Doula Wisdom Blog

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...

Do you love having a bath? Sliding into the warm water can bring instant relaxation to your body and mind. This soothing quality is why some women are choosing to use water when they give birth too. But the benefits don't stop there!

What is water birth?

This is when a person immerses in a warm bath or birth pool during labour. Some choose to use water immersion during the first stage of labour...

Even though birth is a natural event and humans have literally been doing it for thousands of years. A LOT of people are not having a good experience on what should be the happiest day of their life. Too many people are heading into birth and postpartum without the right skills and attitude.

You will remember the birth of your baby for the rest of your life and it will dramatically effect your...

Firstly, can I start by asking… what do you want for your birth and postpartum?

And if that feels too tricky to answer… perhaps you know what you DON’T want?

You’ve probably heard some traumatic birth stories. When it comes to birthing your baby, it’d be nice to skip the overwhelm hey?

When you’re pregnant people like to tell you ALL the stories....

While many aspects of your birthing experience will be a surprise, there are some key components that are good to understand. Take time to learn about the 7 fundamentals that help labour to progress more naturally.

1. Choose a safe space to birth

Where you choose to give birth will have a big impact on your experience. Labour is usually shorter and flows more smoothly when women feel safe and...

Preparing for the time after your baby arrives is just as important as preparing for the birth. There will be remarkable changes happening in your mind and body. I encourage you to take time to think about the postnatal period before you are experiencing it. It can give you time to organise some helpful natural remedies for postpartum and get support networks in place so that hopefully you can...