What do I do as a doula? Whenever I tell somebody I’m a doula, I usually get the same questions. People have mistakenly thought I’ve said “jeweller” and been disappointed when they learn that actually I can’t create a little item for them to treat themselves for their birthday! Some people ask if I’m a…
I’ve been talking about the power of the mind-body connection with clients today and I wanted to share some things with you. I’ve been focusing on visualisation and affirmations as part of birth preparation, and these are tools which can be really useful for many people. I use the example of thinking about somebody close…
At the weekend I watched a group of women tap to a couple of songs on a stage in front of hundreds of families. Now, I’ve got to say I’m not into tap dancing at all. Although I do love a good Irish dance in ‘heavy’ shoes after spending years Irish dancing. (Sometimes even now,…
Did you know that 1 in 3 women having their first baby will have an assisted birth, using either forceps or ventouse? I’m not sharing that to frighten you. I’m sharing it because I think you deserve to know, and because knowing gives you the chance to do something about it. Forceps and ventouse aren’t…
I’ll be honest, I was juggling a million other things and I didn’t get to watch any of the London Marathon this year. But you cannot possibly avoid it. It’s everywhere. The beautiful videos, the beautiful posts, the amazing photos. Somebody ran it with a big fridge on his back, raising awareness for something his…
I’ve used my hypnobirthing techniques a lot lately. Each time I do, a couple of things happen. I’m reminded of the power these techniques have in changing the trajectory of my feelings. I’m reminded of how this power is inside me, controlled by me. And I’m reminded of the first time I used them, intentionally,…
When I had my first baby, I was so traumatized I said firmly and repeatedly, ‘I’m never doing that again’. I couldn’t even allow the idea to enter my head that I’d ever put myself through that trauma again. I was gutted because I always wanted a big family, I’m one of seven children, but…