Beautiful Beginnings Yoga & Pregnancy Yoga

17/11/2025

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16/11/2025

Another lovely Pregnancy Yoga and Birth Preparation class today, a space for mums to be to share experiences and explore Yoga practices to support your pregnancy journey

Some of the things we discussed:

💜 The physiology of breech birth, things to consider if you discover your baby is breech, exploring your options, choices and preferences

💜 Adjusting to breastfeeding, both for the first time, and as a second time mum

💜 Tandem feeding (this is a passion of mine as I tandem fed all of my babes, always happy to support others exploring this)

💜The challenges of lack of sleep, and the value of rest as and when you can during pregnancy and beyond

💜The value of advocating for yourself and helping your care team to understand what is important to you and therefore helping them to give you personalised care

💜The value of upright and active postures for labour, and especially the value of women following their own feelings and intuition to inform positions during labour and birth

💜Postures, practices, nutrition and lifestyle support to help with headaches and migraines

Then we enjoyed a chair-based Pregnancy Yoga flow, working through the whole body, with a focus on Optimal Foetal Positioning, encouraging babies into favorable positions *for them*, followed by all 4s, breathing and deep relaxation to restore energy, reduce stess and connect with the babies

This is a welcoming, friendly and informative class, giving you an opportunity to learn about pregnancy and birth and how Yoga can support your journey.

New mums are always welcome 🙏

Clare x

16/11/2025

Slate grey nevus, also known as blue-grey spots or congenital dermal melanocytosis, are a type of birthmark that are typically flat and blue-grey, or sometimes purple, in colour.

They are most common on babies with Black and Brown skin and are generally found on the sacrum and buttocks, but can also be observed on arms and legs.

Slate grey nevus are NOT bruises. They are simply the result of pigment cells, or melanocytes, not reaching the surface of the skin.⁣ They do not hurt and generally require no treatment; they often fade by the age of 4.

If you identify a slate grey nevus when doing a baby examination, or NIPE, it is important to document it. This is to avoid it later being mistaken for a bruise.

Finally - you may have heard these birthmarks called ‘Mongolian blue spots’. This is derogatory, racially insensitive terminology and should NOT be used. If you hear it used in practice, please take the time to correct it. We can all play our part in decolonising language and midwifery education.

📸: 💕

15/11/2025

My Pregnancy Yoga and Birth Preparation classes are an invitation for you to set aside some time to focus on yourself and your pregnancy

To slow down, listen inwards, to your body, your energy, your emotions and feelings

To connect with your baby more deeply

To share with others the feelings, the struggles, the apprehension, fear and letting go

The yoga practices of body, breath and relaxation invite you to create more space through body and mind

To discover inner physical and mental strength and reserves which are your inner resources to draw upon in labour, birth and your mothering journey.

New mums are always welcome

I run the class weekly, so there is always an opportunity for some time for yourself and some support as well as comprehensive, in depth and tailored birth preparation so you are are able to become clearer on your preferences and choices and find your voice to advocate for yourself as needed.

Clare x

Pregnancy Yoga
Birth Preparation
Doula Support
Hypnobirthing
Homeopathy - Consultations and Birth Kit

14/11/2025

This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

From his books, Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

12/11/2025

Breech Without Borders is a wealth of information, research and learning about all aspects of breech birth.

3-4% of babies lie breech at term

And some of these can be a surprise breech where everyone was expecting baby to be head down

It can be a useful part of your birth preparation to consider how you would feel if your baby was breech - known or surprise - and explore your preferences (breech vaginal birth, ECV where medics attempt to turn your baby head down, or elective c section)

Do have this conversation with your care team, and explore your options and preferences

This always helps you to be able to make informed decisions, give informed consent, and in turn helps your care team to give personalised care

Breech Without Borders is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to breech training, education, and advocacy. We help information cross linguistic, geographic, and knowledge borders by:

12/11/2025

📣Please share : 📣An Open Letter on Birth: In Defence of Midwives, Mothers, and the Truth From: Midwives, Doulas, and Educators across the UK (written by The People’s Birth Tribunal)
To: Parents, Professionals, Politicians, and the Press:This open letter has been written and signed by midwives, doulas, and educators working across the United Kingdom.
Together, we represent those who stand beside women and families through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period - the people who have witnessed both the miracles and the failings of our maternity system firsthand.We are speaking out because the public conversation about birth in the UK has become dangerously distorted. Misleading headlines, sensational stories, and selective statistics have created a culture of fear - fear of birth, fear of accountability, and fear of trusting women, birthing people and midwives.
It is time to set the record straight: Maternity care must prioritise the health and well-being of the whole family, ensuring good mental, physical and emotional health and protecting reproductive rights, thus creating a foundation upon which parents and children can thrive.Clinical safety is just as important: preventing mortality and severe morbidity is, of course, crucial in high quality maternity care. However, prioritising clinical, risk-focussed management over holistic, community and relationship-based care can, and does, introduce other dangers to the well-being of the whole family, both in the short and long terms.
We write as midwives, doulas, educators, and advocates for families - united by our terror for the future of birth in the UK.We have watched with growing alarm as midwives and the concept of “normal birth” have been scapegoated for the failings of a broken maternity system. 📣 To read the rest of this important letter and to add your signature please visit this site: https://openletter.earth/an-open-letter-on-birth-in-defence-of-midwives-mothers-and-the-truth-b6b91d96

12/11/2025

This week I'm on a 2 day training course about breech birth with the fantastic Independent Midwife Deb Rhodes.

It's a wonderful group of women passionate about supporting women to receive choice, safety and respect in birth.

On day 1 we learnt about the different ways breech has been thought about through medical and indigenous cultures, differing approaches to supporting breech birth, reasons why babies may lie breech, and the physiology of breech birth

Around 3-4% of babies will be breech at term

Babies go through a number of clear physiological stages during breech birth, and being able to recognise these stages and movements, which differ from head down babies, can help care providers to know how baby is getting on and the best ways to support the mother.

Breech without Borders is a fabulous resource for learning more about breech birth, if you are interested in this, they have many videos on their website, resources and trainings.

02/11/2025

In our Pregnancy Yoga and Birth Preparation class today we talked about pre-labour - that stage before the stages - where you may be having niggles, changes in energy and emotions - and some physical signs.

Why this is a valuable and important part of the process - that a lot IS happening - including cervical changes preparing for labour

And the value of supporting your energy here - not wearing yourself out, and the importance of remembering that it is OXYTOCIN which brings on your contractions - and ways to support and work with, rather than against this process.

Always so valuable to have time for women to talk, share experiences and learn from one another.

Then we enjoyed a flowing posture practice sitting, kneeling, standing, pelvic floor work, breathing to activate relaxation response, relaxation, visualisation and connection with your baby and much more.

New mums are always welcome

Just message Clare to book your class
Clare Whatsapp 07906 188345

02/11/2025

November Pregnancy Yoga
& Birth Prep
Classes
Sundays 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd