For seven and a half years I have been studying ways to reduce perineal trauma and increase comfort during birth as part of my PhD. It is something as a midwife and a mother that I know is vitally important to helping women begin motherhood in the best way possible. It is one of
Rosella was our lotus birth baby. We had considered the idea with Kaelan, and I had even prepared a beautiful silk bag, with a lotus painted on it, to keep his placenta in. We had bought the salt and had everything ready … but still, we had reservations about it. I was still having
Lotus birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut, so that the baby remains attached to his/her placenta until the cord naturally separates at the umbilicus- exactly as a cut cord does- at 3 to 10 days after birth. This prolonged contact can be seen as a time of transition, allowing
The perineum is a very important part of a woman’s body and it plays a special role during childbirth. It is the area of skin and muscle found between the vagina and anus. During childbirth it stretches to allow the baby’s head through. As the birth approaches women may worry increasingly about the trauma
As a homebirth midwife there is always that week in antenatal care where my clients and I discuss what will be done with the placenta. Some choose to freeze it to decide later, some wish to just dispose of it, others feel a connection to their placenta and wish to celebrate and commemorate it
In Australia around 16,000 babies are born preterm each year (6-7percent of births). Preterm birth is defined as birth occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy or more than three weeks early. It is divided up into mildly preterm (32-37 weeks), moderately preterm (28-31 weeks) and extremely preterm (before 28 weeks). Disappointingly the rate of
Most people have one, sometimes it’s the father of the baby, sometimes it’s the mother of the mother, other times the relationship is unexpected, such as an ex-partner, a brother, a mother-in-law or even a friendly sperm donor! Whoever it is that you choose for your support person, know this; they can make a
I personally find that information for expectant and new dads is very hard to come by. In my research looking for helpful information for fathers, I came across Good Beginnings. Good Beginnings is a national charity that provides practical, community-based parenting programs and support to ensure children get the best start in life. Good
To the untrained eye, those offering opinions on the safety and value of waterbirth might be seen to be debating a relatively new and radical practice. It is perhaps easy to assume that as land bound mammals that land is where we are intended to birth. However, this simplistic notion overlooks a number of
After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. During the first few months of life the ball
