Find me on TikTok as @thedoulamanda https://t.co/GC1nGi0rR8

At last night's wonderful home birth I was struck by the similarities between fireworks & contractions. A calm night sky suddenly consumed by overwhelming light & sound that leave your senses reeling a moment before the peace returns as if it had never left? Sound familiar? 🎇🎆

Diary Update Nov/Dec 2022.

On #WorldMentalHealthDay it is important to include babies, young children and their families as part of the conversation and highlight just how fundamental sensitive, responsive and trusted relationships are to infant mental health and wellbeing. #First1001Days

Oi @welovefrugi, what nonsense is this? 👀 You used to be a top pick for bold gender neutral clothes now this is regressive & needless. It's a jumper. It's blue with penguins. All kids can wear it. Quit it. 🐧. @letclothesbe #letclothesbeclothes #everydaysexism #penguinsforall

Turns out nothing catapults me back into young adult fiction quicker than sitting with my birth bag in the car, my own baby in bed, and waiting for the call to say that labouring person would now like my support. YA is perfect. Occupies just the right amount of my brain. 📚

🧵It is estimated that approximately one third of women and birthing people would appraise their birth as traumatic. We know that birth trauma is more likely to occur when women and birthing people are not listened to and are not presented with choices in regards to their care.

Gearing up to soft launch my website & social media later today, it's not all quite as polished or ready as I had hoped, several pages & documents are still unfinished, but all for the perfect reason that I had to redirect some writing time to supporting an imminent birth! #doula

(Obviously any parent making the right choice for them should be supported. This isn't a formula VS breast or ECS VS VBAC argument. It's a "did you have *all* the accurate and clear info you needed to choose + *all* the support you needed to succeed in that choice" argument.)

Vitally, by obscuring this information & making informed consent all but impossible, the status quo covers up a devistating lack of support. If we discussed the facts dispassionately we'd need to be honest about the number of families put at risk by these failures of support. 2/2

'Protecting women'* from information they may find difficult is rooted in misogyny, is endemic throughout the birth & infant feeding landscape, & has real consequences on health & life. 1/2. *& those lumped in with them in the case of trans/enby birthing & chestfeeding folks

#NCT #SlingLibrary at #CrayfordLibrary from 10am tomorrow. All welcome. Try slings, get advice for free, or hire one to try at home AND we're restocking so you can now buy one from us preloved (but barely used owing to lockdown!) Take a look! #babywearing

Everything launches July 13th! Stay tuned.... #Doula #MentoredDoula #BirthPlanning #BirthSupport #BirthDoula #PostnatalDoula #4thTrimester #PerinatalMentalHealth #babywearing #breastfeeding #InclusiveDoula #LGBTQIA #HumanRightsInChildbirth 🌱

NEW REPORT🧵 The safety of women and birthing people from Black and Brown and mixed ethnicity backgrounds is being put at risk due to systemic racism within UK maternity care, the findings of our year-long inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care have revealed.

Absolutely love our #NCT #slinglibrary zoom sessions. Always wonderful to meet new people, hear about their needs and help support them to carry their babies (or older children!) safely, comfortably and confidently! Next session (in-person) June 6th! #babywearing #peersupporter

This month's NCT Bexley & District online sling meet is tomorrow 10am! We’ll be on hand to answer all your questions about the different kinds of slings/wraps/baby carriers plus tips for carrying comfortably in the heat. DM for joining information. #babywearing #slinglibrary