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...

Wordless Wednesday - Our Newborn Baby...

Baby Amarii, Day One. Welcome to the world little boy!

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...

The Benefits of Yoga for Pregnancy...

It has been proven that regular exercise contributes to a healthier pregnancy and a more relaxed, easier birth and many women around the world take yoga classes while pregnant as a gentle and beneficial form of exercise.   I attribute a lot of the success I had with my fast, enjoyable and natural birthing experience to the practice of yoga before and during pregnancy. Yoga provides a wonderful exercise during pregnancy...

Online Pregnancy and Birth Media – 3 of the Best...

As an expectant mother it is normal to want to saturate yourself with information. I know I did. I wanted to read every book and be well informed as to what was happening to my baby and my body and how I could enhance the health of both. Because I was often busy, there were limitations on time to sit and read all the books I wanted to. Instead I used the internet to find online radio stations that I could listen to whilst...

My Natural Birth Story - The final part!...

My friend had told me that I might experience a ‘birth high’, a sensation of blissful feelings as I was in labour. I could feel myself oscillating between this joyful and calm state and a more left brain logistics mode as the baby moved ever closer and fought not to get so relaxed that the baby popped out in the back seat of the car. If the homebirth option had been available and I wasn’t trying to get somewhere...

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,...