My hypnobirthing journey is so special because within 18 months I birthed two absolutely beautiful little boys. Each birth was completely unique, but both were guided by the hypnobirthing philosophies so here is my journey. It really began a good 6 years before I even became pregnant; whilst I was watching the show ‘One Born...
Knowing what your choices are and making informed decisions is the best start to any labour. Adrianna shares her birth story, where she was initially booked in for an induction, yet after looking at all her options and evidence-based resources and confirming that she was well and her baby was doing well, she then used...
Your birth choices will have a huge impact on the way you give birth and may also affect your postpartum experience so you have to be prepared. Anastasia shares her birth story and how important it was for her to do independent childbirth classes and have an independent midwife so that her and her husband felt...
A caesarean is major abdominal surgery, so you can expect to experience some level of pain afterwards. Your healthcare provider will ensure that you have medications to help you cope with the pain. It is important that you have support after you leave the hospital to ensure a speedy recovery. It can take anywhere between...
Sometimes it can be really hard for your partner or birth support person who is a friend or family member to see you in pain during labour. Having the right people there can really make a difference with the outcome of your birth. Let’s be clear here – the most important person in that birthing...
In sharing my experience, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Sebastian was born at 9.03am on the 8th September weighing 8-pound 3.5 oz. Even with the knowledge you gave us, I suppose you don’t truly know how it will be until you go through it. Next time I don’t think I’ll go private. As you warned...
There is a lot of confusion around the safe diffusing of essential oils and the use of traditional oil “burners” (vaporisers) and diffusers during labour and birth. It is not just about the smell. Essential oils are made up of chemicals – even chemicals found in nature can have adverse effects on the mind and...
There is so much to write about Aromatherapy; however this is just a very basic overview of aromatherapy in pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period highlighting the important things to help mums and their birth partners understand how they can use essential oils confidently and safely Aromatherapy is the use of 100% pure essential...
There are many natural induction methods that may help to trigger the start of labour, but these too can also create stress and frustration when they don’t work. It is also important to remember that you’re not designed to be pregnant forever, so you can trust your body to do what it is meant to...
In our medically advanced society, massage can often be over-looked as an important part of pregnancy health care. However, this tried and tested tradition is one of the oldest forms of the healing arts and has been used for thousands of years in almost every culture. Every pregnant woman deserves some pampering and massage is...
When I am performing pregnancy massage, one of the most common questions I get asked is how to turn a breech baby? I think it is really important that mums understand that sometimes they just need to be patient. Do all you can to encourage your baby into a vertex (head down) position early on,...