Gráinne's Pod to Pea doula services

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Gráinne's Pod to Pea doula services I support women and families by providing emotional, practical and physical support before, during and after birth.

I build relationships, and provide non judgmental support with expecting families to help them have a positive birth and postnatal period.

As a doula, you maybe surprised to hear I rarely hold babies........I mainly hold birthing people and parents. The babie...
01/07/2022

As a doula, you maybe surprised to hear I rarely hold babies........

I mainly hold birthing people and parents. The babies are always well looked after, but the parents rarely think about their needs.

It was wonderful today to spend time with a family I supported through pregnancy and birth. They are doing really well. We debriefed the birth, bathed baby and then I held baby and had cuddles while mum grabbed some well earned lunch.

Rare moment but always willing to oblige ❤️

How can I help my baby into the best position for labour?  More desk jobs, crossed legs and our lovely comfortable deep ...
28/06/2022

How can I help my baby into the best position for labour? 

More desk jobs, crossed legs and our lovely comfortable deep sofas are not helping our babies to get into a good position for labour. You want activities to tilt your pelvis forward.  Things to help you in pregnancy to help your baby into a good birth position are : 

Daily walks 
Sit on a birth ball daily
Pregnancy yoga
Pillow between your knees and side lying when sleeping (keep aligned)
kneeling on the floor, kneeling over a beanbag, birth ball or a chair
Sit on a wedge cushion in the car, so your pelvis is tilted forwards
Staying on all fours for 15 minutes a day

Are you prepping for baby to be in optimal position?

Do not underestimate the power of water as a great source of comfort measure in pregnancy, labour, while birthing and in...
22/05/2022

Do not underestimate the power of water as a great source of comfort measure in pregnancy, labour, while birthing and in the postnatal period.

Pregnancy 🤰

A warm bath can help to relax, soothe and comfort you. A shower can bring relief to back pain. Going for a swim makes you feel weightless. Swimming or paddling with a float on your front can help your  baby into the optimal position for birth. During pregnancy you should drink 8 to 12 cups (1.8-2..8 lts) of water every day. It aids digestion and helps form the amniotic fluid around the fetus. Water also helps nutrients circulate in the body and helps with constipation.

Labour & birthing 🐣

The warm water can help to relax, soothe and comfort you. The support of the water means you can try different positions and move more freely. When upright in the water, gravity will help move the baby down towards the birth canal. Being in water can lower your blood pressure and reduce feelings of anxiety, making your body more able to release endorphins, which can help ease pain. The water can help to improve back pain and the feeling of pressure, especially when you are fully dilated. Being in the pool during labour and birth can be a “cosy” experience, making you feel safe. The water can help your perineum stretch gradually as the baby’s head is being born, reducing the risk of tearing.

Postnatally 🤱

 A shower after birthing can make you feel like a million dollars! A warm herbal bath with epsom salts can aid healing. Pouring water as you wee can help with any stinging. Drink plenty of water to help with constipation and breastfeeding.

Did you use water whilst in labour?

20/05/2022

Welcome baby girl ❤️

Using heat and cold/ice can be a great natural pain relief in labour. 🔥❄️A warm, cosy blanket with "your smell" on it in...
18/05/2022

Using heat and cold/ice can be a great natural pain relief in labour. 🔥❄️

A warm, cosy blanket with "your smell" on it in early labour. 

A flannel soaked in cold water for established labour. 

A hot water bottle. 

A warm compress applied to the perineum if birthing on land when your baby's head is crowning. 

Ice packs to the lower back can help alleviate labor pain. 

Eating ice lollies/cubes

Did you use temperature for pain relief while in labour? Save this to remind you when preparing for labour.

14/05/2022

Great, as always to work with Athena, Doula With You, and help welcome earthside Baby S. You were worth waiting for! 💚

Having the support of 2 doula's means double the support before and after baby is born. Feel the Doula love!

06/05/2022

Hope you have the sunny Friday feeling. 🌞😎 Let's dance baby!

Video from

Do I need a TENS machine? Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a method of pain relief involving the us...
04/05/2022

Do I need a TENS machine? 

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a method of pain relief involving the use of a mild electrical current. A TENS machine is a small, battery-operated device that has leads connected to sticky pads called electrodes.

You attach the pads directly to your skin. When the machine is switched on, small electrical impulses are delivered to the affected area of your body, which you feel as a tingling sensation. The electrical impulses can reduce the pain signals going to the spinal cord and brain, which may help relieve pain and relax muscles. They may also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers. The key is to put it on early so it starts to build with your labour.

Coffee and a chat.....Sometimes when it gets closer to your due date and every appointment you attend is filled with inf...
28/04/2022

Coffee and a chat.....

Sometimes when it gets closer to your due date and every appointment you attend is filled with information regarding all the things that can go wrong, you just need to talk to someone who understands and won't judge. Someone to listen and you talk things through, sign post you to balanced, evidenced information so you can make informed choices about your pregnancy and birth.

The constant negativity and telling you everything that could go wrong is not helpful and needs to stop 😠.

Birthing people want to make informed choices and giving inaccurate information, frightening them and not explaining all the options is not helpful.

So today, I drank coffee, listened, discussed the options and gave information, so mum can decide what she would like to do. I reminded mum she can just take each day as it comes and there is no pressure to decide everything now.

If we couldn't birth our babies physiologically, we wouldn't still be on the planet!

Counter-pressureCounter-pressure consists of steady, strong force applied to one spot on the lower back during surges us...
24/04/2022

Counter-pressure

Counter-pressure consists of steady, strong force applied to one spot on the lower back during surges using the heel of the hand, or pressure on the side of each hip using both hands. If the birthing person is leaning up against something, they can push back and control the pressure applied. Counter-pressure helps alleviate back pain during labor, especially in those experiencing “back labour.” 

If the birthing person likes it, it’s a killer to maintain for a long period, but obviously NEVER complain. 💪

Happy Easter everyone. Wishing you all a great day. XPicture repost from ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ...
17/04/2022

Happy Easter everyone. Wishing you all a great day. X

Picture repost from ⁣⁣⁣
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Early labour You should be lying down or resting as much as possible if in early labour. Going for a hike will not bring...
04/04/2022

Early labour 
You should be lying down or resting as much as possible if in early labour. Going for a hike will not bring on labour, but just make you feel exhausted if you go into established labour! Get comfortable and rest and reserve your energy for established labour.

Established labour 
You may experience less pain in some positions than in others during labour. Trust your instinct. In labour people tend to find upright positions most comfortable such as sitting, standing, and walking. Moving about during labor is usually more comfortable than staying still and can help labor progress by the simple effects of gravity and the changing shape of the pelvis. It may also relieve pain by shifting pressure and allowing the baby to move.
You may try sitting, kneeling, standing, lying down, getting on your hands and knees or walking. The birthing partner should keep an eye on the birthing person to ensure they are not in a position for too long and not realize their arms/legs are getting tired. You do not need to ask them if they are comfortable, just put a pillow there for them to use, or a birth ball next to them to sit on and they will use it if needed.

Will your birth partner act instinctively to support you? Want more?

Whatever type of mum you are, Happy Mother's Day. XReposted from
27/03/2022

Whatever type of mum you are, Happy Mother's Day. X

Reposted from

Let's talk big balls 🏐Birth balls are around £15 and a fab pregnancy birth and postnatal tool. Pregnancy 🤰Sit on it dail...
20/03/2022

Let's talk big balls 🏐
Birth balls are around £15 and a fab pregnancy birth and postnatal tool.

Pregnancy 🤰
Sit on it daily, while working or watching TV to help with posture, back pain, pelvic girdle pain and can help baby into the optimal position for birth. Sit and bounce on the ball to help induce labour.

Labour 🐣
Sit and bounce or rock your hips in the figure of 8 to help move your baby down. Lean over the ball while kneeling or put the ball on the bed and stand and Ken over it. Deflate the ball slightly and use it between your legs while resting on one side, to keep your pelvis open.

Postnatally 🤱
Sit and bounce or rock your baby to sleep.

Choose the right size for your height.

Have you got a birth ball?

Happy St Patrick's Day. ☘️Don't leave your birth to luck. Have someone who knows the system, can guide and support you a...
17/03/2022

Happy St Patrick's Day. ☘️
Don't leave your birth to luck. Have someone who knows the system, can guide and support you all the way, giving you confidence to question and be informed.
DM me for a chat 💚

You try not to think about it! Afraid of the unknown?Worried about how painful it could be?Anxious about losing your dig...
15/03/2022

You try not to think about it! 
Afraid of the unknown?
Worried about how painful it could be?
Anxious about losing your dignity? 
Worried about losing control?
Concerned you can’t do it?
Petrified by all the negative birth stories?  

You are not alone! 💚

These feelings are extremely common and it may surprise you to hear, they are not reserved just for first births.

Talking and preparing well for your birth can help take away the fear of the unknown. It bursts all the TV/film myths (there are soooo many) we have all grown up with. Knowing what will happen and how it happens can help you understand the process. Knowing how to get the best from your caregiver, having a team of people that have journeyed with you and understand your wishes, can empower you to feel in control.   
Perhaps understanding and knowing the pain is not the same as breaking a bone, and the cocktail of hormones that you can help generate, to build natural pain relief and will help you deal with the pain, may make you feel more positive. 
There’s not many of us that are comfortable walking around naked. Discussing the realities of birth, where you DO NOT leave your dignity at the door and knowing we will protect your space, dignity and how you feel, will help you enter the birth more confident. 
Being fully informed and feeling part of the decision making process throughout your pregnancy, will help you believe you and can and will do it! 
For every negative birth story we can share with you 10 wonderful, positive births. 

Please tag anyone you know who is pregnant and maybe feeling apprehensive and you think this may help them. Knowledge is power. 💪

13/03/2022

What are hospital guidelines and polices? What do they mean and where do they come from?
Read my latest blog (link in bio) to find out.

Comment below if your caregiver has said the dreaded " hospital policy is" or "the guidelines are".

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10/03/2022

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Videos

Welcome baby girl ❤️

Great, as always to work with Athena, Doula With You, and help welcome earthside Baby S. You were worth waiting for! 💚 Having the support of 2 doula's means double the support before and after baby is born. Feel the Doula love!

Hope you have the sunny Friday feeling. 🌞😎 Let's dance baby! Video from @world_dance_academy_

What are hospital guidelines and polices? What do they mean and where do they come from? Read my latest blog (link in bio) to find out. Comment below if your caregiver has said the dreaded " hospital policy is" or "the guidelines are".

Happy valentine's everyone! ❤️

Sometimes all it takes is a little support to say you can do it and encouragement to believe in yourself.

What a wonderful sight on a Friday morning. 💚 Pram pushing along the Grand Union canal. 😊 Cute aren't they? What doesn't spring to mind is : - they are going to be clingy - parents are spoiling the newborns - making a rod for their own back - they shouldn't be that close all the time it is not healthy. 💚 Most animals stay close to their newborns and protect them. This is natural normal instinct and behaviour. 💚 It is healthy for parents and newborns to be close. As intelligent as your newborn is, they do not have the ability to manipulate you. Newborns believe if they are put down they will be eaten - animal instinct. 💚 It is tough but I didn't say it was easy, but please can we stop discouraging parents to meet their newborns needs? #animalinstinct #babyswan #newbornmagic #keepbabyclose #protectyourbaby #babylove #doulasupport #workingmumlife #canalwalk #pramwalks #swan #sleepingbaby #newborns #newborncare

Just finished a three hour postnatal session with a new mum. - Mum had a 2 hour sleep and shower - Supported mum breastfeeding - Everything left sterilised - Dishwasher loaded - Baby changed - pram pushed for 90 mins so baby could sleep What would you ask for in your 3 hours? #ontopoftheworld #ittakesavillage #doulaknowledge #doulasupport #supportingnewfamilies #pregnantinhillingdon #postnatalrecovery #mumstobe #postnataldoula

Today we officially launch The Doula Association. 🎉🎈🥂 I say we, as I helped set it up. I'm part of the Operational Team and I am proud to be the Training & Development Lead 💚. We have around 200 fantastic friendly supportive doula's. The Doula Association wants to Doula Doula's! We will be ensuring Doula's have all the training and skills they need to run a business and offer "gold standard" Doula's to families looking for support. Come and join us! Spread the Doula love! #thedoulaassociation #birthblissdoulas #doulabusiness #doulacoach #goldstandardcare #traininganddevelopment

Wow, what a year it has been in so many ways! 🧡 But babies do not stop being born, and if anything there's been been more following 9 months of lock down! . 🥰 As doula's we always find a way to support our clients, especially as the need was greater with all the restrictions. 🧡 We will find a way - as we love what we do and we know it makes a difference.

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