We might be stuck at home, but the wonders of the World Wide Web can bring us together, create and maintain strong bonds and enable us to achieve a lot of what we used to do face to face! If you are self isolating or limiting social contact currently, but need some support, I am happy to talk to Continue Reading
A Watched Pot Never Boils: Waiting for Labour to Begin
We have been lying to women for years. Labour doesn't 'start' when we are 3 or 4 or even 5 cms. The birth process started weeks ago, when your body and brain began to change. Waiting for labour to begin can be a time of impatience and discomfort at the best of times, but these days it can be even Continue Reading
Mothering the Mother
I’m writing yet another ‘what is a doula and what do we do?’ article. Why? Because I was asked to - but it’s hard. There are hundreds of these articles, scattered all over the web, trying to explain the role of the doula and attempting to address the many myths that surround us. It’s hard because I Continue Reading
Doula definitions & myth busting
According to the Oxford English dictionary a doula is A woman who gives assistance and advice to a new or expectant mother, either informally or professionally; esp. a woman (typically without formal obstetric training) employed to provide guidance and continuous support during labour. It's fab Continue Reading
Twin Birth – How it CAN Be
A very special, very strong, determined and wonderful client has given me permission to share her story here. After a homebirth first time round, she had implicit faith in her body's ability to grow and birth her babies in a very ordinary, normal way. It took us a while to get our equally trusting, Continue Reading
Ricki Lake strikes again
Birth and Death
This short film explains why so many women worldwide die in childbirth and what we can do about it. The White Ribbon Alliance are presenting this film at the G8. I happen to think it should include a call for all governments to promote and support exclusive natural term breastfeeding, as this single Continue Reading
Study on continuous support in labour
I've just been made aware of this study: http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003766.html It makes clear the benefits of having continuous support from another woman in labour who is not a member of the hospital staff. What I find interesting is that the other statistically significant findings are Continue Reading
Do We Need Antibiotics for Premature Rupture of Membranes?
Articles The Lancet, Volume 372, Issue 9646, Pages 1310 - 1318, 11 October 2008 Editors' note: In 2001, the ORACLE I trial showed that in women with premature rupture of the fetal membranes, but no overt sign of infection, erythromycin and co-amoxiclav prolonged pregnancy and erythromycin also Continue Reading
A Birth Film For Fathers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVf4rzam0Xo This trailer looks interesting. It looks like it will be a film that aims to empower fathers to protect their babies and partners during labour, birth and immediately postpartum. Filmed in the US. Continue Reading