All posts tagged: birth preparation

Pregnancy & Birth Conversations: January

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I work with so many parents I am going to start to share just a little bit of the conversations we have and the questions I am asked. I started a new antenatal course last night with a brilliant group where conversation flowed and the questions kept coming. This is why I run small groups and 1:1 sessions, so parents can be honest, they can share and they have a platform to be heard and to focus on their need for knowledge, strategies and reassurance. It’s a privilege to do my job, I work hard at it, it’s my passion and I love working with parents in this way.

Birth Preparation Tips

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Getting parents better prepared for labour and birth is my passion – I aim to ask the right questions and listen to the answers, increase your birth confidence, provide more information about your options and strategies and provide personalised support and reassurance as it is needed. After almost 20 years, I know what can matters when it comes to birth preparation and not all birth preparation is the same: my approach is more than dishing out generic information – it is effective and pro-active birth preparation with resources to use at home and in labour. Just get in touch to find out more about your birth preparation.

Practical Guides To Labour and Birth

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I have written a series of practical guides for labour & birth to accompany my antenatal classes and 1:1 consultations with expectant parents. All 16 titles are now available to download to provide information, strategies, options and reassurance for every expectant parent. These guides are based on my first-hand experience as an antenatal teacher and doula, parent experiences and latest research – they have been designed to prepare you well for the reality of labour and birth and to encourage you to think about your options. I have worked with expectant parents since 2002 and I listen to and learn from every parent I work with – this has a huge impact on my practice and it has enabled me to create a range of labour & birth handbooks which are straight-forward, realistic, practical and beneficial. Practical Guides for Labour & Birth Early Labour Established Labour Giving Birth Relax & Breathe Pain Management Birth Support Labour & Birth Checklist Tips for Labour & Birth Your Birth Bag Your Birth Plan Caesarean Birth Going Over Your Due Date Induction Meeting Your Baby Delivering Your Placenta Your Body After Birth All you need to do …

Straightforward Birth – read well and work with an experienced birth practitioner

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There’s so much information about birth out there, so where do you start? On Social Media…It’s worth following a few good practitioners on social media so you can gather the right information for you. Birth, Baby & FamilyInstagram: @birthbabyandfamilyFacebook: @birthbabyandfamily Evidence Based Birth Practising Midwife Journal Bump, Birth & Beyond Dr Sara Wickham Books…These are some of my favourites because of their brilliant content and the tone is just right! Your No Guilt Pregnancy Plan by Rebecca Schiller The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill The Positive Breastfeeding Book by Amy Brown Give Birth Like A Feminist by Milli Hill Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin Guides…Based on evidence and experience, these guides accompany my antenatal courses.The Practical Guide to Labour & Birth by Janine Smith Not all antenatal classes are the same – work with a good birth practitioner… Good antenatal classes are worth the investment but do your research first, take a look at their website, their social media and get in touch to ask them questions. You might need …

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Managing birth expectations

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It’s a difficult issue and one which is never perfect but it’s an important issue which I try to focus on with my classes and with my writing. Some people have general expectations about birth and others are more fixed, which a specific labour/birth in mind – this is all really valid and normal. Getting the balance right can be difficult though – over the years I have spoken to make mums who have only focused on some type of hypno as their birth prep and have felt completely equipped and prepared for the reality, which could mean more challenges. Every birth practitioner has a difference perspective on this, as does every pregnant woman – some focus only on straightforward birth for fear of jinxing it by learning more about caesareans and interventions, others focus on the straightforward and the complicated. I am a well trained and experienced antenatal teacher and I know dealing with expectations will never be spot on for every expectant parent – my practice is all about knowledge, skills and assertiveness …