My Waterbirth, Homebirth & Hypnobirth...

My second birthing experience was beautiful, peaceful, gentle, ecstatic and enjoyable. But it wasn’t exactly as I had planned… The plan was to have a waterbirth at home, in our peaceful mountain village. I had ordered and shipped in an Aquaborn birth pool from the UK. I would be using Hypnobirthing techniques for a calm and gentle birth as I did previously. I had discussed all my requirements with my amazingly...

And The Winner Is…....

Firstly a big thanks to everyone who made a guess in the baby guessing game - it was so much fun! The winner of our contest is Trudy Prevost who made such accurate estimates it’s amazing! I had joked with Trudy for saying the baby would arrive at 4am. I wanted and visualised an easy going afternoon birth but as the final stages of labour progressed, I glanced at the clock at 3:30am and smiled to myself knowing that...

The Business of Being Born...

I finally got to watch this movie last night and just had to write about it. ‘The Business of Being Born’ was released in 2007 and is highly recommended for any woman who is pregnant and wants more information on the personal and political implications of her birthing choices. The film was the idea of Executive Producer Ricki Lake who, after receiving unwanted (and un-needed) medical intervention during the...

Hypnobirthing- A Book Review...

Can natural birth really be easy, relaxed and enjoyable? When I was pregnant with my first baby I wanted to find a way to birth that was peaceful and pleasant. Many people mocked the concept and related their own birthing stories filled with turmoil. However, I was blessed enough to find the book ‘Hypnobirthing – The Mongan Method’ by Marie Mongan. Through her evidence based information and outline of techniques...

Writing a Natural Birth Plan...

With the unpredictability of the birthing experience, many people wonder if they should really bother making a birth plan. My friend and Hypnobirthing facilitator, Etta Deschamps, sums the answer up nicely as she explains to her clients that they would not consider turning up on their wedding day without having made the necessary plans and preparations so why do the same for giving birth?! Even though you cannot control...

My Natural Birth Story- Part 2...

On Wednesday 9th I went for a dip in the hot tubs at Shangri-La and hoped the warmth of the water may help stimulate things to start. As ‘D-day’ Thursday 10th arrived so did all the phone calls and emails asking if anything was happening yet! I had read that only 5% of babies actually arrive on their due date and I didn’t feel at all like I was about to have a baby. However, as is typical in the last days of pregnancy,...