Positive Beginnings Birth Preparation

15/08/2023

If you would like to keep your body moving during pregnancy or are ready to return to exercise post birth, I am now teaching a pre and postnatal specific Reformer Pilates class every Friday at Aktivliving Bli Bli 💜🧡💙

15/12/2019

Thank you to all my beautiful families I have been privileged to work with. ❤️Also thanks to everyone for your support and word of mouth referrals. 💕 I have absolutely loved teaching Calmbirth (for the past 7 years!) but due to my other exciting work and family commitments have decided to put classes on hold for 2020. If you are interested in classes you can find some lovely educators at www.calmbirth.com.au Tracey 😊

21/11/2019

🙌

A gem from the brilliant Pam England.
One way that parents can prepare holistically for birth is to begin to take notice of where and in what they are placing their trust. While optimism can be good for our relationships, minds and bodies, absolute thinking and outcome focused messages can lead to an unrealistic and oversimplified view of birth. "Trusting your body is helpful and important; the problem arises when you believe that if you just trust enough, or in the right way, that you will have an ideal or natural birth. No amount of trust or preparation can guarantee an easy birth."

08/11/2019

The amount of close and comforting contact that young infants get doesn't just keep them warm, snug, and loved.

06/11/2019

❤️

By Lacey Owen You’re snoozing in your favourite spot, head resting on my chest, b***s providing the perfect pillow. I should be transferring you to the cot, hell I’d be able to get a lot more done but you’ve got the rest of your life to sleep in a bed and I don’t want this stage to end just ...

05/11/2019

💖

The power of this image 💗
Reposted from () - “The energy that gets the baby in, gets the baby out.” 🥰 Ina May Gaskin
📷 .
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30/10/2019

❤️

Postpartum- raw, fragile and tender.

Total exhaustion. The amount of energy you have spent to create and birth this new human is phenomenal. An absolute marathon effort.

Your body hurts. Womb cramping for a few more days, shrinking back to size and healing the wound at the placental site. Muscles ache from the strain of labour. Perineum sore, possibly a few stitches. Maybe the major recovery from a cesarean birth. All of your organs are moving back to their original position now that the baby has been born.

Your heart has also been stretched open with an intensity that you have unlikely felt before. This can feel like all sorts of things -from beautiful to frightening, elation to shock.
All the while, your main role in life has completely and utterly changed!

Your heart now beats in another and you quickly come to realise how much your baby (or babies) needs and relies on you. All of this happens in a day or two ... !

This massive transition is often underestimated, dismissed and misunderstood. In the weeks following birth, time for recovery and healing are VITAL. Deep rest is required.

Things that make postpartum recovery difficult are:
*Lack of space and privacy
*Loads of visitors
*Pressure to keep up appearances, eg keeping the house clean and presentable
*Focus on "losing the baby weight", or "getting back into shape"
*Pre conceived ideas about what it "should be like" and what we "should be doing"

Don't put yourself under any unnecessary pressure.
Take the time to rest and heal.
Rest at this time sets you up for the year ahead (which also requires a large energy output).
Set boundaries around this precious healing space so that you can get the rest you need and get to know your baby. Falling in love is a very precious thing.❤️

Look out for my following post about how others can support you at this important time (please share it!)

Great photo capture by Lillian Craze Birth Photography

27/10/2019

❤️

Yes!

24/10/2019

Pretty accurate! 😂

Accurate? 😂

23/10/2019

Yes! 💖

🖤🖤🖤

21/10/2019

❤️🙌

"I really wish that all new mothers were told that the majority of newborns want to breastfeed much more frequently than every few hours. And many even want to stay latched on, suckling for extended periods of time. This can understandably shake a new mother’s confidence and make her second guess if she’s producing enough milk to keep her nursling satisfied. Women are usually just told that their baby should nurse ‘every 2-3 hours’, but frequent (and lengthy) nursing is a totally normal thing for newborns to do! It helps keep them close to mama while regulating her milk supply.
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Often babies won’t have these longer stretches between feeds until they’re a little older. Even then, there are several things that could make them want to nurse more, including (but not limited to) teething, sickness, unfamiliar surroundings, or feeling tired. I can’t imagine how miserable it would be to have a fussy baby in your arms but feel like you shouldn’t breastfeed again because it’s “not time yet”.
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This isn’t discussed often enough and new mothers need to be reassured. If baby is gaining weight, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding more often than what you’ve been told is ‘normal’. The postpartum period is all about surrendering, so cozy up with your babe and forget the clock."

-Words by Oh Baby Nutrition