Daisy Birthing is an fun, accessible and affordable method combining movement, breathing and relaxation to help your body work at its best during pregnancy and labour. If you are interested in ante natal classes and live in or near Shrewsbury then please contact me for futher details!
For all the ladies who are coming to the end of pregnancy…
You are beautiful.
Whether you feel it or not, you are.
Likely, the beginnings of labour are happening inside you right now.
And the deeper into labour you go, the more beautiful you will be.
Believe it!
You might be sweaty and your hair might be coming down and you haven’t got your face on
but you will glow with the energy rushing through you and the life pushing its way out of you.
This is what angels look like.
You will be linked in a chain with millions of other women throughout history and around the world.
You will be walking an old path, playing out an ancient miracle:
bringing a new person into the world.
You are amazing, and don’t you dare forget it.
xx
~Instructions for attending a normal birth~
Watch me.
Watch me lean over and groan.
Watch me sway or rock or dance.
Watch me find my rhythm.
Watch me breathe through a contraction.
As it ends, watch me have a drink of water.
Then watch me relax myself, resting, waiting for the next wave.
Then watch me breathe again.
As you sit there, just outside the vortex, know that my world has shrunk to a bubble.
Be careful. Don’t burst it.
A careless word, a bright light… they would be unwelcome right now.
Watch in awe I play out the age-old miracle.
The world turns for me, the edges go fuzzy, time turns inside out.
There’s a big slithery feeling
And then there’s a BABY!
Warm and slippery and fresh from my own body.
Worth every push, grunt, drop of sweat.
Worth every tightening, every stretch mark.
Wait! I’m still in my bubble. It is not finished yet.
Keep your hats and your clamps and your scissors and needles.
Keep your telephones, your scales, your exclamations
Keep us warm and keep the room quiet and still.
Watch me meet me baby.
Watch his eyes find mine.
Watch his hands and then his mouth find my nipple.
Watch me discover in wonder each finger, each hair, each wrinkle
Don’t disturb the awe of this first meeting.
Please. Just watch.
By Samantha Norman
I’ve been very interested to learn more about this subject. Thank you very much to Noemi for taking the time to write this. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My name is Noemie Perkins (MFHT). I am a reflexologist based in Telford and Newport, Shropshire, and I specialised in preconception, pregnancy and post natal care. The miracles and wonders that are conception, pregnancy and birth fascinate me and I am passionate about supporting expectant mums and dads and their families along this very unique journey. Reflexology can do so much to help along the way.
Pre conception reflexology will help couples to conceive by preparing a healthy, balanced environment for pregnancy and by encouraging ovulation. The reduction of stress and the restoration of hormone balance will also be of great value. I suggest two treatments a month, in the pre ovulation phase of your cycle and after the onset of your period. This is to avoid working on your feet when there is a chance you might have already conceived.
Once conception has occurred, I will not see you until the 14th week of your pregnancy (at the earliest). We want to allow your body to settle as well as the baby. The first trimester is a fragile period of changes and we do not want to disrupt this process. In the 2d and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy however, reflexology treatments can help with most ailments and discomforts brought about by your pregnancy (sciatica, constipation, heartburns, back pain, anxiety etc). Regular reflexology treatments during pregnancy can bring you peace, confidence and prepare your body for labour and birth.
From 37 weeks on, reflexology can encourage the natural onset of labour. Treatments are intensified little by little in order to encourage the production of hormones and the activation of the processes of labour. Research has shown that women who have received regular reflexology treatments throughout their pregnancy will tend to have more natural, unassisted births, comparatively shorter labours, faster recovery and lesser risk of infections in the cases of surgical interventions.
After the birth, Reflexology can be an essential part of the new mom’s after care. Reflexology treatments will help to restore the balance of hormones, preventing post natal depression and anxiety. It will help to improve sleep patterns, recovery of energies after labour. Reflexology can also be a valuable asset for breastfeeding, encouraging, for example, good lactation.
There is so much more I could say, but please call me or send me an email if you would like to know more and find out how Reflexology could help you and your family. You can also visit my website and blog at http://www.reflexology4me.co.uk.
Thank you Sam for giving me the opportunity to share my passion and talk about what I do. Best wishes.
A doula? What is a doula?
When I tell people I am a doula, I usually get a blank look. Then the person says, “A doula? Ummmm…. what’s a doula?” So I decided to write about it
“Doula” comes from a Greek word meaning “female slave”. These days, it means someone who provides support to women and their families around the time they have a baby, to try to help them make the whole experience as positive as possible. There are two main kinds; birth doulas and post natal doulas. Some do both.
Birth doulas
- A birth doula is usually knowledgeable and confident about birth.
- She helps women prepare for birth by addressing worries or confusion about the process
- She gives information and signposts to resources
- She helps women work out what their options are so they can write a plan.
- She finds out what the mum-to-be wants and supports her with whatever choices she makes.
- She can usually suggest coping strategies and loan materials like books, birth ball, pool etc.
- When the lady goes into labour, the doula is a continuous, calm presence and offers help, encouragement and reassurance for the woman and her partner.
- She helps to liaise with health care providers during pregnancy and birth.
- The doula usually stays until the baby is born, the placenta is out and the family are happy for her to go. There is no shift change.
- If the lady is staying at home to have her baby, the doula might help out around the house and help with older children.
- If the lady is using a birth pool, the doula might help set up/empty it.
- A birth doula will usually include a post natal visit to de-brief and help out if needed.
Post natal doulas
Post natal doulas help out with housework, older children, pets, shopping, other errands, emotional support, breastfeeding help… Sometimes “just” holding the baby while the mum has a bath or a nap. In short, all the little things that are not so little when you have a newborn baby in the house. She suggests techniques for managing with a new baby or managing with a newborn and older children, gives information and signposts to resources that might be helpful to her.
What we don’t do
A doula isn’t “a kind of midwife”. A doula’s role is complementary to the medical care offered by the doctors or midwives and it is not clinical. We don’t examine you, diagnose illnesses or write prescriptions.
Who has a doula?
All kinds of people have doulas. A few examples:
-A first time mum and not sure what to expect or how to cope, or maybe feeling scared because the world and his wife have been keen to tell her horror stories pretty much since the baby was conceived!
-Someone who has had a baby but it was painful or scary and now worried about going through the same process again.
-Someone who doesn’t have family or friends close by, or whose friends don’t understand or support their choices.
-Someone who is trying to write a birth plan and feeling bewildered by all the different options.
-Someone who knows what kind of care they would like and are worried they won’t get it.
-Anyone who just wants unconditional and continuous support.
If you’d like to try having a Doula to support you through pregnancy, birth and/or the post natal stage, or if you’d like to know more about what a doula does or what your options are, then I’d love to hear from you.
