Yogabumps

Induction Not Great For Babies

2011-03-07T12:01:00.001Z

Mmm...who'd have guessed it? Some more evidence that supports what I've been saying for years...read more here: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=3120

Maternal Health

2011-01-19T16:52:00.003Z

This is a really interesting article, just a shame that we will have to wait until 2015 to see if it makes a difference (if any!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jan/18/maternal-health-uk-government-framework

More Dancing

2011-01-01T09:29:00.002Z

It's the first day of 2011 and what better way to kickstart the New Year with some light humour. Following on my theme of dancing in labour, this has got to be the best example of dancing whilst pregnant. Enjoy and have a great day!

Dance your baby into this world

2010-12-31T08:40:00.003Z

A regular feature of my classes is dancing. Initially, women are somewhat shocked that we can go from a nice, grounding practice of movement with the breath to the pace being changed, with some pretty groovy music thrown in for good measure.

This has been something I've done for what seems like forever. Why? Hearing music that makes you want to get up and move is just what can make the difference in getting labour moving. It helps promote active birth principles but also helps to create a magical moment in labour which you can look back on with great memories. Each time you hear something that you had on your iPod or MP3 player, you'll say, "Oh, the last time I heard this, I was in labour!"

I've had women from the groups report dancing being the one thing that really made a difference for them. One in particular whose baby was still quite high and not descending and was being threatened with other interventions, found it to be the one thing that turned her labour around.

I do also suggest that you put some slow, smoochy numbers into the mix, which then gives you the opportunity to lean into your birth partner if you need to slow things down a bit.

Still not convinced? Here's a couple of videos that may help to convince you...

MRI of Live Birth

2010-12-09T16:11:00.003Z

Whilst technology is amazing and this is fabulous to see, it does beg the question over what position the mother was in whilst giving birth!

A wry look at c-section

2010-11-23T13:48:00.002Z

Birth Interventions Impair the Ability of a Baby to Breastfeed

2010-11-20T15:48:00.001Z

Birth Interventions Impair the Ability of a Baby to Breastfeed

Epidurals

2010-11-19T12:09:00.002Z

Interesting little video...

Hungarian Midwife Jailed

2010-11-11T17:11:00.003Z

I was somewhat dismayed when I came across this article in The Guardian. Hungarian midwife Agnes Gereb has been jailed for championing home births! Whatever next?! Read more here...http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/22/hungary-midwife-agnes-gereb-home-birth

Push for a better birth!

2010-11-07T20:10:00.002Z

The Guardian's article on birth is quite thought provoking...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/02/push-for-better-births

50 Ways to Birth More Safely

2010-11-07T19:51:00.001Z

Came across this and wanted to share it here...

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Pregnancy Forum

2010-11-07T18:58:00.004Z

I've been busy putting together a forum for the pre & post-natal ladies. It can be found by visiting: http://www.birthingpositively.proboards.com/index.cgi

Looking forward to meeting you there!

Haramaki - Japanese Tummy Wrap

2010-10-29T07:33:00.003+01:00

Last weekend I visited the CAM Show at Earls Court. You never know what you're going to find at the show - some exhibitors are very much in the right place being a complementary health show - others are a little more suspect. You find yourself asking "what's this got to do with...?"

Anyways, there was a little gem (or I think so anyway!) Genki Haramaki were launching their fantastic product - The Original Japanese Tummy Wrap.

What's a tummy wrap? It's a snug 'tube' that you slide on and it covers the middle area of your body. It helps to keep the abdominal organs warm which then distributes the warmth around the rest of the body.

Wearing a haramaki can also:

aid digestion
ease menstrual cramps
give support during and post-pregnancy
soothe common abdominal complaints

Now I know I'm not pregnant, but I was intrigued so tried one on. Immediately I felt my core muscles engage (this is a good thing ladies, even if you are pregnant!) So I purchased one and have been very impressed with the comfort and the sensation of being 'pulled in' - this will be so beneficial post-natally.

Thinking post-natal, Chinese medicine cites that women should keep warmth in the abdominal area after having a baby so as not to allow 'cold air into the cavern'.

From a fashion perspective, I belive it answers that problem of pregnant bump not being covered by your normal t-shirts. Here there's a colourful addition to the wardrobe to help 'bridge' the gap.

Want to find out more? Then visit www.haramaki.co.uk

60 second doula

2010-09-08T20:15:00.000+01:00

As featured in...

2010-09-04T14:45:00.002+01:00

Great excitement this morning as the post arrived with my complimentary copy of The Green Parent magazine. Why so excited? Well, the editor loved my book so much, she featured it in the magazine!

A preview of the write-up can be accessed here

Alternatively, you can purchase a copy and find me on page 67.

Reduce diabetes, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia in pregnancy

2010-07-24T09:03:00.005+01:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/10486310

Pregnant women in the UK should to be told to routinely take vitamin D supplements researchers say.

Part of the problem is that we have reduced our time in the sunshine due to advice regarding skin cancer, it's difficult to know what evidence we need to trust.

Fears over souveneir baby scans

2010-07-24T09:00:00.002+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/health/8493796.stm

Parents-to-be should weigh the possible risks of going for non-essential scans purely to get keepsake pictures of their unborn babies, experts conclude.

Momma Zen

2010-07-18T20:28:00.003+01:00

An inspirational read for those of you looking for something a little different.

CTG or not CTG, that is the question...

2010-06-07T10:39:00.005+01:00

This month's Practising Midwife (June 2010) delivers food for thought on the use of CTG (cardiotocography). An easier understanding of this long word is fetal monitoring.

A summary of findings from the Cochrane systematic review on CTG (11 randomised trials including over 33,000 women both high and low risk) says...

Women with continuous CTG (fetal monitoring) are more likely to have...

a caesarean section or instrumental vaginal birth*

(* instrumental meaning forceps; ventouse and/or episiotomy)

I'm not surprised by this article. For many years I have understood the relationship of lack of mobility of women during labour due to constant monitoring and a surgical / instrumental outcome. It has informed my teaching and continues to do so.

To avoid the likelihood of an intervention, women need to be encouraged to be more mobile and adopt postures that enable her body to do the fantastic job it has been designed to do.

Media and programme makers need to adopt this too by visually showing women labouring off the bed and making use of gravity.

Come on ladies...stand and deliver!

BAFTA = poor choice

2010-06-07T10:20:00.005+01:00

I was somewhat aghast last night whilst watching the BAFTA awards on TV.

The first shock was to see that One Born Every Minute was a nomination in the Factual Series category. The second and most awful shock was that the programme actually won.

The team, upon receiving their award, proudly expressed their joy and delight. One of the main reasons being that they didn't use commentary as they did not want to lead the viewer.

What they did do through careful editing, was to lead the viewer to believe that ALL birth is dangerous; that the woman needs to be saved; all birth support (men) are a total waste of space and that the midwives seemed reluctant or unable to demonstrate the support skills necessary to promote normal, spontaneous births.

Oops...I forgot, there was a 3 minute segment of a waterbirth and let's not forget the wonderful work of midwife Lorraine, who managed at least, to get one woman off her back to have her baby.

Massage - Grounding Stroke

2010-06-05T07:15:00.001+01:00

Within the pages of my book, 'Birthing Positively', there is a section on comfort measures using massage. Below you will see the pictures from the book set in a time-line video sequence to help you follow the flow of the massage...

Sneeky Peek

2010-06-05T07:07:00.002+01:00

For those of you who want to have a sneeky peek at my first publication, you can! Simply click on the following link to be taken directly to a preview page...

http://www.esprit-yoga.com/item/323

Fertility App for iPhone

2010-05-02T07:01:00.000+01:00

The first fertility app for the iPhone has been launched. Gone are the days when we had to take our temperature and keep our own chart (there's some nostalgia in having done this). All of this can be taken care of for you, simply take your temperature (they haven't got an app yet for your phone to do this for you!) and key it into your iPhone and you're all done! For more information on how this works watch the video below.

The app costs about £3.99 to download.

New Doula! Film

2010-04-30T17:22:00.000+01:00

Being released in June, is a 65 minute documentary which follows 3 birth doulas as they support 3 couples before, during and after their births. I am looking to purchase a screening kit so that I can bring this film to you.

Yoga featured in this month's Practising Midwife

2010-04-30T12:31:00.000+01:00

I had a pleasant surprise this morning when my latest copy of Practising Midwife arrived. They have devoted a double-page spread to the practice of yoga during pregnancy. Mmm...this will be interesting reading I thought.

The conclusion at the end of the article was lovely in summing up. Here's what it said...

"Through yoga, a pregnant woman learns the language of her body and of birth. She visualises how her body works. As a result of feeling and understanding her physiology, she can develop trust and confidence in her own body and in the natural process of birth." [Article written by Jill Benjoya-Miller; Practising Midwife May 2010]

As safe as hospital

2010-04-04T16:47:00.002+01:00

Often through my teaching I do encourage that women consider their reasons behind their choice of birth environment. Many times in class, hospital will be cited as the best place to birth as 'it's safer'. It can then come as something of a shock when I explain that it is 'just as safe' to have their baby at home. I came across an old article from The Independent (April 2009) that cites this very thing...http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/annalisa-barbieri-i-gave-birth-at-home-ndash-and-heres-why-1669309.html

I still prefer Caroline Flint's thoughts on where a woman should birth her baby. At a conference many years ago she said that women should have the right to get up in the morning (in early labour), look out of their window and then decide what to do. Perhaps if it's raining they will decide to stay at home ;-)

Get up, Stand up!!

2010-04-04T16:47:00.001+01:00

Yay! I read the following with a huge smile on my face...http://www.lamaze.org/ChildbirthEducators/ResourcesforEducators/CarePracticePapers/NonsupinePositions/tabid/485/Default.aspx

Birth statistics and over-management of labour in America are huge causes for concern. There are many people working to help re-educate women, but like here in the UK, there's still a long, long way to go. There's a wonderful video to support this - those of you who have attended my classes will spot the "not what to do during 2nd stage" bit!

Tongue in cheek

2010-04-04T16:46:00.001+01:00

Made in 1983, but this still has some resemblance to what can be found today (unfortunately). Sometimes we need to view these rather sarcastic takes on birth in order to appreciate how, as educators, we can empower women away from giving away their birth power and it's magic to the 'professionals'.

Not designed for normal birth

2010-04-04T16:45:00.000+01:00

Beverley Lawrence Beech of AIMS has spoken out and said that "the present financially-driven NHS structure is not designed to promote normal birth."

Here's a call to all those politicians greasing palms and smiling like lizards in the run-up to the General Election to take notice of what women need. The women's vote is far more powerful and has a much greater reach.

Stand and Deliver

2010-04-04T16:44:00.002+01:00

I was very heartened to read in the latest issue of Practising Midwife, that a £2.6M study is underway. A study in what(?) I hear you ask. "To investigate whether adopting an upright position during the late stage of labour with an epidural gives a greater chance of having a straightforward birth."

All dependent on the analgesia and that an effective mobile epidural has been administered, they are looking to see if it reduces the risk of an instrumental delivery (forceps, ventouse etc).

Mmm...I've been teaching adopting 'supported' upright positions during an epidural for many years now, and failing that, encouraging women to lie on their left-side if anything else is not possible. Anything, but be on your back.

My teaching has been further supported by the wonderful visual aids I use, which were created by Lina Clerke.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this one!

The Back-Up Plan

2010-04-04T16:44:00.001+01:00

I came across this video via Terri Shilling's blog. I first met Terri several years ago at the Birth International Conference at the University of Reading. She was such an inspiration.

This video is obviously over acted(!)

Thank Heavens for Lorraine!

2010-04-04T16:43:00.000+01:00

One Born Every Minute had an angel in it's midst. Midwife Lorraine, who was new to the hospital and yet to help deliver her first baby there was brilliant. She could be clearly heard explaining why it wasn't good for Kelly (having her 5th baby) to be on her back, and encouraging her to move on to her side if she wasn't prepared to stand up and move about a bit.

This is what's needed. Giving clear information coupled with the benefits. Kelly insisted that she should have her water's broken as they've never broken naturally before. It could have been that she wasn't given the encouragement or opportunity to allow it to be natural before. Yet again, Lorraine insisted that she just needed to give it a little more time. Lo and behold, Kelly was finally encouraged to move on to her side and within minutes her waters popped and baby presented.

Absolute magic!

Can we have more of this please?

As for the prolonged inducement of Joy's birth and having her water's broken at 1cm...please, I'd rather not go there right now..!

One Born Every Minute

2010-04-04T16:41:00.000+01:00

Having watched two of Channel 4's programmes, "One Born Every Minute", it never ceases to amaze me that birth can still be seen as sensational viewing. The programme makers have missed a golden opportunity to portray birth in it's most natural form and to enable women to see that it is a normal, physiological process from which they don't need to be saved.

Most of the programme is spent watching women lying on their backs complaining of the pain that they are in. Every good childbirth educator and midwife knows, that this is the worst position for a woman to labour in, coupled with the fact that it's not so great for baby either.

"We're just going to pop this monitor on and see what baby's up to..." equates to..."I want you to lie on your back for at least 30 minutes, but probably longer as we are really busy in the unit today and I don't know for sure when I'm going to be back. If you lie still, it will give a clearer reading for me."