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
“We Are Not Animals”…A Day in the Dunkirk Refugee Camp
This article is about the help that refugees need in the camp in Dunkirk. A camp that is under resourced and forgotten. 1000 people, including babies and children, are living in damp, cold wooden sheds. The infant feeding team need money and volunteers. Read on for details and a link to donate. Continue Reading
Babies, Bottles and Feeling Bad..Or…Bog Off Guilt!
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
You What? Or, 10 Confusing Things Health Professionals Say
I thought by now, after 12 years of hanging around in hospitals, that I might be feeling a little bit bilingual, atuned somehow to the language and culture. Yet I still feel like a visitor to another world. Like I've been dumped, unceremonially, on an alien planet and told to get on with attempting Continue Reading
Coercing with kindness?
'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
Are you a doula who wants all the glory?
PART ONE Are you? It's ok to admit it. We're all human and we all just love to be able to help; to have the key that unlocks a problem or be the bearer of good news. Most of us would admit to liking it just a little bit when a client says: If it weren't for you.... So it's hardly surprising that Continue Reading
Splashing Out on a Doula
I’ve been a doula for a long time. Looking back, I think I was born this way. I am absolutely fascinated by people; what makes them tick, their hopes, their dreams, their fears. It makes me yearn to listen hard to both what people say and the unsaid fragments between the lines. When you listen, for Continue Reading
Ouch, Ooh and Ahh: how to undermine breastfeeding in one simple step
I had an interesting day yesterday. I should have been at the ABM Conference but due to waiting for a baby, this doula was stuck in Cambridge, so I attended a local parenting show. There were a few exhibitors in our local town hall so I had a little wander around to see who was there. Now, as a Continue Reading
Mother talks about her experiences with her Tongue Tied baby
https://youtu.be/bxZj-3FS-6o This is Anne Harper, owner of the blog and facebook support group Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths. Here she talks about having 3 children, all with some form of oral restriction and why she chose to travel from N.Ireland to England to get some support and division of her Continue Reading
No pain, no gain? What EXACTLY do we mean by breastfeeding pain?
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