Just Breathe Hypnobirthing and Reflexology

06/10/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=680672510085772&id=100044290876294

Want to know what I wish everyone knew about birth knowledge, as a researcher who has studied that topic for more than two decades?

Ask any midwife, doctor, birth worker or researcher what three things they wish they could tell all women, and you'll probably get three statements that tell you as much about the writer's passion and beliefs as about birth.

My list is no exception.

I could tell you I wished every woman/family knew that they didn't need to buy every baby product in sight.

That a lot of the stuff we accumulate before our babies come won’t ever be useful and the money is better spent on things that will support your health and wellbeing.

And I do wish that, but not nearly as much as I wish three other things.

Like the line I’ve shared today.

These things reflect my passion to help others to understand more about birth and the knowledge that relates to it.

So you can make the decisions that are right for you.

The line in the picture comes from an article in one of my books, What's Right For Me? Making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth.

I've recently updated the book and you can find details at www.sarawickham.com/me

That article is also on my website. It's called “Three things I wish every woman knew about pregnancy and birth knowledge.”

If you'd like a taster of what I have to say, you can read the article at https://www.sarawickham.com/original-articles/three-things-i-wish-every-woman-knew-about-pregnancy-and-birth-knowledge/

Or jump there via the links in my insta bio.

I hope you find it useful.

Yes, you can share this post as long as you keep the picture, words and credit intact. Please do not put my work/words into your branding.

23/09/2022

A lovely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review from my latest clients.

As a birth educator I aim to help couples achieve a positive birth experience no matter what path their birth takes. So glad that Michelle finally got the experience that she wanted.
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Ingrid was just wonderful!! From our first phone conversation, through our sessions and even after the birth of our little girl. Not only did she tailor our sessions to suit both us as a couple, and our desires for birth. But she was always on hand with advice and reassurance when needed.
Thanks to Ingrid and our hypnobirthing sessions, I was able to labour at home with ease. My surges were welcomed and I was able to spend that time relaxed and excited for birth. We didn't unfortunately get our home birth that we wished for. But we were still able to have a completely natural birth, with no unwanted interference. We were in control both at home and in the hospital. Our baby girl Aster was born happy and healthy and in a room full of love 💕

Thank you Ingrid for all that you did. I finally got a birth experience I wanted thanks to you xx

14/09/2022

https://www.facebook.com/100044290876294/posts/663393788480311/

“One thing to remember is that, if a care provider really was that worried about your baby, they wouldn’t be offering induction, which often takes three days to get going.

If they were that worried, or if the risk was really high, they would and should be offering an immediate caesarean section.”

This is a paragraph from my newest book, “In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop.”

I wrote it because of a particularly unkind and unprofessional form of communication that is sometimes used in maternity care.

“Sadly, I hear from many women and families who have been told that they have “a high chance of stillbirth,” or that their baby, “…will almost certainly die if you don’t come in for induction right away,” when this is absolutely not true.” (Wickham 2021).

“Sheila Kitzinger described this as ‘emotional blackmail,’ and many people refer to it as ‘playing the dead baby card.’” (Wickham 2021).

It’s not OK.

REALLY not OK.

It’s vitally important that we name and discuss it, and ensure that more people get informed about the facts.

If you’d like to know more, I have lots of free resources on my website as well as two books about induction of labour.

Find out more at www.sarawickham.com/time

Yes, you can share this post as long as you keep the picture, words and credit intact. Please do not put my work/words into your branding.

13/09/2022

Lost my phone around lunchtime today between path at bachelors walk/Lurgan Road and lower church lane. Black Samsung Galaxy in dark blue case. Please share. Thanks

19/08/2022

Due dates can be really helpful in some ways, and a real pain in others.

And it’s important to realise what they can and can’t do.

Can they give us a rough idea of when a baby might be due?

Yes.

Is that helpful for planning, ordering the birth pool, arranging for childcare and to guide some of the care we might want during pregnancy?

Of course.

On the other hand, though…

A due date is not a 'best before' date.

It's not an expiration date.

It's a guess.

And research shows that only about 5% of babies (that’s one in twenty babies) are born on their due date.

So as I often say to expectant parents, plan to do something nice on your due date.

You’ve got a really good chance of being able to do it.

And it might help you remember that due dates are a guide, not a guarantee.

My website contains lots of information about normality, due dates and induction of labour.

I have also written two books about this: Inducing Labour: making informed decisions and In Your Own Time: how western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop.

Find out more at www.sarawickham.com/iol

18/08/2022

Over the years, I have shared a number of studies showing that induction increases the chance of caesarean. A 2021 study again reinforced our knowledge in this area.

This is important, because what these studies show is contrary to what many women and families are told.

Many people are told that induction of labour reduces the chance a having a caesarean.

But that’s not what midwives, doctors, birth supporters and others who work in the real world see, though.

In the real world, and in research carried out in real world settings, we see something different.

We see that healthy women are more likely to end up having a caesarean if they have induction of labour. That's compared to going into labour on their own.

It's really important that we don't take evidence at face value. We need to dig deeper and explore what's going on.

We need to understand that just because there's evidence to support an idea, that doesn't mean it's right.

It doesn't mean that there aren't other perspectives.

Most importantly of all, there are pros and cons to everything.

Induction of labour is absolutely the right decision for some woman and families, regardless of an increased chance of caesarean.

And it's absolutely not right for others.

The key is in getting informed, and figuring out what's right for you.

My blog post explains this in depth, and I spell out the numbers. https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/induction-increases-caesarean/

I hope you’ll find it useful.

18/08/2022

Some reasons why you should choose Just Breathe for your birth preparation. Some spaces left for private sessions in September.

05/08/2022

Fully booked for Hypnobirthing sessions in August. Some availability for sessions starting September.

05/08/2022

The health of both mothers and babies can have important ongoing implications. In 2020, there were 295,796@babies born to 291,712@mothers in Australia. Explore the characteristics and health of...

03/08/2022

When offered any medical intervention in pregnancy it’s vital that you make a decision based on the evidence available, not just because of hospital policies.

How many of these have you heard?

Some of these induction myths are plain wrong.

Some are tactics used to scare women into accepting intervention, or to persuade women that induction interventions aren’t something they need to think too much about.

But the reality is that decisions about induction are worthy of thought.

Because starting labour artificially can be beneficial for some women/babies, in some situations.

There are times when it is absolutely the right thing for women/families.

But that’s not always the case.

Induction of labour also has risks and downsides.

It has repercussions that can last a lifetime.

None of the myths in my pic are backed up by evidence, but they are often heard.

So it’s worth spending some time finding out about the issues, learning about the evidence and then making an informed decision about whether induction and the interventions and restrictions that this involves are right for you.

If you’d like to get started on that, I have a whole hub of induction information and two books that can help you get informed.

You’ll find those at www.sarawickham.com/iol and www.sarawickham.com/time

With thanks to for letting me adapt her idea 💜

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01/08/2022

Sleep on your side when baby's inside! 😴👶
New NICE antenatal guidance (NG201) is now available.

01/08/2022

This is a quote from Homebirth Safe and Sacred, by midwife Kim Osterholzer.

And I couldn’t agree with it more.

In fact, I believed in this project so much that I ended up being the back-up, last-minute second midwife for this book. If you want to know how and why, search for “home birth” on www.sarawickham.com

This book helps get information out to those who have questions about home birth safety in an affordable, readable format.

It is written for a US audience, so some of the information about midwifery care is US-specific, but the stories and the evidence transcend national borders.

I loved the first draft of this book so much that I put two days of my life on hold so that I could help make it even better.

I hope you’ll take a look and see what you think.

And if you’d like more information on home birth, I have an entire information hub at www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/is_home_birth_safe/

16/07/2022

Your birth may not always go exactly as planned but hypnobirthing can prepare you for whatever your experience turns out to be.

Here’s what Holly had to say after the birth of her baby.

11/07/2022

For anyone considering a water birth. Good to have up to date evidence.

Earlier this week, I shared research carried out by Burns et al (2022).

It was a comparative analysis which examined intrapartum (in labour) interventions, and maternal and neonatal outcomes following immersion in water during labour and birth.

Like many studies and analyses before it, it shown that the use of water during labour and birth has clear benefits.

In fact, we have evidence from research involving hundreds of 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, hypothetical risks and issues that aren't really problems.

At the same time, they ignore large studies which show that waterbirth is safe for women and babies.

Those who want to support the use of water for labour and birth need to have access to good evidence.

This is why I have a page on my website which details the key water birth studies that I have come across and shared over the past decade or so.

I have now added the recent study by Burns et al (2022). So it's very up to date.

You can see my waterbirth page at https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/more-benefits-of-water-for-birth/

I hope you'll find it useful.

01/07/2022

So many women encouraged to have induction of labour unnecessarily. Look at the evidence.

24/06/2022

Love the new business cards I can now offer fertility reflexology. Also private antenatal classes designed around your individual needs.

23/06/2022

What are the best questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour?

As a midwife who has researched and written about induction of labour for more than two decades, I get asked that quite a bit.

Especially as I have a fundamental belief that there is no one 'right' path for everyone.

Twenty years before anyone hashtagged , I was promoting that very idea to women and families.

One size doesn't fit all.

You need to decide what's right for you.

And in order to do that, you might need to ask some questions.

So I have put together this guide to the five best questions that you can ask in order to get more information and make the decisions that are right for you.

I'm also going to tell you what can you learn from the answers you are given.

You can find my blog post at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/five-questions-to-ask-if-youre-offered-induction-of-labour/

There's a link to my website in my insta bio as well.

I hope you'll find it useful.

19/05/2022

In a world where we rush around and try to fit too much in, a baby’s ‘due date’ has come to be seen by some people as a kind of appointment.

Statistically, only 5% of babies are born on their due date.

That's one in twenty.

Some come earlier, and many healthy babies are born after this.

I sometimes suggest that people plan to do something nice on their baby’s due date; there’s a really high chance that you’ll be free to do it!

But the important thing to remember is that, on the whole, our bodies and our babies’ bodies know what they’re doing.

If you’d like more information about due dates, induction or birth in general, see www.sarawickham.com/iol

Yes, feel free to repost. We just ask that you keep the original pic, words and credit intact and don’t put Sara’s words into your own branding 💜