Laura Powell Birth & Baby

11/07/2024

Are you looking for an in-person antenatal class? Check out my Parent Course - we cover everything you need to know to prepare for birth and life with a newborn baby with plenty of evidence-based information and lots of practical demonstrations.

The next group course is running over two weekends in late September and early October, perfect for any babies due later this year.

If you’re looking for something sooner I also offer private antenatal classes at a time that suits you. We can cover all of the Parent Course or pick the parts that are right for you.

www.laurapowellbirthandbaby.co.uk/antenatal-classes

05/07/2024

3 things to get sorted before baby arrives…

If, like me, you like to feel prepared for every situation, even the unknown of having a baby, then here are my three top tips for practical things you can get sorted before baby arrives:

1. Food!
Batch cooking for the freezer, warm comforting food that is going to make you feel good at the end of a long day. Bonus points for meals that can be eaten one-handed!

Get in a deliver of COOK frozen meals - they do a new parent discount.

Fill the cupboards with healthy snacks that will give you a boost when you are in that newborn haze, as well as some treats.

2. Postpartum care
Stock up on big cotton maternity pads and some big cotton pants (and maybe some disposable ones for the first day or two)

Stock up on ni**le cream (it doubles as good lip balm as well!) - I loved the Weleda ni**le balm

Buy some postnatal bath salts and maybe a ‘spritz for your bits’ to soothe your body after birth

3. Baby carrier
Get yourself organised with a baby carrier that is suitable for a newborn. There are loads to choose from - some people love a stretchy wrap that moulds round baby’s body, some like something with a bit more structure.

Find your local sling library to ask advice and hire something from them.

What do you wish you had got sorted before baby arrives? What did you have that proved invaluable?

04/07/2024

I came across this article this week, it caught my eye as I’ve been writing about all the ways a postnatal doula can help after birth, and it made me smile because the picture at the top sums up how I often feel with my children at the moment! Granted, they are a bit older so less likely to be on my back but often I will come out of the bathroom after cleaning my teeth or turn around in the kitchen and find them all there! They would never admit it but they generally like to be physically close, to me and each other, I guess it’s reassuring!

When I was pregnant with my first child, I hired a birth doula. This was the best thing I have ever done and it has had positive effects beyond anything I

02/07/2024

I’ve written a new blog post all about what a postnatal doula does and why they are a great person to have around when you have a new baby!

As I say at the start, I do get met with a few blank stares when I tell people that’s what I do! It’s fair to say the idea of a postnatal doula is new to a lot of people - in many ways we are providing the support that would have been given by extended family or the village community back in the day when our lives and our geography looked very different.

Now we have a national body, Doula UK, that many doulas choose to join, and approved training courses but the principle is still the same - looking after mum and the wider family, listening, supporting, providing an extra pair of hands.

Get in contact if you’re interested in hiring a postnatal doula, whether you are pregnant or baby is already here.

01/07/2024

If you have been induced at Basingstoke or Wi******er hospitals in the last year, there’s an opportunity to provide some feedback on your experiences. Lots of us have a lot of views on induction, when it is recommended and how it happens, so now is your chance to share!

Have you been induced at either Basingstoke or Wi******er Hospital in the last 12 months? We would love to hear from you! (Hampshire Hospitals Maternity - Andover, Basingstoke & Wi******er)
We would like to hear feedback from women who have had an induction, specifically around:

1. Communication before the induction about the timing and the plan.

2. What helped (or would have helped) to prepare you? Written information? Chatting with a midwife? Online information and links?

3. How about the induction itself - what feedback can you give on how things went to help improve the process for other women? What went well? What would have made things go better?

Please either comment directly on this post or email me directly (Mindy, MNVP lead on northhantsmslc@live.co.uk) or pm me.

Thank you
Mindy

18/06/2024

Is it weird that in some ways getting my first proper washing line makes me feel like more of a grown up than the four children?!

17/06/2024

I was back to teaching antenatal classes yesterday morning after a couple of weeks off - an hour of pregnancy yoga and relaxation for Busylizzy Fleet.

We started, as always, by settling into the Centred Breath. This is a really simple but powerful breath that can be used during pregnancy, if you’re feeling anxious or struggling to sleep, during labour and birth, and beyond, as a quick, easy way to calm your body and your mind.

We spoke about the importance of breathing during labour - it sounds obvious but remembering to inhale all the way down to baby and keeping that long exhale through a lovely relaxed jaw has lots of benefits. The uterus needs a constant supply of oxygen to help it work as effectively as possible during contractions. Relaxing our jaw helps to keep our pelvis open, allowing our bodies to release when baby is ready to be born. Concentrating on the Centred Breath can also help to distract you during contractions and help you to remain calm, keeping your adrenaline levels as low as possible.

We spend a lot of each class using this breathing technique so that it starts to feel natural and calming, something you can easily turn to during labour.

13/06/2024

Sydney has a new baby grow for our Thursday baby yoga class at Busylizzy Fleet - very jazzy!

12/06/2024

It was International Home Birth Day last week. I had been thinking that I should write a post about it and then my youngest came out with this comment completely unprompted by me. We were standing in the kitchen and he asked me if Albert was born in my bedroom (he was, at the end of my bed) and then told me you don't need a doctor to have a baby. I know some people do need a doctor when they are giving birth but I am quite proud that I am raising the boys to be aware of the alternatives; maybe one day in the future they will be supporting their partner at their own home birth.

Two of my four births were home births. These are the two birth stories that are on my blog so far - you can read them here: . I don't think it's a coincidence that these are the two that have been much easier to write, the other two are still to come.

07/06/2024

Looking forward to meeting some pregnant ladies and tiny babies at our event tomorrow morning, and catching up with some other local birth and baby businesses. Come and see us if you’re free - 10am to 11.30am at the WI Hall in Crookham Village. I will be running a baby massage taster session at 10.30.

05/06/2024

I had the pleasure of two postnatal visits yesterday, one with a very fresh baby less than a week old. It really is a privilege being invited into people’s homes at such a vulnerable time to share their experiences and help them to feel a little less worried and find their confidence as new parents - love my job!

(For the observant amongst you, this is a photo of one of my babies in case anyone was thinking they looked weirdly similar!)

05/06/2024

This is a really useful post about formula milk. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the choice and marketing but, underneath it all, every formula milk will have the same main ingredients so picking one based on price and availability (and not worrying about all the other things) is ok!

"""Which brand of formula should I use?""

Lets imagine you're in a situation where you need, or want, to give your baby some formula.

You stand in the supermarket and are met with a sea of options. Red or blue? comfort? Soy? Organic?

And the prices! Do they reflect the quality of the milk?

Maybe you remember that the red brand sent you a soft toy in the post, so that memory sways you towards them just because they're the most familiar option in your exhausted and overwhelmed state.

Maybe someone told you the blue one is closest to breastmilk - and it's more expensive, so perhaps that's the best option to grab?

Stop. Breathe. lets run through some quick facts to help you.

In the UK, if an ingredient has been proven to be beneficial for babies, it MUST be in all standard formulas.

All of the other stuff that is unique to different brands is NOT proven to be necessary or especially beneficial in general.

So we can immediately dismiss the brand that's telling you they have a different type of omega whatever in it. Because if that was genuinely important, they'd all have it in.

Comfort milks don't do a whole lot either. Most issues we see with wriggly, grunty babies is either normal ""WTF is this digestive system thing?"" behaviour, or it might be due to overfeeding, a touch of reflux or any other list of common baby things that don't need you to spend extra money on milk to solve.

Soy milk is not recommended - and it isn't vegan. It will have fish oils in it. If your baby seems to have a dairy allergy, they may well have a soy allergy too. Your best bet here is to get a prescription milk from your GP.

Stage two milk is just clever marketing, because they are not allowed to advertise milk aimed at babies younger than 6 months. So they make and sell stage 2 which is slightly higher in some nutritional elements... things that babies will be eating in their solid food at 6 months anyway.

So, that leaves you with a slightly smaller sea of stage one milks...

My general recommendation?

Choose the cheapest one that you will be able to get your hands on at your nearest shop in an emergency.

Because when we strip away the marketing - we are left with cost and availability.

First Steps Nutrition Trust is a great resource for all things baby milk. I really recommend checking them out.

03/06/2024

Do you have a small baby? Would you like to try some baby massage?

I will be at a pregnancy, birth and baby event this Saturday in Church Crookham and will be running a free baby massage taster session during the event, 10.30 to 10.45. Come and meet some great local pregnancy and birth businesses and learn some relaxing baby massage techniques at the same time!

If you would like to try the baby massage, you can sign up here: https://tms.ezfacility.com/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=2471&GroupID=3254114

Hart Sling Library The Hypnobirthing Coach Daisy First Aid Camberley, Fleet, Basingstoke, Newbury & Surrounding areas CARiFiT Jessica Sharp Photography Busylizzy Fleet The Gentle Nanny

29/05/2024

Today has been a mixed day - we had planned a day out with some friends only to discover that we had got tickets for different locations! On the plus side, I put a book in just in case so have done a lot of reading about infant sleep while the boys played.

I’ve been reading ‘Let’s Talk About Your New Family’s Sleep’ by Lyndsey Hookway. A lot of it is familiar from previous reading but the chapter on adult sleep was new to me, the idea that it often makes sense to start by improving our sleep as parents before trying to ‘improve’ our child’s sleep, both because it’s easier to tackle for rational adults and also because improving our sleep might mean that our children’s sleep habits no longer feel so problematic. It also includes a line that I wholly approve of about not spending your money on ‘sleep aids’ but saving it to invest in a postnatal doula instead!

28/05/2024

I’ve been quiet on here for a few days as I spent the weekend sitting in a field with lots of my favourite people at an amazing festival (with a very beneficial shower to person ratio!). It was lovely to have a break from real life and laugh a lot at some brilliant performers. Now I’m four loads of washing in, doing my best to turn us around ready for camping again next weekend!