We have all heard it before, 'it takes a village' but what does that actually mean? I'm sure you have also heard l ' i wish someone told me [fill in the blank]? or No one ever tells you about [fill in the blank]?

My experience has shown me that we do generally share some of the fill the blanks with Mummas while they are pregnant but they are focussed on the pregnancy and birth that they don't hear those bits as it doesnt seem directly in front of them.. But the pregnancy and birth is and that seems big enough without thinking about what there postpartum period will be like or how they would like it to be.

The Postpartum period is the immediate 6 weeks or 40 days after your baby is born.

Most of the time partners have 2 weeks off after the baby arrives. It is as if those 2 weeks is enough time for her, the new mumma to find her flow when in reality the healing alone after birth takes a minimum of 6 weeks. So tell me how does that compute? Let me step it out for you: You are;

1.learning to care for a new baby,

2. getting to know him/her, bond,

3.learning to breastfeed,

4. adjust to life with a new addition

So having someone help for 2 weeks is enough to do all of that? and we have not even factored in the HEALING that your body will be doing.. and what do we need to heal.. Yep Rest, nourishment, and care.

I get it not all of our partners can stay home for 6 weeks and be with you, they have to work, put food on the table etc etc… and I am not suggesting that (unless they can in which case, yes do it). But what is important is that some thought goes into the support systems you have in place and the planning to ensure your postpartum period meets your postpartum needs.

The Postpartum period is a sacred time for the Newborn Mother. A Newborn Mother is a recently born mother whose strength is asking for help. She acknowledges that the birth of a mother is more intense than childbirth, and that she is as sensitive and vulnerable as her baby. Her heart is wide open and her needs are high. As she nourishes herself she nourishes her children.

We put our intentions in place for our birth and most of us do some form of birth education but what about planning and learning about how to do the same for your postpartum? Its no different and in fact probably requires more education, support and planning. So if you want to feel confident, at ease and experience all the JOY of having your newborn in your arms then I encourage you to do a bit of preparation for your postpartum and learning how to ask for help and know who is in your community who will be apart of your inner circle and support you in your postpartum.

Want to learn about planning for your postpartum? Email info@theseedcollective.com.au for a checklist on planning for your postpartum

There is a huge movement happening globally where women are speaking up and empowering each other to stand for some pretty basic human rights.

It is no different in the birthing world and sadly women have been complaining about how they were treated during their labour and in far too many cases left wondering why certain procedures were carried out with a myriad of questions left unanswered. If they knew their rights in this situation it may have made a difference.

We are fortunate to birth in a climate that has such amazing medical advancements if we need to use them in emergencies. However the intervention rate in Australia is well above the World Health Organisations recommendations. Intervention is any medical procedure during your pregnancy journey. It is important to talk about intervention and consent because it can impact the overall health and wellbeing for you and your baby.

Yes, you may have reduced one risk by having an intervention but studies are now showing the negative side effects that women are experiencing due to a lack of empathy and respect being given to her during her labour. It is important that you were given a choice and at times it can be an easy choice to reduce risk but it was still your choice and not an order from medical staff.

My hope in writing this article is that you gain a newfound knowledge and confidence to speak up knowing that this is your body, your baby and your experience. Making a choice under duress, with coercion or feeling as though you weren’t given one is not how you should feel after birthing your baby. You should feel supported, heard, included, respected, nurtured and empowered to be the superwomen you are.

‘A Woman will always remember how she was made to feel during her labour’

What Is Informed Consent? Informed consent is a process whereby your doctor/midwife (caregiver) is legally obliged to discuss the benefits and risks of any procedures or treatments with you. You as the birthing mother have rights over the important decisions regarding what will and won’t be done to your body and your baby. ‘

The Australian Medical Association – Maternal Decision Making Statement 2013

“most pregnant women strive to achieve the best possible health outcomes for both themselves and their unborn babies. Because of the inter-dependence of the maternal-fetal relationship, both the mother and the fetus have an interest in any health care decision. In this situation, ‘interest’ refers to ‘optimal health and well-being”.

Your birth experience will directly impact your postpartum period.

It is every woman’s right to have autonomy over her body and her baby at all times. The decisions you make about your birth options can have long lasting effects on the health and wellbeing of yourself, your baby and your family. Women who feel satisfied and in control of their birth experience are less likely to experience traumatic stress after birth.

“Even when a medical intervention is wanted or needed, the inclusion of women in making decisions about the care they receive is important to ensure that they meet their goal of a positive childbirth experience.” Ian Askew, WHO Director Department of Reproductive Health and Research.

The birth climate is complicated and you may not start to learn about that until you are too far into the system or until you go home wondering what just happened to you. The reason this is so important is because if you do not receive the basic informed consent fundamentals followed by medical professionals your experience will be tarnished and here is a truth bomb for you ladies – you will always remember how you were made to feel. Did you feel powerful or powerless?

It is daunting at times and there is so much going on but you should at all times feel in control and ultimately cared for. While hospitals will always have systems, checks and controls in place it should always remain an informed choice for you to make. So how do you make an informed choice? You need information.

The information you should be given is:

A diagnosis and description of the situation including the risks and benefits of each course of action that might include their first recommended treatment or procedure, an option of alternative treatment or procedure and thirdly if you continued without taking these options and chose no intervention. It is not considered to be informed consent if your caregiver has not covered these points yet follows through with a procedure without your consent, or has asked or demanded that you agree to a treatment before having all available information.

If you are not given this level of information freely click here to get tips on how to.

Choosing your birth team with care and knowing who will advocate for the type of birth you want will provide an environment more conducive to the outcome you are wanting. Meet with doulas, private midwives, natural practitioners, obstetricians before making your final choice. Treat these meetings like an interview and make it known how you would like to birth and the options you would like to have available to you. Remember you are picking your dream team of birth empowerment.

At the end of the day this is your experience, you go home with your baby and will reflect on every aspect of your journey. How do you want to feel when you think about your experience?

If this article has raised more questions for you contact Jenna today at info@theseedcollective.com.au or book a free 30 minute phone/skype session.

Here is a snap shot people of the recent evidence based recommendations from the World Health Organisation on Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience.

Being aware of the work WHO are doing and what their recommendations are will give you insight to what you should expect at a minimum to have a positive childbirth experience. How you birth your baby will have long terms effects on your emotional and mental wellbeing as well as the physical effects, not to mention your birth experience will directly impact your postpartum period.

This is about making the mothers care the focal point and not interventions governed by policy and hospital procedure in order to give birth on a schedule.

“Women are also reporting high level of disrespect and abusive care during facility-based childbirth in all regions and cultures.” Dr. Princess Nothemba Simelela WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women, Children and Adolescents

Some suggestions to ensure you are feeling comfortable with the choices you are making and where you are birthing:

1. Discuss your birth plan in advance

2. Ask about hospital policies that could be referred to

3. Make a list of questions to discuss at your antenatal visits

4. Do your own research

5. Have a pregnancy coaching session to help you navigate this new terrain

5. Do a tour of the birthing suite and labour suits of the hospital you are booked in to.

7. Have a doula to ensure your wishes are being met so your main support partner can support you emotionally.

For more on the recommendations go to this website

http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/intrapartum-care-guidelines/en/

Did you know their are two ways to deliver your placenta and that you can decide what is best for you? The fact is the more interventions you have the more difficult it can be for the natural onset of hormones to support the next stages of labour. If you are more of the belief that you want to birth naturally without interventions then looking into the benefits of how to encourage and support the natural onset and progression of your labour will help you in your mindset and decision making.

Above all else I hope this information is helpful in allowing you to make an informed decision.

The delivery of the placenta is referred to as the 3rd stage of labour. If you are hoping to deliver vaginally there are two options to deliver your placenta. These are called:1. Physiological 3rd stage – giving birth to your placenta without the aid of the synthetic hormone syntocinon.

2. Managed 3rd stage – an injection of syntocinon (Synthetic oxytocin) into your thigh immediately after the birth of your baby.

Things to consider when making your decision: It is important to know that your consent is required for all medical procedures. Therefore your consent must be given for any intervention from the natural process of giving birth. This includes being administered syntocinon for the delivery of your placenta.

Your primary medical carer should have asked you prior about this and got your sign off.

A Physiological 3rd stage takes longer than a managed one. When it is ‘managed’ you are having an intervention. Physiological means it is what your body is designed to do, which is continuing contractions once bubs is born. When you do skin to skin with your baby it allows oxytocin to flow and aids the releasing of the placenta from the uterine wall. Those who breastfeed will notice your uterus contracting for the weeks after having bubs as your uterus is still shrinking to its original size. You will continue to have contractions for both a physiological and managed 3rd stage. The contractions will not be as intense as what they were during the delivery of your baby.

With a managed 3rd stage, the process will be a lot faster due to the administering of the synthetic oxytocin. By doing this you are speeding up the process where the natural onset of oxytocin that is produced once you have delivered baby is determined by the skin to skin time and allowing your baby to find the breast and the general feeling of love for your baby. If you are at risk of a post-partum haemorrhage your primary medical carer will encourage a managed 3rd stage as it is quicker and gives them more control. It doesn’t remove the risk of a post-partum bleed entirely. Partially retained placenta is when some of the maternal side of the placenta does not release completely from the uterine wall. This is a serious problem and can require surgery. A managed 3rd stage requires some tugging from the attending obgyn or midwife and the risk to that action causing the above is not unheard of. The concoction of hormones that are set off to support the onset and progression of labour are designed to play a significant role in your pain relief, progression of labour, healing, babys first latch, milk supply and includes the delivery of your placenta.

Delayed “Optimum” Cord Clamping – Science didn’t have a medical reason to cut the cord immediately after birth. It just started happening in the early 1900’s as obstetric care became more popular and everything became about omitting risk as opposed to the potential natural benefits of certain natural process’s. Did you know that is the same with birthing our babies on back? There is no science supporting it as the best position to birth our baby. As women we instinctively go with gravity and often stood, squatted, were on all fours or what ever position felt most conducive to delivering our baby. It was King Henry VIII who wanted to watch the birth of one of his wives and do so ‘comfortably’ for him meant having the women lie down. Since then it started to become the fashionable thing to do and then again became the norm with obstetric care as it made it easier for the attending medical team to see what was going on. What has since been discovered are the benefits of Optimum cord clamping. It is an idea that can transform the health of our children. Taking charge of our own health is fundamental to taking ownership for our health and wellbeing in a system that cannot meet its demand. If we want to change big things fast, we must know how we can make a difference. “Tick Tock” is a participatory campaign. But first a few things you need to know.

Allow 90 seconds after the birth of your baby to allow essential blood, stem cells, hormones and oxygen to be pumped back into the baby via the umbilical cord. This Increases blood volume by 1/3 in your baby, this supports your baby in essential iron for brain and physical development in the early weeks after baby is born and while breastfeeding is being established. Supports the baby in getting essential oxygen in the first minute out of the womb while baby adjusts and starts breathing. There is a difference in baby’s who get more oxygen then others at birth. 1/7 babys at birth get sub optimal amounts of oxygen at the time of birth. Some side effects of not getting enough oxygen at the time of birth are learning difficulties, developmental delay, cerebal palsy and epilepsy. Iron carriesred blood cells around our body which essentially carries oxygen around our body. 2 billion people world wide suffer from iron deficiency. By allowing the blood that is still in the placenta at the time of birth to continue pumping into your baby you will be giving your baby the gift of essential iron stores that will support them not only in the essential days, weeks and months after birth but for their lifetime. To give your child this gift all you need to do is: Wait for the cord to stop pulsating before cutting it. Have it written on your birth plan and discuss with your obstetrician or midwife before your birth. Have a doula to ensure your wish is adhered to in the delivery room – there can be a lot going on and it will give you peace of mind knowing that someone else knows what you want and will ensure it is done.If you are having a cesarean – same thing ask your obstetrician if he can wait before cutting the umbilical cord. This should be easier with an elective cesarean. Basically if there is no medical reason to cut the cord straight away then leave it until it stops pulsating.

The world of pregnancy is BIG – in landscape and business. Finding the right experts to engage to be apart of your journey can be a daunting process.

Selecting your key practitioners should be looked upon as if you are interviewing someone for the job to be apart of your team. You wouldn’t hire someone who you don’t gel with or who isn’t a good environment fit no matter how good there credentials look right? Going through the process of finding your birth tribe is no different.

This is where you set the tone and are able start your journey in an empowered place of making choices that are going to benefit you and your growing family moving forward. You might as well get used to working this muscle, as it is going to be continuously tested as you enter motherhood.

Below are some tips & helpful information on things to consider when selecting your birth team.

The birth environment largely affects your experience during labour and birth. Feeling safe, having access to pain relief, privacy and feeling secure are all things to consider as you chose where you will have your baby and what feels best for you. It is important to know what each entails before locking any one option in as they are all different and the environment in which you birth your baby is one of the most important decisions you can make for your pregnancy and birth.

Going Private - Which means choosing a Obstetrician who will be your primary medical carer throughout your pregnancy. It is important to know the hospitals that your Obgyn practices and what facilities they have available to birth your baby for example you may want the option to have a water birth but the hospital you have chosen doesn’t have that available. You don’t want to find that out after you have outlaid the money it costs only to find out that you don’t have the options available to you that you would like. Meet with a couple of OBGYNS – they are all different and your ‘fit’ with them is key.

Unless you have hired a doula or midwife to be apart of your birth tribe, you’ll most likely have a number of midwives care for you during your labour and birth. Your OBGYN in most cases is present only for the 2nd stage of labour – which you will learn more about as your pregnancy progresses.

Public Hospital Options

Midwifery Group Care – which is governed by midwifes. This is an option for Mothers who want to birth naturally & who are classed low risk. This provides continuity of care throughout your pregnancy as you have the same midwife throughout your journey that will deliver your baby. Each midwife has a limited number of clients they take on annually to ensure they will be able to attend your birth when the time comes.

GP Shared Antenatal Care – You can have this arrangement in both the private and public hospital systems. This could be the option you choose as you have a trusted relationship with your GP, English may be your second language and your GP might speak your first language and have a better understanding of your cultural needs. GP Shared Care is more common in public hospitals and is only offered for healthy women with low-risk pregnancies. GP’s who provide this care have had additional training and qualifications.

Homebirth – Many women who homebirth enjoy being in their own home and around people who are familiar to them. You will require a private midwife and we would recommend a doula to be apart of your support team if you choose to have your baby at home. Your midwife will be your primary medical carer and will be able to perform and medically required tasks if necessary. She will bring a small oxygen tank, essential birth equipment and some medical supplies. In some cases your midwife may have a birth pool or you can hire one. www.homebirthaustralia.org

Doulas – Provide continuity of care to ensure you are supported through your pregnancy, birth and after birth. A doula is non-medical pregnancy/birth support person trained in the emotional, environmental and physical changes during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

The most commonly known type of doula is a pregnancy doula, however there are also doulas that can support you specifically as a sibling doula, family centered caesarean doula and postpartum doula. Doula’s are an essential ingredient to consider when putting your birth tribe together. The knowledge, nurturing, consistency and support that you receive for the duration of your pregnancy and birth have been proven to contribute to a positive empowered birth experience.

The other element to consider when putting your birth tribe together are the holistic practitioners that will support you in other areas of your self-care. We talk about taking care of our selves first a lot but it doesn’t always happen that way right! Becoming a mother is the biggest test for how we treat ourselves and if you can get into good habits now and know where to go for different expertise it is going to assist you in being on the front foot in addressing any road bumps that come along from a health and wellbeing perspective.

Generally holistic practitioners have a network of people they can recommend you to if they are not the right expert for you but it can take time to find reputable, trusted and specialist practitioners that you will gel with. Referral or word of mouth is always a good way to select a practitioner, as a friend wouldn’t refer you to somewhere where they wouldn’t go again themselves.

Top suggestions when selecting your team of practitioners

Check out their website to get an overview of what they do.Go with your gutMake a list of questions to ask them when booking to make sure you feel comfortable in your choiceAsk what the costs involved are and if they have private health fund rebatesAsk them if they see a lot of pregnant patients (you really want to be going to someone who is passionate about working in women’s health) They provide a more consultative, understanding and nurturing environment which is so nice to receive when we are carrying our bubs as it comes with its own challenges and having people on your team who want the best for you and have passion for this process will provide better results.If you don’t feel comfortable with a treatment you are receiving always ask the practitioner to stop. This is your body and your baby – trust your instincts.

Having your baby is such a special time and you want to embrace every moment and have as best of an experience as you can. You deserve to have the people around you who are going to meet your needs and do there best to bring your wishes to fruition. As birth workers we hear more often than not that birth experiences were not what they expected and it left them taking longer to recover and process their labour. It is your right to have an empowered birth experience; I know at the end of it all you have a beautiful baby to focus on and that is now the most important thing. We can have it all and I hope that these tips help you see that this is your experience and the power lies with you to create it the way you want.

With so much emphasis on the pregnancy journey it can be easy to forget about what you may need as a new mum then all of a sudden the reality of newborn duties are upon you. The rollercoaster of demand feeding while still learning how to breastfeed... that’s right I said learning how to breastfeed as it is not a given but is learned and takes time :) If you aren’t waking numerous times during the night to feed your little one, you are pouncing out of bed like wonder women at the unfamiliar sounds that your newborn is making. This is normal however it can take its toll if we as new mothers are not supported during this transformative time.

This is not a new concept and throughout history there has been an emphasis on caring for our newborn mums. There are many different traditions across the various cultures however we have lost touch with these tried and true methods. It’s time to bring them back.

Here are a few stats & statements that don’t get enough airtime and as a result our postpartum period is not supported with the attention it deserves.

· ¼ of women suffer from Postnatal Depression (PSDM)

· PSDM is the leading cause of female suicide in Australia.

· With our increased ability to travel and live away from family support we have lost the generational transference of knowledge from our elders.

· As an industry we fail to talk about the way our women give birth and its impacts on our postpartum period. Medical interventions can have a lasting impact on our postpartum journey.

· We have more pressures on us from a career & financial perspective than ever before. Stress is a big factor in recovery.

How you recover directly effects your baby. Lets start the conversation on how we can create more support within our networks and where we may need to engage help to support us.

With love and thanks to all our Newborn Mums xx

Our postpartum support programs are designed to relieve anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed by supporting newborn mums to have you feeling confident and safe in the knowing that you are doing the right things, your way.

We love working with new families to create strategies and support tools to cope as you are adjusting to your as a parent.

I'd always dreamed of a water birth. It sounded so serene. Well, it's not as it turns out, because birthing is an animalistic raw experience, but certainly was a world away from the place of fear I got lost in during the birth of my first child. I can honestly say that without Jenna as my doula I could not have achieved a water birth. She had faith in my capabilities when I had given up on myself. Her unwavering support was invaluable.

Facing the birth of my second child was challenging. I didn't have the benefit of ignorance this time round.

My firstborn was a traumatic birth that featured stirrups, forceps, an episiotomy, a post-partum haemorrhage and my daughter being resuscitated and going to newborn ICU. This time round I knew I needed a doula's assistance to facilitate a sense of control and relaxation during the birth and that's exactly what Jenna did.

Right from our arrival in hospital she advocated for us and enabled me to make my own decisions in a pressure free environment. Her interventions were always timely, nurturing and enabling. She immediately established the environment we desired with mood lighting, scents and affirmations.

She promoted my choice making, allowing me extra time to settle into this new environment before examination. Also just the simple act of giving the midwife our birth plan on arrival was a very important act. I would not have felt bold enough to do this independently in my role as the 'patient' in the hospital setting, but as my advocate, Jenna immediately contextualised the experience by placing my requests at the heart of what was about to unfold.

The midwives were amazing and did everything in their power to promote my wishes based on this document that Jenna and I created. My husband also said he felt confident to follow her example during the birth and was then able to partner me in a meaningful way throughout the labour.

Because I had a doula, I had the team I needed, the water birth I had always hoped for and the perfect start to my son's life. I have been recommending having a doula to all my friends. You deserve a doula ladies!!

Thank you Jenna.

Love Jen XX

It's not normal to have a prolapse or should it be accepted that when we have children our pelvic floor is going to be ruined for the rest of our days. What we do need to know is how to care for this important part of our bodies without shame or ignorance, as it is our divine feminine powerhouse. I have gone on the journey to explore and understand what information is key to get out there so you don’t have to suffer but will know what to do to keep and get your pelvic floor back in shape.

I asked physio Sarah Howitt who specialises in pre-post pelvic floor care on her thoughts and recommendations to having a healthy strong functioning pelvic floor during and after birth. Here is her expert opinion.

Pre Baby - We definitely want you to be doing some pelvic floor training in the lead up to your birth however it is really important that you are not doing too much and are creating an extremely tight pelvic floor. Remember you still need to be able to push that baby out. At this stage we want to work on the functionality of your pelvic floor and not just the brute strength of it. Doing exercises like drawing your pelvic floor on about 20% and then relaxing, the drawing your pelvic floor up to 50% and relaxing and then drawing your pelvic floor on 100% and relaxing. The relaxing component it really important! You only need to be doing this a couple of times a day, 2-3 times a week.

Post Baby - ALL women should have a postnatal Physiotherapy check up about 6 weeks after you have your baby. This is regardless of your method of delivery. During this assessment it is important to assess the health of your pelvic floor and it's strength. Many women start trying to perform pelvic floor and core exercises after child birth and are unfortunately doing the exercises wrong. Performing regular pelvic floor strengthening exercises is essential to ensure the future health of your pelvic floor. Postnatal pelvic floor strength training often starts with pure strength training where you are working your pelvic floor at 100% of its capacity. These exercises should always be done in the evenings. We then progress these exercises on to more functional exercises. However everyone's recovery is different and your pelvic floor-strengthening program should be individualised to your specific needs.

During this post baby period it is important to really look after yourself for at lease 3 months after childbirth. Please don't embark on any high impact exercise during this time.

It is really important to have a Women's Health Physio assess your pelvic floor correctly. This will ensure that you are performing the exercises correctly.

Hear that ladies, no exercise for 6 weeks after bubs and the 4th trimester is not only referring to your baby’s need for further nurturing. It also is speaking to you! Your body has been through a major transformation and requires recovering time and self-care.

If you want more info you can contact us at info@theseedcollective.com.au to be referred to one of our pelvic floor specialists.

I was pretty adamant about the birth experience I wanted first time round. It took a lot of time to work out what felt best for me and Allister (Al) as we didn’t realise there was so much to consider being new to this and all! I felt pretty strongly about understanding my options and choices and felt with the support of Al that we did a pretty good job in expressing our wishes to our OB, but there was a piece of the puzzle missing and it wasn’t until we had given birth to our beautiful little Willow and gone home with our baby girl that I realised we needed a doula.

What was missing for me was that feminine element of divine wisdom and knowledge and nurturing that I didn’t have the privileged of experiencing through the grace of my own Mothers support. She lived out of state but did it mean that if she was local would she have wanted to be there and would she be able to offer me the unbiased support that I needed? (that’s a whole different topic that I will write about later).

Now to be clear, our Obstetrician was great and she did her job really well. What we didn’t know was the importance of having a relationship with someone (midwife/doula) who would offer us continuity of care & support of our wishes throughout.

Throwing my husband into a traditionally women’s role – lets face it ladies giving birth is women’s business and it is nice to have our men/partners present but I really got that in those moments that Al was having his own experience and also needed support & guidance.

There is something so unbelievably amazing that happens when women support other women and doulas are women of service who have been called to do this type of work. They are the sacred ‘space holders’ and ‘environment creators’ for you to feel safe while at your most vulnerable.

For me, having someone who knows what our birth wishes are and who can uphold those and create an environment that is going to be memorable for all the right reasons, for me is so important and special.

“A doula provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the expectant mother and her partner during labour, delivery and in the immediate postpartum period. The wisdom and emotional support of experienced women at birth is an ancient tradition.”

So here we are second time round and it was a no brainer to have a doula and what I am even more excited to learn is that there is a big movement to raise awareness and get the word out their about the wonderful work doula's do.

You deserve to feel special, nurtured, supported and your wishes upheld… sure things happen and we have amazing medical professionals who can assist. We are blessed to be in this day in age to have such life saving procedures available to us however birth is natural and shouldn’t be treated as an illness. Doulas help us tap into our own divine wisdom and knowing to trust our instincts and dive into the unknown by letting go.

I have not yet given birth to our second child but already feel immense support by our doula and the resources she has provided us.

This is just my opinion of course and once we have had our baby I will give another update on how our labour went and what the experience was like with a doula being present.

Cochrane Summaries completed a review on the use of continuous support for women during childbirth. Hodnett ED, Gates S, Hofmeyr G, Sakala C

Published Online:

July 15, 2013.

By having continuous support in labour increases the chance of spontaneous vaginal birth, had no harm and more women were satisfied.Supportive care during labour may involve emotional support, comfort measures, information and advocacy. These may enhance physiologic labour processes as well as women’s feelings of control and competence.Women were less likely to use pain medications, were more likely to be satisfied and had slightly shorter labours.Babies were less likely to have low five-minute Apgar scores.The study concluded that all women should have continuous support in labour.

http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD003766/continuous-support-for-women-during-childbirth

I was feeling stuck and icky as year end was fast approaching. I could feel a change happening and a message I was to get but hadn’t quite heard the voice I needed to guide me.

Instead the voice in my head was telling me that come 2017 I have to push, push hard for the next 5 months before baby #2 arrives to make sure I kick my goals. WHAT!!!

I have just spent the best part of 2016, unraveling and deconstructing the masculine energy that dominated my being due to my want to succeed and not knowing how to embrace my feminine powers.

So now that I fully felt and lived in my feminine I wanted to push her to the side and instead go with ease, just go hard?

What I know going hard does to me personally:

It does not serve me or my family. It leads to feelings of self-importance & an arrogance and ego overload.I am happy to say I am learning a new way and am happy that I got the memo that my soul was trying to share with me.

Being able to catch myself in what my old patterns were is what it is all about for me. I am evolving, we all are and we don’t need to be perfect.

Move with the current for me means I can go forth and kick goals but do it with ease and with the mindset that one action will lead to the next without stressing on the outcome. I trust the process.

So this year I MOVE WITH THE CURRENT and do all things with ease.

Much love to you all in your intentions for 2017. May this be your best year yet.

Jenna

#2017bestyearyet#theseedcollective #empoweredbirthexperiences #birth #pregnancy #fertility#letsdoulathistogether#femininepowers #gowiththeflow #doitwithease #movewiththecurrent

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