Not in Africa or Asia, but right here, right now, literally miles from your front door. As I type this, there are families with new babies struggling to feed their families, living in a cold, temporary camp and attempting to make up baby bottles without access to hot water or sterilising Continue Reading
Silence Isn’t Always Golden
Dear Adele, Once, when I lived in Spain, walking home one night from work, a man jumped out at me. He grabbed me from behind and threw me to the floor. He tore huge chunks of hair from my head and proceeded to try to rape me, tearing my summer dress from my body. I fought, adrenaline coursing Continue Reading
You What? Or, 10 Confusing Things Health Professionals Say
I thought by now, after 12 years of hanging around in hospitals, that I might be feeling a little bit bilingual, atuned somehow to the language and culture. Yet I still feel like a visitor to another world. Like I've been dumped, unceremonially, on an alien planet and told to get on with attempting Continue Reading
Coercing with kindness?
'She's so kind, she spent 20 minutes telling me about why the induction is the best choice. I should do it really. I wouldn't want to disappoint her'. 'He was so gentle and caring and understanding. I'm sure what he says must be for the best'. 'She's told me that it would be dangerous to stay Continue Reading
Men, Love and Birth…and a few giggles
Before we start this review, a small disclaimer is probably necessary. I know Mark Harris, the author of this new book on birth and, after a couple of years of online interaction, some lovely chinwags on the phone and a few real world hugs, I would consider him a mate. Still, I hope I'd be a good Continue Reading
I Love You, Even When You’re Closed-Minded
I remember a particular teacher during my school career who used to shout at us, "QUESTION EVERYTHING", "NEVER ACCEPT THE STATUS QUO", "NEVER ASSUME YOU'RE RIGHT". We giggled and pretended to ignore her, too cool for school at the back of the class. But somewhere, sometime, somehow, those words have Continue Reading
The Who’s Who of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding mums can have a variety of people rock up to help in the early days - and in my experience, many parents can be pretty confused as to who's who and what experience and qualifications they have. This seems like a massive shame to me - personally, if I wanted to learn Italian, I'd want Continue Reading
Splashing Out on a Doula
I’ve been a doula for a long time. Looking back, I think I was born this way. I am absolutely fascinated by people; what makes them tick, their hopes, their dreams, their fears. It makes me yearn to listen hard to both what people say and the unsaid fragments between the lines. When you listen, for Continue Reading
Kalpana
I have a three and a half week old son. His tongue tie wasn't spotted in hospital, despite us asking and me having feeding issues. We were in hospital for a week and asked numerous times. It was only picked up once home by a BfN Supporter. By then I was slowly slipping into depression. I felt Continue Reading
Ouch, Ooh and Ahh: how to undermine breastfeeding in one simple step
I had an interesting day yesterday. I should have been at the ABM Conference but due to waiting for a baby, this doula was stuck in Cambridge, so I attended a local parenting show. There were a few exhibitors in our local town hall so I had a little wander around to see who was there. Now, as a Continue Reading