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
Gentle Birth Companions
Gentle Birth Companions: doulas in the UK by Adela Stockton SYNOPSIS ‘doula’: lay birth and postnatal companion, provides sustained emotional and practical support to expectant women, new mothers and their families, during the time around childbirth Marking ten years since the arrival of the doula 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
Breastfeeding Support-Doulas: Boundaries and Benefits
I've spent my working life thinking about boundaries in one capacity or another and have been through the pain of working out why it's important for me to understand where my role begins and ends as a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and doula course leader and believe me, sometimes it's difficult to Continue Reading
Why doulas?
A doula provides emotional and practical support which enables you to have the most satisfying and empowering time that you can during pregnancy, birth and the early days as a new mother. This type of support also helps the whole family to relax and enjoy the experience. There are several key Continue Reading
Evaluating Research About Pregnancy and Birth.
So, you're pregnant? Wonderful, isn't it, how you're suddenly surrounded by friends, family and professionals, all giving you the benefit of their sage advice? Anecdotes and opinions about being pregnant and giving birth abound. How much of what you hear is actually evidence-based, though - and does Continue Reading
Getting Between the Sheets of the Bed-Sharing Debate
In the true spirit of this site, we'd like to make sure our readers have access to the facts about bed-sharing - especially in the light of press coverage about the SWISS study. A couple of facts: A cot death means a death in a cot - not in the parental bed. The correct term is SIDS - Sudden Infant Continue Reading