Earth Side Nurturing Becoming Mum Birthing Ripples

30/05/2024

Children behave as well as they are treated.
Why African babies cry less or not at all.
https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/claire_niala.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3tgkmDvjzqnqnLdBBQmqSL4dwGFbSquoblD0zaAVIQXHiTCuZFP0BIByI_aem_ARRNM7_582_ZL5RygjCXWF27z_RyB_fb_FdZHjsQVCgEfAb8R381gRQ0ydvbNYYwnzStubTylIui8oIHRkxX0hHI

Why African Babies Don't Cry An African Perspectiveby Claire Niala I was born and grew up in Kenya & Cote d'Ivoire. Then from the age of fifteen I lived in the UK. However, I always knew that I wanted to raise my children (whenever I had them) at home in Kenya. And yes, I assumed I was going to have...

13/07/2023

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠? 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?

I believe that education is the key.

* Education about the importance of the postpartum weeks.

* Education about the fact that a newborn baby cannot be optimally nourished and nurtured by a mother or parent who is exhausted and depleted and whose cup is empty.

* Education about the value we should place on the care of new mothers and parents so that they thrive rather than just survive the weeks following birth, setting them up for a positive start to their parenting journey.

I'm determined to make this happen. I would love for you to join my Slow Postpartum revolution. Let's make the world a better place, one mother, parent, baby and family at a time ...

Are you with me? Let me know in the comments 👇🏻

12/07/2023

12/07/2023

The role of parenting is so much more than we ever recognise or know until we are deep within it.
Be gentle with yourselves. 🌹

"I could no longer balance my work with a new baby, school and kindy demands, so we made the decision for my husband to be the one to stay at home for a while (though I am still here).

For the longest time I have wanted him to know how I have felt.
The immense responsibility of the mental load, the identity shift, the feeling of inadequacy on the days you feel like you just don’t measure up.
I wanted him to connect some of the dots to my stories, my moods, why the house was in tatters when he walked through the door. The never ending list of things you can’t get to despite being at home all day.
I wanted him to understand the tears of frustration despite my feeling of belonging, despite the magic in the mundane.
I didn’t want him to just empathise,
I wanted him to ‘get it’.
What it’s like to not be able to think through the constant stream of noise and demands.
What it’s like to reconcile how you thought something might be with how it actually is, and still not want to change it.

To be honest, I don’t know if he will ever feel these things as deeply as I did, or as often, it’s another season entirely (though I’ve already caught him job searching ha).

Mum asked him the other day how his first week was and his response was:
“I’m exhausted”.
Do I want this for him? No.
Did I feel bad for him? Also no 😅
I guess validation, regardless is nice,
Because we forget, don’t we?

We forget that what we are doing is as challenging as it is beautiful. As hard as it is rewarding. We forget how important it is.

And sometimes it just takes someone else who has been in your shoes for a hot minute, eyes a little blood shot, and hair that looks like it could use some dry shampoo to realise it.

I am grateful he is here, the privilege that we can do this for a little while, that he wanted to do this.

I’ve been doing this gig for 5 years, and I still am… just now with some coffee breaks ☕️"

📷

09/07/2023

During your child’s development, changes as not sleeping and eating well are quite normal, and as parents, we should support our baby to the best of our abilities. A leap can be quite a scary experience for the little ones. A lot of cuddling is the best remedy for it.

#

04/07/2023

26/06/2023

We don't return to normal because it's a new normal.

15/06/2023

https://www.rachelreed.website/rcrp

04/06/2023

You are growing a love that is the most powerful force on earth. ❤️

A shout out to all the Mums and Dads out there - You are doing an amazing job! ❤️

“No one saw you, at 2 a.m., when the baby wailed for you.
No one saw you, when a snoring exhausted man lay next to you, who had to get up for work, so the night shift was yours.

No one saw you when the baby didn’t want to be put down. Falling asleep while drinking and using you as a dummy.
I know you feel invisible when you’ve changed another poo, made another bottle, had another ni**le bitten, made another snack. No one sees your exhaustion.

But you’re not. You’re not invisible.

Every time you help those little legs get into pants, wipe a butt, cut a sandwich. Every time you hold those little fingers, caress that little face. They see you. Those little eyes, they see you. They watch you.

You are growing a love that is the most powerful force on earth. One that can never be broken. And they’re watching you. Remember that.”

Credit: Mazza
Via: What Matters

26/05/2023

I love this affirmation. Often we forget that we deserve to be surrounded by love - and that it's okay to make active, conscious decisions to help ensure that happens.

I was actually having a conversation this week about how deep loving connection seems to be missing from a lot of birth journeys. Our care providers simply don't have the time (and often don't have the skill) to provide the love and care and deep empathetic connection we need as we travel the birth journey and transform into a new version of ourselves. And to be honest many partners also don't have the skill (although I honestly think that for many partners it's probably more that they lack confidence than skill) to provide the specific sort of love needed for such transformation.

Yes - Strong, powerful, empathetic connection is a skill.

This is where doulas come in. It's our job to provide the love and connection that you need, at the level that you want, in a way that helps you achieve your goals in a (emotionally) safe, powerful, and aligned way. AND we support partners to provide the love that they need to provide as well.

20/05/2023

You got this!

16/05/2023

Birth is amazing.
These mamas are incredible.
Beautiful babies. Yay ✴️