Lucy the Doula

11/12/2018

"The need to settle into the birth place during early labour is a normal response to the physiology of the birth process"
Nativity season again. Maybe it was the acting skills of my lovely niece's classmate playing her that made the thought of Mary, slipping into the vulnerable, nest and security seeking early stages of labour, making a hot and difficult journey (on a bloody donkey) and being repeatedly turned away from shelter really land with me this year. *Maybe* the few lines in the play dedicated to the labouring woman overcoming adversity compared to the veeerrry many to the wise men visiting with expensive gifts bothered me a little bit. Anyway, I was put in mind of this amazing image by Natalie Lennard https://rockstarlavender.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/the-creation-of-man_1600px.jpg?w=768 which I think refocusses the story beautifully.
The quotation above is from an article by Rachel Reed about a "no room at the inn" contemporary equivalent. https://midwifethinking.com/2013/11/13/early-labour-and-mixed-messages/

15/03/2018

Questions about posterior - 'back to back' - labours seem to be coming up a lot for clients and attendees of the Positive Birth Group at the moment. Alongside adjusting your expectations of the duration and experience of labour and focussing support to stamina enhancement, the Sims position could be a tool in your kit if this variation of your baby's positioning occurs in labour.

Fetal occiput posterior position in labor is associated with more painful and prolonged labor, and an increase in both maternal and fetal morbidity. The aim of this study is to assess whether the modified...

14/03/2018

Ooh! The Stuff You Should Know podcast covers "The Deal With Doulas" (40 minutes) in case you'd like to listen your way to better acquaintance with what doulas do.

The word doula in Ancient Greek might mean "female servant" but it's really not a great description of the 21st century job. Doulas are birth coaches who help women get through the process of childbirth as efficiently and painlessly as possible. They aren't midwives or nurses, but they can provide a...

29/09/2017

"It is maybe 4 p.m. and the contractions are more frequent and one comes on now and I pass the gas and air and she falls into it. I watch enviously as Laura levitates. After the first blast she becomes yet more holy, inhibitions exhaled, a sense of immersion and self-realisation of which, along with the free buzz she is inhaling, I am quietly envious of." http://www.whimn.com.au/strength/mind/russell-brand-shares-the-incredibly-personal-story-of-his-daughters-birth/news-story/38a318762ade23224967d4aef714a951

17/07/2017

A midwife's moving perspective on when it just isn't possible for her to do the job she desperately wishes she could do: "I'm sorry."

Today’s post is an anonymous contribution from a midwife working in the NHS. I publish this to help her find an outlet for her feelings and to draw attention to the looming crisis that maternity services face as more midwives are leaving the profession than joining, funding is being cut and morale i...

26/03/2017

...And whilst we're celebrating with pictures, here I am with Ina May Gaskin yesterday, fangirling so hard I forgot my own name for a good minute.

26/03/2017

It's world doula week and I'm high as a kite on return from the amazing doula UK conference in Manchester. Are you still unsure of what a doula actually does? Here are some gorgeous pictures speaking thousands of words of doulas in action by the wonderful

Happy Doula Week! We are SO inspired by the doulas we work with, and we're thrilled to share 20 inspirational images with you today. Tag a doula who inspires you in the comments below! http://www.birthbecomesher.com/new-blog/doula-love

Work by Santa Cruz Birth Photography & Doula Services, Lillian Craze South Wales Birth Photographer, Natalie Bee Photography, Elliana Gilbert - Birthstories, Lifestories & Beyond, Jen Conway Birth Photography & Doula Services, Krista Evans Photography and Doula Services, KE Documentary, Monet Nicole - Birthing Stories, Jennifer Mason Photography, LuluBea Photography, Isabell Steinert Photography, Rachel Utain-Evans Photography, Caitlin Angel Photography, Life UNscripted photography, Beloved Bits, Bonnie Hussey, Birth & Postpartum Services, Esther Edith, Photographer & Doula, An Infinite Moment Photography, Catherine Brown Birth & Lifestyle Photography.