Much is discussed about what a doula does, or doesn't do. Research consistently shows that women who have the constant emotional support of a lay woman in labour are significantly less likely to request pain relief. But why is this? As a doula-mentor, many doulas who are new to the role tell me Continue Reading
The ‘C’ Word
Choice in Childbirth. What is it, what does it mean and why is it so important? As doulas, we talk about choice all the time, sometimes in a rather casual, throw-away kind of way. We all know about the importance of women having a choice about things like where to have their baby or what medical Continue Reading
Mama on the Move – Breastfeeding with an Audience?
Public breastfeeding, Nursing in Public (NIP) or my daughter's favourite, 'mama on the move' is a controversial subject. Particularly in the US it seems, there is a constant stream of press and blog articles about whether it should be allowed at all, let alone discreetly. The lines seem clearly Continue Reading
Planning a Wedding
This is a guest blog post from my dear, imaginary friend Janet. She wrote me a letter recently with the happy news that she is expecting to get married in the spring. It is copied here verbatim. "Dear Maddie, It was so nice to hear all your news! I'm well too and I have some good news for you - Continue Reading
Nibbling the Biscuits, or, Why I Love Waiting
At the risk of you all getting the impression that I only ever think of my stomach, I am reminded today of the way I used to eat biscuits when I was a child - still do in private, if I'm honest. I first revelled in the anticipation: just knowing they were there, a whole packet of bourbons or jammy Continue Reading
The First Days of Feeding
Babies are usually born with a jolly good covering of brown fat. This is to sustain them in the early days. They don't really need 'feeding' as such in the first few days, in fact, in an average 'feed' is only about 5-7mls at a time. Nature is therefore perfectly designed to start this feeding Continue Reading
Breastfeeding Blues: Feeling Sad When Nursing
This is a guest post by an inspiring mother called Alena Lewis. Her determination to nurse her baby despite the challenge of D-MER. Don't know what that is? Read on! Many thanks, Alena for sharing your story. Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex What the duck is that? I hear you ask... well apart from a Continue Reading
Sharing the Tongue Tie Knowledge
This short summary of the Tongue Tie Study Day with Alison Hazelbaker was written with breastfeeding supporters and doulas in mind. If you are a parent hoping to learn more about tongue tie, you may like to start with this article and the articles on the Analytical Armadillo blog. It heartened me Continue Reading
Carrying Vs Caching – Which are We?
Infant care: Cache or Carry To test the hypothesis that a characteristic infant-care pattern existed during most of human history, contemporary hunter-gatherers in a representative sample of world cultures were examined. Numerically coded measures of infant care revealed a uniform pattern. Mothers Continue Reading