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Natural homebirth – not just for hippies! Guest post by Paula Cleary

23rd March 2020 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

Today's post is a guest piece by my lovely friend Paula Cleary, doula and childbirth educator in Norfolk. This article went rather viral a while ago (funny how that is such a loaded word these days) but has been homeless for a while. Paula would like it to live here for a bit and for that, I am very Continue Reading

Building Bridges: Questions Midwives Ask About Doulas

20th November 2019 By doulamaddie 3 Comments

Over the years I have been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to talk to groups of midwives about the doula role on a number of occasions. Sometimes they are student midwives and sometimes experienced, qualified midwives. The last couple of years I have had the pleasure of talking to Continue Reading

Saying Thank You To Midwives: Do you not believe me, or do you not want to?

15th November 2019 By doulamaddie 1 Comment

doula with a midwife

  Today's post is a guest submission written by Ruth Pay, birth and postnatal doula in Kent and South London. Thank you so much for your words, Ruth - your thoughts on gratitude and how it is accepted are so interesting and I'm sure many of us will be able to identify with Continue Reading

Complementary Therapies in Maternity Care: are we blind to the bias?

12th November 2019 By doulamaddie 4 Comments

I was scared. VERY. I am dreadfully phobic of enclosed spaces and didn't know how I was going to cope with an MRI. For a while I considered putting it off but I realised that being a doula has given me a number of useful tools. First, I reached out to a friend who was able to use her Continue Reading

A Handful of Gemstones: Doulas Celebrate Wonderful Midwives and Doctors

15th October 2019 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

I recently wrote a post about some of the things that are said to parents to cajole, manipulate or threaten them into accepting interventions. This is a widespread problem but the last thing I would want is for my readers to think that I have an unrelentingly negative view and experience of the way Continue Reading

NMC Stop Ignoring Us: We actually give a toss where and with whom we give birth!

13th March 2017 By doulamaddie 9 Comments

Once I was with a woman in labour. She was labouring at home. It took quite a while for this particular labour to reach boiling point. We were lucky enough to see 6 midwives in that time. All smiling, patient, understanding of her birthwishes and really, really wanting her to get what she wanted. Continue Reading

Babies, Bottles and Feeling Bad..Or…Bog Off Guilt!

8th July 2016 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

GUILT...5 little letters that pack a punch way above the space they take up on the page. 5 little letters that are a heavy cross to bear when you are a parent. For some reason, that burden seems to fall even more heavily on mothers. Every tiny thing we do comes loaded with worry, doubt and Continue Reading

Coercing with kindness?

17th December 2015 By doulamaddie 5 Comments

'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

21st October 2015 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

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

31st July 2015 By doulamaddie 2 Comments

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

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