When I was a little girl I was always grazing my knees climbing trees and falling off my bike. I used to love picking at the scabs, worrying away at the edges to see if it was ready to come off. I loved seeing the brand new pink skin underneath. My mum told me scabs were 'nature's plaster' and to 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
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
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
Gentle Birth Companions, 2nd Edition: A Review
I am ashamed at how long it's taken me to start writing this review. My head space and time has been taken up with the publication of my own book on doulas, so I come to this later than I wanted. I have to start by being transparent. This probably won't be the most objective review you ever read. 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
What is an ‘IBCLC’ and Why I’ll Probably Never Be One
OK, before we start, here's a disclaimer: this is a rant. A rather personal one - although there are many people in the same situation and it does have ramifications for breastfeeding support in this country (UK). I'll do my best not to come across as a moaning minny and to find the positives as I 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
Hypernatraemia in newborns: A study
"Neonatal hypernatraemia at this level, in this population, is strongly associated with weight loss. It occurs almost exclusively after attempts to initiate breast feeding, occurs uncommonly and does not appear to be associated with serious short term morbidities, beyond admission to Continue Reading
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The debilitating symptoms of PTSD are often mistaken for postnatal depression. Milli Hill investigates the causes of this trauma and what needs to be done to raise awareness and provide support for the parents Continue Reading