Hand in Hand Midwives

10/05/2026

Happy Mother’s Day!
What an absolute privilege to share in the pure joy of walking alongside women on their journey of motherhood!
I know for me, becoming a mother is by far the best thing that happened in my life 🥰
So blessed and grateful 💕

01/05/2026

Just had to share this! So so on point 🙌🏼

26/04/2026

“This baby is just using you as a pacifier.”

It sounds practical. Reasonable, even.
Until you stop and actually examine what that phrase suggests.

It implies that the breast is only good for one thing: a nutritional exchange. And that all else is separate.
That milk is the purpose and everything else has a different solution or strategy

But infant biology doesn’t work that way.

At the breast, a baby isn’t just transferring milk.
They’re regulating their nervous system in real time.

Heart rate steadies.
Breathing synchronizes.
Stress hormones decrease.
Digestion organizes.
The brain wires safety through repeated, predictable contact.

This isn’t extra. This is feeding. This is regulation. This is comfort. This is pacifying.

We’ve created a cultural split between “nutritive” and “non-nutritive” sucking, as if one matters more. But for a newborn, those systems are integrated. Sucking, holding, smelling, hearing your voice, feeling your skin: these are all part of how a baby organizes themselves physiologically and neurologically.

Even the idea of a “pacifier” came after the breast; not the other way around. The breast isn’t replacing something. It’s the original.

So when someone says “just comfort,” what’s actually happening is a minimizing of a biological process that is foundational to infant development.

Your baby isn’t confused.
They’re doing exactly what their body is designed to do.

And if it feels like your baby wants the breast for more than hunger; that’s because they do. And they SHOULD!!!!

For mothers looking for grounded, evidence-based support around infant feeding and behavior this is your reminder:

A pacifier is something that soothes and settles a baby. That aids them to sleep. That helps them calm and regulate. And that’s exactly what the purpose of the breast is

Keep on boobin’

20/04/2026

It is with so much excitement that I get to recreate and post this photo for the third time, same bassinet different baby 🥰 love coming into the visits and seeing the bassinet set up like this and then … a miracle happens and there is an actual real baby in there ( not just her sister’s dolls) 😂

To meet a childless couple for the first time and then have the absolute privilege in being invited into their home and family as they become and grow as parents and a couple is just incredible! Each pregnancy and birth journey so unique!

Welcome to the world little one! You are surrounded by so much love 💕

03/04/2026

This face says it all 🙌🏼
The moment you pick your baby up into your arms and meet them the first time 🥰

After two previous cesarean sections and being told her pelvis does not ‘fit’ a baby!
This is the face of a woman who has realised all she needed was herself and her baby and to trust the process of birth!!

The power of women never ceases to amaze me! The place they need to go to mentally to enable physiological birth to happen is incredible. It comes from trust of her body, baby and those in her space.

This photo gives me goose bumps 😍

26/03/2026

What she said 👇🏻💁🏼‍♀️

25/03/2026

I love this so much....

24/12/2025

A very Merry Christmas to all! A special thought to all the wonderful families who I have had the privilege of working with this year. Thank you all so much for trusting me to share your journey as you grow your families. Everyday I learn something new and am in awe of what women are capable of!
Hope your days over this festive season are full of love, joy and laughter 🎄⭐️

27/11/2025

11/10/2025

The Birthing Pool Test by Michel Odent
When a woman enters the pool in hard labor, there is an immediate pain relief, and therefore an immediate reduction in the levels of stress hormones. Since stress hormones and oxytocin are antagonistic, the main short-term response is usually a peak of oxytocin and therefore a spectacular progress in the dilation.
https://f.mtr.cool/kmrqlywqli

23/09/2025

An incredible new study found that pregnant women who consume just 6 dates a day in the 4 weeks leading up to their due date were 74% more dilated upon their arrival to the hospital, had a 77% shorter first stage of labor and a 42% lower rate of caesarean sections.

Eating dates in the late stages of pregnancy lead to higher cervical dilation upon hospital admission because the fruit contains nutrients that influence oxytocin receptors, preparing the cervix and uterus for labor by increasing muscle response to oxytocin and other labor-supporting hormones. Dates are a rich source of energy from natural sugars and fats and also contain prostaglandins, which contribute to cervical ripening. Additionally, they provide serotonin, calcium, and tannins, which contribute to powerful uterine contractions.

Eating dates in the late stages of pregnancy shortens the first stage of labor due to their ability to stimulate the production of prostaglandins, which promote cervical ripening (softening and thinning of the cervix) and increase uterine contractions. Dates also contain tannins, which have a similar effect, and provide a natural sugar source for energy during labor. Some studies even suggest that dates can increase uterine sensitivity to oxytocin, leading to more effective contractions and a quicker and smoother labor process.

These actions are also the exact reason why women who eat dates in the late stages of pregnancy and far less likely to need a c-section!

The most common recommendation is for women to begin eating 6 dates a day starting in their 37th week of pregnancy.
PMID: 40322306, 21280989

SEE ALSO: https://www.pelvicphysio.co.nz/the-sweet-secret-to-a-smoother-labour-dates