If you’re pregnant and trawling instagram for inspiration, you can’t have escaped the photos of the beaming woman in the birth pool, her partner behind her, their newborn in their arms, the fairy lights twinkling in the background. Even celebrities are getting in on the act, most recently, Hilary Duff shared this beautiful image of her second home water birth.   Waterbirth safety has at times been called into question, but a large retrospective cohort study of over 46, ooo women published on 26th March 2021 in the BMC concluded: No association between water birth & specific adverse ..read more

THIRD TRIMESTER: Week 34 to 40+ You: This is the time that some call ‘Zwischen’, the land of ‘in-between’. It offers you an opportunity to just be fully present in this half-way house between pregnancy and motherhood, whilst at the same time, external pressures such as work, and the pressure to begin labour on or before your due date, can distract you and make you stressed. Try, if you can, to stay calm and take the opportunity to connect with your baby and gather your physical and emotional strength for the birth and new motherhood. You may start to notice changes in your feelings and your b ..read more

THIRD TRIMESTER: Week 28 to 33 You: Pregnancy might feel great at this point, or it may start to be tough, in particular if you are experiencing back or pelvic pain. Talk to your midwife about what may help with this, but you may find a support belt useful and being in water can also be a great relief as the water takes the weight. You may also notice more stretch marks during this time or possibly the ‘linea nigra’, a darker vertical line that runs across your bump. You might also feel ‘braxton hicks’ from this time onwards – these are gentle tightenings in your bump which are your uterus ‘p ..read more

SECOND TRIMESTER: Week 23 to 27 You: If you haven’t already felt the first flutters of movement, you should definitely do so during this time, as your baby continues to leap around your still roomy uterus. As they get bigger, they will have less room to move, and so the sensations will change. And, as they get bigger – so do you, which may mean you start to feel more uncomfortable, particularly at night.  If you are struggling to get comfy, try the Snoozle sheet, or supporting yourself with a maternity support pillow, which you can use after your baby is born to support you during feedin ..read more

SECOND TRIMESTER: Week 18 to 22 You: If you didn’t already you will almost certainly be looking and ‘feeling’ more pregnant as you come towards this half way point. Pregnancy is different for everyone, but – fingers crossed – this is also the time when you might begin to feel like you’re ‘blooming’. It’s amazing how strong and powerful you can feel, whilst on other days or times you may feel tired or vulnerable. If it feels right and all is well with you, you can carry on with your usual exercise routine throughout pregnancy, and you can also continue to have sex – which you might be really i ..read more

SECOND TRIMESTER: Week 13 to 17 You: Coming into the second trimester is usually a great relief. This is a time when the risk of miscarriage, which can be so worrying in the first trimester, lowers significantly, and when so-called ‘morning sickness’ can ease or disappear entirely. You might start to feel a bit less tired and like you are hitting your stride. You may also ‘go public’ with your pregnancy during this time, and possibly find your boobs are getting bigger and you are starting to notice a little baby bump. Your baby: These weeks are a time of more rapid growth for your baby, seein ..read more

FIRST TRIMESTER: Week 0 – 12 You: For some of this time you may not even know you are pregnant, and once you find out (usually around week 5), it will probably take you a while to absorb the monumental news. Be prepared for a wide range of emotions, from joy to fear to total overwhelm. You won’t ‘look’ pregnant, and you may choose to keep everything a secret or just between you and your partner for the time being – although there is no rule about waiting and you might be bursting to tell everyone! As you get further into your first ‘trimester’, you might find you begin to experience a range o ..read more

  You’re pregnant! Congratulations! …and welcome to one of the most amazing experiences of your life! Growing a human is a true miracle, a time full of wonder and excitement – but it can also be exhausting and worrying. It’s probably true to say that there is no other time in our lives where the body goes through so many changes, and as if this isn’t mind-blowing enough, you also have to absorb a huge amount of new information about pregnancy, plus get your head around the psychological changes that motherhood brings. No wonder you’re knackered! But fear not, help is at hand. Put your fe ..read more

PBM founder Milli Hill was on BBC Radio 2 this week to discuss the practice of only allowing a woman’s partner to join her on labour ward once she is in ‘established labour’, and therefore making a vaginal exam (V.E) to assess her cervical dilation mandatory if she wishes to be supported.  You can listen to the programme if you click here. The discussion begins at 1 hour 9 minutes in.  You can also read Milli’s article for Telegraph Women on this topic if you click here.  Milli says: “Routine vaginal exams is an issue I’ve covered in both my books, both from a practical perspec ..read more

  We are thrilled to announce that we have launched a brand new platform for our online courses, Your Positive Birth!  We will be adding new courses over the coming weeks, so please subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear the latest! Our first course to launch is the refreshed and updated Pandemic pack, built by Sophie Fletcher (author of Mindful Hypnobirthing) and Milli Hill (author of the Positive Birth Book). It’s the only online birth course built specifically with the current situation in mind, and is jam packed with resources, downloads, ideas and exercises to help ..read more