By Lyndsey Hookway I’ve had a lot of clients lately who I helped with their first child, and have recently emailed me with the happy news that they’re expecting again – every single one of them has asked about baby sleep tips for expectant parents. They are so wise! The best way to deal with baby sleep is proactively. This is not a post about early scheduling, strict sleep training or controlled crying by the way! If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that’s not what I’m about. Here are my favourite proactive baby sleep tips. Oh, and congratulations! Bond before birth Time and t ..read more

Reviewed by Lucy Bennett Publisher: AIMS The AIMS Guide to Twin Pregnancy and Birth should be a go-to read for those who are expecting multiples as well as for maternity professionals who seek to support multiple births. I went into this book with a fairly thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of singleton birth but a ridiculously basic understanding of twin pregnancy and birth. I understood the difference between identical and non identical twin pregnancies, however I never knew that you could have more than one amniotic sac or placentas. This is just one of the many things th ..read more

By Sophie Brigstocke What is a doula? It’s a question we ask before the start of any doula course because there is still a lack of clarity for many people about what a doula actually is or does.  Recently I worked with a lovely group of yoga teachers and asked them to define what a doula does.  The words “cheerleader” and “coach” were a couple of the ideas that came back, and “gatekeeper” is another I’ve heard many times before now.  I’ll be honest – I struggle with all of those definitions. Why?  Because each of them tells me a story that doesn’t feel quite right. The che ..read more

By Sophie Brigstocke, Nurturing Birth Owner and Doula Training Facilitator A couple of years ago I decided to read the autobiographical tale “It’s Going to Hurt” by Adam Kay.  In it he recounts his journey as a junior doctor, choosing to specialize in obstetrics and gynaecology.  It was interesting, and challenging, to read his thoughts around birth and how to support labouring women and people as an Obstetrician.  It’s perhaps not surprising that a lot of his views about birth are quite different to mine.  In the book I was quite affected by a passage in which he wrote ab ..read more

By Sophie Brigstocke Over at The Naked Doula where we did an Instagram takeover recently, we asked people to share the myths they had heard about doulas, The most common by far were:    Doulas are expensive and  Doulas are a luxury, not available to most people   Given that we talk about the power of language a great deal on our doula courses I really want to dive into that word ‘luxury’.    When I was pregnant for the first time the only person I knew who had recently had a baby was my sister-in-law.  When I reached out to her she starting te ..read more

A Guest Post By Kelly Brusch of Mindfulbirthing.org Are you experiencing stress, anxiety, or fear during your pregnancy? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. For many, pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting can be both a joyous and overwhelming experience. Normal levels of stress, anxiety, and/or fear are to be expected; however sometimes these feelings can become problematic. Research shows that in fact stress during pregnancy can be a contributing factor to preterm labour, a decrease in the quality of the childbirth experience, and an increase in postpartum depression. The good news ..read more

By Emma Ashworth Since the dawn of humanity, women and people giving birth have been attended by someone they know and trust, and have a relationship with. It is only in the last 70 years or so that we are having our babies surrounded by people we’ve never met before, with a move towards hospital birth being more common than home birth. Yet, during birth, our bodies work best when we feel relaxed, safe and nurtured, and when we are going through such an intimate experience as having a baby this can be harder to do when we are surrounded by strangers. There are ongoing campaigns to encour ..read more

Sophie’s in a field – she’s fired up by a story she’s just read about a celebrity not breastfeeding and the reasons she gave.  Sophie talks about her desire to debunk some of the popular breastfeeding myths out there, but also the need for women and families to have access to evidence-based research in order to make informed choices about how they choose to feed their baby. Did you know that doulas offer non-judgemental support, giving you the time and space to explore your feeding options without pressure? For free breastfeeding support call the National Breastfeeding Helpline, or check ..read more

Sophie chats about birth plans after reading two very differing opinions about them recently.  What are your thoughts about birth plans – a good or a bad thing?  Does it empower you to consider your options, or create unrealistic expectations? If you want to find a doula who will support you antenatally, help prepare a birth preferences/wishes and attend your birth then visit the Nurturing Birth Directory Click here to watch Sophie’s video on preparing for a baby in your life and relationship   The post The Birth Plan – a video blog appeared first on Nurturing Birth Directory ..read more