Beautiful Beginnings Antenatal

25/07/2025

Words matter more than we realise…

When a māmā is in labour, she’s at her most powerful 💪 and her most vulnerable.

The language we use, the tone, the encouragement, the respect - it can either lift her up 🙌 or chip away at her confidence.

As her number one support crew 🥳 your words will shape Mum’s birth experience.

When Mum feels safe, seen, and supported, that’s when her magic ✨unfolds.

What words helped you in labour (or didn’t 🫣)?
I’d love to know ♥️

13/07/2025

I promise homebirth isn’t the risky biscuit of birth….

✱ In fact, it’s the complete opposite.
If the idea of homebirth 😬 makes you think
“Why would you risk it?”
“What if something goes wrong?”

✱ I’m here to say 📣
That if you are well, you are seen as having a ‘low-risk’ pregnancy in obstetric circles.
You’re much more likely to have a physiological birth (no intervention) if you plan to give birth at home.

And no, this isn’t just what I’ve seen across my career as a Midwife.

✱ This is backed by research 🧐
Data collected and analysed by clever boffins looking at birth worldwide. And yes, that includes here in NZ.

Curious about homebirth? Let me know your thoughts below 👇

🤔 If you’re keen to have your viewpoint swayed, have a look over these papers to delve into the evidence:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30063-8/fulltext

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613820300784

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613824001840

09/07/2025

I bet you thought these were true 👆…..especially myth 4.

I’m not here to give you a rigid plan .

I’m here to help you feel calm, informed, and ready to meet your baby 🙌.

Comment JOIN to work with me 💜

19/06/2025

Yes you are 🙌😘

Make sure the pregnant māmās in your life know this because often we forget that birth isn’t about breaking you it’s about releasing your power ♥️

17/06/2025

What no one else is saying about postpartum 👆
But I’m your birth bestie — and I’ve got you.

I asked the BBA māmā community to share the real, raw truths they wish that had known 🤔… and wow, did they deliver.

💚 Gritty
💜 Honest
♥️ Full of love for future mums

This is the kind of support ✨ you deserve heading into your fourth trimester.

💬 What would you add to the list? Share your wisdom below — you never know who it might help.

02/05/2025

Yes, you really need to enter baby gear shopping with a clear game plan.

Whether it’s the upcoming Baby Expo, the Farmers’ Market sales, or the Facebook Marketplace.

🦄 Marketing is fabulous, persuasive, and is all aimed at leaning into the fact that you want to have the best for your precious newborn.

But honestly, you want to know what you want or don’t want. Do some research, walk away from the display, grab a coffee ☕️, read reviews, and ask questions.
Take a moment to remember that it will go on sale again.

💸 Otherwise, you will walk out with fifteen boxes of breast pads, a nest, a baby toothbrush and quite possibly seventeen swaddling apparatus, which all promise to get your baby sleeping ‘through the night’*

*Spoiler swaddles that use zips or velcro to keep the baby’s arms in a set position aren’t recommended by Red Nose Trust (Australia’s safe sleep organisation). Just in case fabulous marketing convinces you to buy one or two 🏃‍♀️

Any other words of wisdom or suggestions? Or do you have a question for the BBA community?
Let us know below 😘

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21/04/2025

Breaking up with your midwife - sometimes you gotta do what you’ve gotta do

I know you’re not considering this lightly and doubting yourself. It takes a lot of courage to consider this. So if you’re reading this and are on the fence ask yourself these questions.

1️⃣ Can I ask them anything and feel safe to do so?

2️⃣ Do my opinions matter?

3️⃣ Are the options I want respected? eg. birthing at a place I choose, having a waterbirth. If my wishes don’t align with hospital guidelines are conversations encouraged around this?

4️⃣ Will I feel okay being vulnerable in my birth and postpartum with this person?

Don’t panic that all your pregnancy information will be lost. Your new midwife will be able to access scan reports, lab results and request your notes.

💜 The script (edit as you feel):

Hi (Midwifes name),
Thank you for having me as a client for the past few months/weeks. I’m letting you know that I’m changing midwives as I don’t feel that this relationship is working for me.
Many thanks, (your name).

28/03/2025

Is this firing you up, too?

1️⃣ The use of coercive language. It wasn’t an open, fair conversation. Instead of Mum feeling like she consented on her terms, it was pushed as the only way she could show she cared for her baby.

2️⃣ Then, after having this conversation 👆, the unit was too full to accommodate the induction, and now they’re happy for her to go home - despite the pressure that the Mum faced being told her baby needs to be born ASAP…..

3️⃣ If the induction was that crucial for the safety of either Mum or Baby, it would have been commenced, or a caesarean section would have been offered.

I want to clarify some points:

💜 I am 100% behind you if you decide to undergo an induction, and this has been the outcome following a fully informed chat. Fan flipping-tastic!

💜 There are definitely circumstances where an induction is the right choice.

💜 I also want to say that if this story relates to your experience in any way and you feel guilt/shame/disappointment as you read this, please don’t. I’m here to say on behalf of everyone who was with you on that journey that I am sorry you weren’t given the care you should have been. This is not on you; this is on us as health professionals.

Want antenatal education that will actually prepare you for these chats? 🙌

Come join! Find out more click the link in the bio.

21/03/2025

Want to increase your chance of a vaginal birth and potentially less complications?

Exercise during pregnancy seriously needs to be brought into 2025. Unfortunately there is still advice being dished out that is still circa the 90s (rest up, take it easy, avoid doing any heavy work), but thank goodness there’s emerging research making bold claims that exercise for is great for both māmās’ health and baby’s health in pregnancy and their future health 🙌.

If you’re thinking about becoming active - get on that train! Chat with your LMC, keep them in the loop, and if you have any naysayers, share this post with them. I’ve even included some research links below for the nitty-gritty details.

Want to help another māmā out, share your favourite movement in pregnancy 👇

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10107927/
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9772147/

30/11/2024

There are so many acronyms when it comes to being pregnant and giving birth it’s like Obstetric themed Mastermind.

So let’s ease those worries because here 👆 are some great basics to get confident with.

Think I’ve missed some key ones??
Let me know ♥️

31/10/2024

Place of birth is a biggie: home, birthing unit or hospital?

A question that is often asked straight after ‘How far along are you?’ You can absolutely say “At the hospital”, but if you’re tempted to add the caveat “Just in case” 😬, the findings from multiple research papers may have you thinking.

Want to read more about home birth and whether it fits with your beliefs and ideas about birth? has abundant information, books, blogs, and links to research articles for you to decide.

Want me to do a post on how to support birth in a hospital let me know below ♥️

23/10/2024