Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day. More than 1 in 10 women develop a mental illness during pregnancy or soon after giving birth. Perinatal mental health refers to a woman’s mental health in pregnancy and in the 1st year after birth. It includes mental illnesses that existed before pregnancy, as well as illnesses that develop for the first time, or are greatly exacerbated in the perinatal period. Even though this is experienced by many women, they often find it difficult to speak about and share, 7 in 10 women will hide or underplay the severity of their perinatal mental…
Tag: pregnancy
Simply Baby Massage
Simplicity, love and the nurturing power of this precious moment. Jawani Purty massaging her beautiful baby Laxmi with haldi in a remote village Phulijar in Orissa, India. Jawani was alone at home when she birthed her baby, in a mud hut without access to any professional care. I was captivated by this image, it’s raw simplicity demonstrating baby massage as a regular part of every daily life for mum and baby. Jawani sits in dandasana, her legs together and outstretched, a traditional posture for Baby Massage commonly seen in India. A subtle reminder that Infant Massage requires no fancy gimmicks…
What does a Birth Partner do?
Birth Partners play a valuable role in childbirth, in making you comfortable and supporting you. Here I share 6 things your Partner can do to nurture your birth experience. 1. Protect your Privacy & Birth Space Your birth space matters – it’s important you feel safe, comfortable and secure wherever you birth baby and that you’ve privacy. Your Partner can help create your birth space in early labour, protect your privacy and ensure you’re comfortable and have all you need. You may like electric candles, aromatherapy and soft music in the background. Discuss how you’d like your birth space to be…
Protected: Elements for pleasurable sex are needed for Birth
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Protected: Beautiful Home Birth of Nathaniel
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Deciding your Birth Preferences
Recently I suggested in our Pregnancy Yoga Class for women to consider writing their birth preferences, one expectant mum who was full-term asked “how do I do this, when my midwife and NHS antenatal classes have not mentioned it?” I was surprised to hear this. Birth is unpredictable and no one can say with certainty exactly what type of birth you will have. However you have a number of choices. For you to be able to make an informed decision and give consent, you need to have an understanding of what’s involved, the pros and cons etc.. It is then for…
The Importance of Dignity in Birth
Whether or not you have a good or bad birth experience isn’t all down to whether you have your ‘ideal’ birth – it’s also about how you are made to feel throughout labour and birth. Your relationship and experience with your maternity care-givers matters. The White Ribbon Alliance, a global organisation which demands the right to a safe birth for every woman highlights the importance of this relationship – Women’s experiences with caregivers can empower and comfort or inflict lasting damage and emotional trauma. Either way, women’s memories of their childbearing experiences stay with them for a lifetime and are often shared with other…
Birthing without Judgment
I really enjoy sharing Pregnancy Yoga with expecting Mums-to-Be. I encourage women to start classes early in their Pregnancy and continue throughout their Pregnancy, so that the practice becomes natural to them and they make it their own. Overtime, it has become apparent by some of the questions asked and the way in which comments are often made about birth – that women can hold much judgment about birth and anxiety about the ‘proper way’ to do it. Set yourself an Intention if you so wish. Try to let go of judgment of yourself and others. Let go of expectation….
Yogalime Mums and Bumps Club
Introducing our Mums and Bumps Club. We had our first meet up last weekend and a jolly time we had too! Sabrina, who is in her later stages of pregnancy shared that she really enjoyed herself and ‘it was great to hear the birth stories, tips on colic and feeling that there is a support network, knowing that everyone is going through the same thing.’ The Club builds on relationships forged in our Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga classes and has been created to bring women together, enabling experiences to be shared, learning, nurturing friendships and creating local support networks. It offers an opportunity for mums…
Protected: Sankalpa for Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga
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