Doula Wisdom Blog

Welcome to the final part of 'The birth alphabet' series! Today you can learn more about umbilical cords, vernix, water birth and pregnancy yoga. Did you know your baby might be covered in a creamy white substance when it's born? Do you know why it's good to wait to cut the cord? Are you aware of the benefits of practicing yoga in pregnancy and birthing in water?

What is the umbilical...

It’s VERY natural to seek pleasure and avoid pain. In everyday life, feeling pain is a signal that something needs to change. In fact, it’s essential to our survival to fix a pain that is life-threatening.

HOWEVER… in normal labour, strong sensations are to be expected and don’t necessarily need to be ‘fixed’ or numbed.

Many people hope to have a natural...

This week we continue with the birth alphabet (Q-R-S-T) to help you feel more knowledgeable about what questions to ask during birth, why rainbow babies are so special, how swaddling can soothe your baby and why the TENS machine is a great option for pain relief.

Q is for Question Asking

There are a lot of decisions to make during pregnancy, birth and into postpartum. Knowing what your...

There are a many options for who can help you through pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Why would you consider hiring a midwife?

Many healthy women choose to have a midwife support them during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal time.

Midwives are specialists in natural birth. They understand what helps birth flow more easily and can also diagnose if something isn’t progressing normally and...

If you’re pregnant, you have probably thought a lot about the birth of your little one. But what about postpartum, the time after your baby arrives?

Hopefully you realise that planning your postpartum is just as important as planning your birth.

Some postpartum professionals say that the transformation a woman needs to make to become a mother is actually more intense than birthing her...

Many babies develop jaundice in the early days after birth. It is caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. A baby with jaundice develops a yellow tinge to their their skin or eyes.

In newborns, jaundice will most likely clear up on its own with regular feeds (every 2-3 hours). If your baby seems extra tired, isn’t feeding well or develops a fever please call your doctor or...

Do you know enough about inductions? How to recognise jaundice? When to get vitamin K? or how long lochia lasts after birth? Let's dive in...

Induction

A full term pregnancy usually starts on its own between 37-42 weeks. But for some people, their labour might need to be started artificially. This is called induction.

Induction may be recommended for:

• gestational diabetes
• If the waters have...

This week we continue with more words you might hear when you are preparing for birth. Knowledge is power.

During pregnancy, the cervix stays closed and has a mucus plug to help protect the baby from outside pathogens. Towards the end of pregnancy or in early labour, the cervix will efface. This means it will soften, shorten and become thinner. The mucus plug will be released and this is...

This week we are looking at a few common terms related to birth. Let's take a look at the amniotic sac, the breech position, where the cervix is located and what dilation means.

Amniotic sac: You may have heard people talk about "their waters breaking". The unborn baby is inside a bag of waters also known as an amniotic sac. This helps protect and cushion the baby from any bumps or sudden...

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wanted to take charge of her birth and postpartum experience. She sought out support that felt right for her. She knew that she would remember the birth of her precious baby for the rest of her life and she was determined to make it a positive experience.

She researched her options and made the choices that felt right.

She chose a birthing place that felt...