Hypnobirthing Cumbria and Reflexology with Janet Naylor

22/07/2025

https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/labour-progress-myths/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLsJk5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkaihe4RiOTVPbyw1dBvGobsuzRL3v_HRlECYZsHv2lCOFDntFSXqBnXiVFS_aem_59TbvudigvZ7Fpz_683CLg

"It's really clear that we need to stop attributing birth outcomes solely to women's size, age, and/or race (or whatever other characteristic will become a so-called risk factor next) and recognise the part that fatphobia, agism, and racism play in outcomes."

That's a quote from a blog post in which I discuss an important labour progress myth.

That is, the idea that slow labour progress in women who are older and/or have a higher BMI can be attributed to their size/shape or age.

Because even if those things play some part (and the jury is out on this), there are many other factors.

The most important of which is the attitudes of the care provider and the guidelines that are imposed when women are giving birth in systems of maternity care.

I've written a lot about this in my book on Plus Size Pregnancy, and my blog post explains how studies have helped us better understand this area.

And debunk the myths.

You can find my blog post at https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/labour-progress-myths/

I hope you find it useful

21/07/2025

We have evidence from studies involving thousands of women and babies that using water for labour and birth is safe and leads to good outcomes.

Using water also brings advantages for some women, including less need for other kinds of pain relief and increased maternal satisfaction.

But, as with many things in obstetrics, practice doesn’t always follow evidence.

Some organisations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, do not recommend waterbirth.

They sometimes cite anecdotal stories and hypothetical risks, while ignoring large studies which evidence that waterbirth is safe for women and babies.

This means that researchers need to keep doing more studies in order to demonstrate that woman-centred options are safe and effective.

Numerous studies evidence waterbirth safety.

I list many of them at https://www.sarawickham.com/water

Find out more about birth, research and how to make sense of it all at www.sarawickham.com

11/07/2025

💔 Are you bothered that around 1:2 women are having caesareans or other birth interventions?

I WISH 🧚‍♀️……..

💔That I didn’t have to be teaching Hypnobirthing, but it seems so necessary in the medical model of birth

💔That I didn’t have to hear and see so many women upset, crying, grieving over their previous birth experiences

💔 That I didn’t need to be reminding people that they really do have choices

💔 That I didn’t have to hear some of their negative conversations with Health Professionals

💔 That I didn’t need to hear that so many women are so frightened to give birth, by any route

💔 That women didn’t feel coerced into making decisions, often uninformed ones

💔 That birth partner’s didnt feel like a “spare part”, as a bystander in the birthing room, not knowing their role

So yes HYPNOBIRTHING IS TOTALLY NECESSARY for so many women and their birth partners

❤️ Aim to know your options, make fully informed decisions and have some tools and techniques in your very own “Hypnobirthing Toolkit”, for yourself and for your birth partner

❤️ Invest in your birth experience, financially, physically, mentally and emotionally. You may be glad that you did !! The impact that your birth experience has on you, will be life long, be that negative or positive.

❤️ Prepare well, if you don’t know your options, then you dont have any!

❤️ Hypnobirthing matters to so many for so many reasons

❤️ My next Hypnobirthing “groups” with availability (at the moment) are on the weekends of:

SEPTEMBER 20th/21st 2025
NOVEMBER possibly

❤️ I also offer a 12 hour1:1 course and a “refresher” session

❤️ Feel free to tag in a pregnant friend/relative or colleague( privately if necessary 😉)

❤️ For more information, to see lots of testimonials and positive birth stories or to book a place, please see my website here:

❤️ https://www.hypnobirthingcumbria.co.uk/why-choose-hypnobirthing/

Why Choose Hypnobirthing My Hypnobirthing Course is a FULL antenatal education/labour and birth preparation programme for you and your birth partner (although some women attend alone). You will learn how to relax, have fun and learn a lot too! You can choose a small group Hypnobirthing Course or a O...

06/07/2025

🙏Thank goodness we have caesareans when we genuinely medically need them

I agree ⬇️ that they are overused and often result following a cascade of intervention, especially following routine induction of labour ….