granted that it was dangerous. A couple of years ago a doula told me that several of her clients had successfully induced…
Read MoreOnline services-why should you pay for them?
It’s a very strange and stressful time we are living right now, especially if you are pregnant. There is, understandably, a lot of anxiety about the unpredictable and fast changing nature of maternity services. I am seeing a lot of comments on social media about people wanting free antenatal classes (because their hospital ones got…
Read MoreAre you focusing too much on what you’re not doing?
I’m writing this as a reflection on myself, but really hope it helps others too. I have noticed this dichotomy between how I perceive myself professionally and how others perceive me. I tend to focus more on what I’m not yet doing, rather than what I’m doing. This means I beat myself up very often…
Read MoreValentines day is bullshit
Today is Valentines day. Up until a few years ago, I bought into the “romantic” idea of it. I don’t anymore. I guess you might have got that from the title of this post already 😉 I think it ‘s a piece of commercial bullshit, and it just makes me laugh, to be honest. The…
Read MoreLove and fear-more than ever
I am sure I am not the only one who feels this at the moment. We aren’t in a particularly happy space in the world right now. I spoke to several friends recently about the doom and gloom of my Facebook feed. Some people have chosen to give themselves a social media break as they…
Read MoreDo as you’re told, dearie, or the end of independent midwifery.
I am fuming. At the beginning of January, and with almost no warning, the NMC (Nurse and Midwifery Council) declared IMUK (Independent Midwifes UK) insurance policy not fit for purpose. And just like that, without warning, they put an end to independent midwifery practise in the UK. This has left many expectant mothers who had booked…
Read MoreInduction of labour- do you know what you’re letting yourself in for?
Induction of labour in the bane of many birthworkers lives (and of many pregnant women’s too). In the area I live in, it is reaching epidemic proportions (about 35% of first time mothers) Deciding to consent to induction is a complex decision, one that should be fully supported, without pressure or coercion, so that women…
Read MoreSlow the f*ck down-how to look after yourself after the birth of your baby
Looking after new mums recently, I’ve been reminded how the message we get from our culture is seriously wrong. This emphasis on “getting back to normal” is bullshit There is no “normal” just after you’ve had a baby. This isn’t a bloody race. Yet everything is geared towards you pretending that nothing has happened, and the…
Read MoreChoosing love over fear as a birthworker
As a doula the biggest lesson since I started supporting women has been to choose love over fear. I remember very early on in my doula life I witnessed a very traumatic birth -it was traumatic for the parents, and it was extremely traumatic for me. I cried for days afterwards. The mother had an…
Read MoreThe impostor syndrome in the birth world
Do you sometimes suffer from impostor syndrome? Do you worry that you do not know enough, that you haven’t got enough to offer? I’ve been reminded this week that we all have different levels of knowledge. That others know more than us and that we know more than others. This doesn’t mean that we…
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