The year that was!
As a parent, your Baby’s First Christmas is one that you will never forget, probably not for the gifts that you give to your baby (they certainly won’t remember them) but for the traditions that you choose to embrace as a family and the memories you'll be creating along the way. Focus on festive traditions your family can revisit and build upon each year to make sure your holiday happiness lives on—in your heart and your photos!
What’s it like for Dad’s during birth?
Labour is a huge experience for mums of course, but the role of the birth partner – whether that’s the dad, partner, close friend or relative – is often downplayed.
Dads go through their own huge physiological and psychological changes in the birth room, so don’t underestimate the emotional and physical impact of being a birth partner. It is a massive emotional rollercoaster where your feelings can change from excitement to fear, exhaustion to elation in a few seconds.
OK, so mums are obviously doing a lot of work but the role of dads or other birth partners is essential. Supporting a woman in labour is an incredibly exciting and important role. (Plus, research shows that women who have support during childbirth are more likely to have positive outcomes, including shorter labour times and decreased medical intervention). So dads and other birth partners really matter! Yay!
Shave, Trim or Natural?
There are lots of things women need to do to prepare physically and emotionally for giving birth.
From eating healthily, gaining knowledge about your options, to learning how to look after your tiny human when they're born - there are all kinds of considerations and what to do, if anything about your pubic hair, may be one of them.
Our first Mums and Bubs Art Morning.
Being arty and crafty I’ve always looked for ways to incorporate this within my antenatal and postnatal classes. I have a few of my paintings around my office and several more that I’d like to do. Combining these two loves - sharing my knowledge and experience and art was a “no brainer” along with many Mums in my classes expressing the same interest in art and craft the Mums and Bubs Art Morning was created!
10 Christmas traditions you can start today.
10 Christmas traditions you can start today for your family.
Signs of Labour?
Having your baby on their due date is rare: only about 1 in 20 people manage this. Usually, labour starts somewhere between 1 week before your due date and 2 weeks after it. If this is your first baby, the start of labour is normally gradual. It can last hours and stop and start over multiple days.
Stages of Labour.
There comes a time in every pregnancy after the books have been read, the nursery decorated, the car seat installed and antenatal classes attended and now all that's left to do is wait and oh my goodness, the wait, unfortunately, can feel like such a long time. But even though most women go into labour between 37 and 42 weeks, there's no way to pinpoint exactly when labour will begin, and it's often this not knowing that makes some people very anxious.
Let’s have a look at how labour works.
Natural Pain Relief.
The topic of pain in labour and birth is a hotly debated subject around the coffee table and while pain in labour can't be entirely avoided (for most people), the fear of pain can be addressed and reduced. Taking good birth education classes, working with a trusted and supportive midwife, and having good continuous support from a partner, friend, or family member all can help greatly reduce your fear of pain in birth. It also helps to know a few things about labour pain.
The Bloody Show
You might’ve heard the term ‘bloody show’ but not actually know what it means. It’s the term used for bleeding at the end of pregnancy.
You might’ve heard the terms ‘bloody show’ and ‘mucus plug’ as though they’re the same thing – but they’re not.
Let’s have a look at what the bloody show is.
Water Births.
There are some advantages to a water birth. Women labouring in water report feeling more in control, with less painful contractions. They are less likely to need epidurals for pain management or drugs to speed up their labour. It also seems that the first stage of labour might go more quickly.