General
Why postnatal recovery starts before the birth
I had a lightbulb moment this afternoon whilst chatting with my lovely yoga teacher and therapist friend Stephanie Satriawan. We were musing over the fact that we see more and more women working right up to their due date. It isn’t usual these days to hear stories of women going into labour at work, or…
Read MoreWhy you need to write a postnatal recovery plan
If you’re pregnant or have ever had a baby, you’re heard of birth plans, I’m sure, but have you heard of writing a postnatal plan? I doubt it. As a doula , antenatal teacher and babywearing educator, I’ve been working with expectant and new parents since 2010, so I have met quite a few pregnant…
Read MoreWeaving the cloth of support through a woman's life, part 3: Using the rebozo to support and comfort through pregnancy and birth.
If you’re a birthworker, you will no doubt have heard of the rebozo, this mystical scarf that can be used to support women in all sorts of ways during pregnancy, labour and birth. What is a rebozo? It is a traditional Mexican shawl/scarf that women use for all sorts of purposes: to keep warm, to…
Read MoreWeaving the cloth of support through a woman’s life, part 2: Why every parent supporter should know about slings
As a parent supporter, why should YOU know about slings? I feel that this is an essential part of reclaiming ancient wisdom about gentle parenting-for both parents and baby. That wearing a baby in a sling not only allows the parent to meet the needs of their baby effortlessly whilst getting their hands back, but…
Read MoreWeaving the cloth of support through a woman's life, part 1: an overview of using fabric to support women throughout their lives.
This morning I was writing the teaching plan for my new rebozo workshop when I had an epiphany: all the work I do, whether it being rebozo, closing the bones or baby wearing (read about that in the next parts of this blog), involves using a piece of cloth to support women. Then it hit…
Read MoreEvidenced based woo, or the confessions of a hippy scientist, part 2
As a scientist, one of the things that irritate the hell out of me is when people dismiss complimentary therapies by saying that they aren’t evidence based. We live in a narrow minded, sceptic’s culture, whereby anything that hasn’t been proven to be true in a double blind randomised controlled trial is dismissed as quackery.…
Read MoreBeing not doing as a postnatal doula
It’s a well known fact in the doula community that the essence of a doula is about being not doing. Recently I reflected upon how important this is as a postnatal doula too. The interesting thing is, doulaing for postnatal families, is like all doula work : a mix of informational, emotional and…
Read MoreTen things I wish I had known before I became a doula.
I wish I had known how much awe I would feel watching a woman birth her baby. I wish I had known how much sacredness there is in birth-when the baby has just been born there is this incredible energy in the room-it is so palpable you can almost touch it. I wish I had…
Read MoreTen things a doula does to prepare you for the birth of your baby, or why antenatal preparation is so important
Most people do not realise that the most important part of a doula’s work is done BEFORE she comes to support you during the birth of your baby. So, here are ten things a doula may do for you: 1) We get to meet at least twice (this doesn’t include the interview), so we…
Read MoreConfessions of a hippy scientist, part one
I have a confession to make: I’m a scientist by background, but (shhh), I’m also quite into a lot of woo stuff. Yes you read that right. On paper, when reading my bio, you might have picked me because of my PhD in biology. You find that reassuring, I get that. I would too. You…
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