All posts tagged: birth preparation

labour and birth newcastle and tyneside

Pain

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A constant pain in my head for the last day has made me reflect on pain – it’s really not pleasant and I wish it would stop now. I don’t know what it causing it and it will start to wear me down but, for now, I am being positive that it is a migraine or a sinus issue rather than a brain tumour or a stroke. As an antenatal teacher, I talk about pain a lot – I get asked questions about pain and contractions. And knowledge and acceptance is crucial for labour pains – we need strong, powerful contractions. Labour is about endurance, the muscles of your uterus are working hard. Understanding why contractions hurt, how you can work with them and what might make them more painful really helps but everyone’s experience of labour is so individual and pain is so subjective – it can be can be so fast, it takes your breath away or it can plod on for hours and hours, never seeming like the end will come. And …

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.

being induced

Do you feel confident about labour and birth?

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Childbirth can be straightforward and empowering but it can also be challenging and a test of endurance so it is worth being equipped with good knowledge, practical skills and strategies, birth confidence and realistic expectations of both straightforward and more complicated labour. Going into labour without knowing more of what to expect could leave you struggling to stay calm and unable to work with your contractions. It can help to think about… Do you feel confident about working with your contractions? Do you understand what your body needs to do to bring you your baby? Do you know how to use your breathing to stay calm and focused? Do you have any questions about using movement & positions? What do you expect from your midwife? What birth support might you need? What could be helpful to you during labour? What could be unhelpful during labour? Do you know what an induction might involve and how to manage it? Do you know what a caesarean involves? If you need/choose an epidural, do you know how to …

What type of birth do you want?

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The response to this varies a lot and there’s obviously no exact answer – it’s so personal to everyone but that’s the point. It’s an important question to think about because it goes beyond just wanting everyone to be ok – we all want that – it can help you to focus on what you would like your labour and birth to be like, what your options are and how you make that happen. I work with expectant parents who have such different birth preparation needs – caesarean, induction, anxiety, homebirth, wanting an undisturbed labour, wanting an epidural – my job is to provide the information as well as posing the questions to work out options and strategies for more control and calm rather than over medical if that isn’t needed. Think about what you would like it to look like and then explore your options to make that happen. Labour and birth don’t have to be medically cold and without options – caesareans can be calm, induction can involve positions and gravity and a …

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.