This article is inspired by a post I wrote on facebook. The post prompted a very long thread of thoughts and feelings. Here is what I wrote: The breastfeeding myth about pain being normal is a tough nut to crack. It is common because women haven't grown up learning how to latch a baby and because Continue Reading
Emma’s positive birth story: Hands off my baby!
This is a guest post, kindly donated by Emma, who decided to decline the kind offer of induction and await spontaneous labour. She does not offer this story to persuade you to do the same, should your pregnancy proceed past your 'due date', but to counter-balance some of the pressure society can put Continue Reading
Book Review: All That Matters, by Rebecca Schiller
This short book written for the Guardian by writer, human rights activist and doula, Rebecca Schiller, is easily digested in an hour or two. But don't be misled by its brevity; Schiller has given us an important document. As a breastfeeding counsellor, a core part of my education was reading The Continue Reading
Why Doulas Matter: the book is born! (well, nearly)
So, some of you will know I've been writing a little book. It'll be little in size and word count - just 40,000-odd rambling words about what it has meant to me to be doula and what I have learned about how doulas make a difference. It's a little peek behind the scenes of our rather obsessive, crazy Continue Reading
What the Heck is the Fuss about Tongue Tie?
On one fairly routine day for a postnatal doula I found myself ringing the doorbell of a potential client. Her baby was 2 months old and she wanted some support with the baby while she rested. As I greeted her and cast my eyes around the house, I could see with a glance that all was not Continue Reading
A Woman’s Wish List, by The Noble Savage
The first of a few articles by the wonderful Noble Savage, ex-Doula, Student Midwife and all round good egg. Give women absolute rights over their bodies and reproductive choices. This means allowing women as young as 25 to be sterilised if they do not wish to have children; granting Continue Reading
The Taste of Breastmilk
It has been thought that the taste of our breastmilk can change after exercise, due to a raise in lactic acid levels. This theory appears to have been debunked in this study: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/89/6/1245.short There is evidence, however, that what we eat can affect the Continue Reading
Why Just One Day?
This post is dedicated to all the amazing doulas I know who 'mother the mother', to every breastfeeding support worker I know and to every single mother I have ever supported - you are all incredible. One day? One day of the year we get. Just one. One day to appreciate, to thank, to hug to our Continue Reading
Spoilt For Choice?
Ahhh CHOICE, what an emotive word We live in a world full of it and I sometimes wonder if there is't too much of it - especially when I'm in a supermarket or am flicking through my 100+ TV channels. So I felt moved to look up the definition - so here you are: 1. The act of choosing; Continue Reading
The Father’s Role: Partners are Precious!
Over the last few years I have been honoured to support some amazing fathers. Men who have walked a dark night of the soul all of their own in order to be by the side of their lovers when they give birth. I have watched men step up, and step into their power as fathers. Just like the transition to Continue Reading