Posts Tagged ‘pospartum’
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…
Read MoreWhy 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…
Read MoreWhy I wish I had hired a postnatal doula
When I was pregnant with my son I hired a birth doula, the wonderful Maddie McMahon. 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…
Read MoreHow a doula can support you if you are having a planned cesarean birth
It’s a commonly held belief that there is no point having a doula if you are having a planned cesarean, and I want to debunk this myth. I too, once believed that I couldn’t justify charging to support a woman who was having a planned caesarean. There would be no on call period, no phone…
Read MoreRebozos, shawls and scarves : the lost art of supporting women through the childbearing years
I was introduced to the art of using a traditional Mexican shawl called a rebozo to comfort birthing women at my doula course by Maddie McMahon in 2008. Whilst I developed my antenatal and doula career, in my usual, knowledge junkie style, whislst I learn to use the tool for myself, I decided to learn…
Read Morerebozo master class
I did a 45 min rebozo master class on facebook yesterday and I have uploaded it so you can watch it here
Read MoreWhy baby books and “experts” can really harm you after you have a baby
I just read a great piece of research by professor Amy Brown, that shows that reading baby books that recommend strict routines for babies is associated with poor mental health. “New research from academics in the Department of Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences has explored the link between parenting books that encourage parents to try and put…
Read MoreNurturing postpartum recipes, part2, groaning cake
I love expressing my nurturing nature to new mamas by giving them something delicious and nourishing to eat, and what is more nourishing than a home baked cake? After reading Ami McKay “The birth house” a few years ago, I started baking this traditional cake called a groaning cake for my doula clients. The…
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