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Use Your Loaf: The Curse of the Baby Hat

26th July 2022 By doulamaddie 9 Comments

It's deeply ingrained, this habit of putting hats on newborns. Search online for images of newborns and almost all of them are togged up in a woolly hat, for all the world like they are about to go outside for a snowball fight. So why do we do it? And why do so many midwives and doctors insist that Continue Reading

Weaponising the Ockenden Report

7th April 2022 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

baby shoes in wheat field

  This Guest Post is an edited version of an article which appeared on www.thearticle.com on 28 March, with the title The Ockenden Report: are we making natural birth a scapegoat? reproduced by permission of the editor. The author Sarah Johnson is a doula and birth educator and has Continue Reading

Birth Choices: Shopping Around

1st May 2021 By doulamaddie 1 Comment

I am frequently told stories by clients, or witness conversations between pregnant people and their care providers that perplex me. On one hand, care providers often seem to feel they have a duty to ensure my clients comply with the care pathway they deem to be 'appropriate'. On the other, my 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

Inducements For Induction: is it really a choice when push comes to shove?

8th October 2019 By doulamaddie Leave a Comment

INDUCE: verb gerund or present participle: inducing succeed in persuading or leading (someone) to do something. "the pickets induced many workers to stay away" Of course, the definition we usually use in maternity care is: bring about or give rise to. "none of Continue Reading

Parents or Judges, Juries and Jailers?

23rd June 2019 By doulamaddie 2 Comments

My daughter Libby, who taught me so much about parenting

Would you order your life partner to stop swearing? Or manhandle them onto the naughty step? How about sending your girlfriend to her bedroom? Would you consider it appropriate if your husband sent you to bed or dictated what you wore?   The chances are, if one adult acted towards another 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

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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