The Cottage Midwives

01/11/2022

Please share far and wide

The time has come to stand up and support midwives.

For many years, Midwives throughout New Zealand have worked tirelessly as LMC Midwives to provide amazing care for all birthing people and their whānau.

This level of care is proven to provide the safest and best care during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period and is at risk of being lost due to the constant lack of support and funding by our Government.

This is not midwifery burnout, this is a constant lack of recognition by our government meaning LMC midwives can’t continue to work with the unrealistic expectations and lack of funding given to us.

Now we are at risk of losing it all. If we lose LMC midwifery, New Zealanders lose choice. Choice on who you have, choice on where and how you birth, and midwives lose the ability to provide the best care possible.

So what can we do? We need to make noise and make it now! We have set up a website where you can send your support for Midwives to our local MPs and government to try and get the funding and support we need to keep our maternity system!

This is not just a petition for those who have had a baby, or plan to have a baby. This is for everyone who supports any birthing person having a choice on where and how they birth and supporting midwives to provide best care possible with fair and equitable remuneration.

We started this website and letter to help share the fight midwives are in. All you have to do is add your name and email and press send! You can also add your own stories and share this with your friends and family if you want to.

Thanks so much for your support

Follow our website for more details:
https://www.standupformidwives.nz

14/08/2022

A certain Sleep “expert” recently posted on IG to say that you should breastfeed or express according to a routine, not on demand, because she believes routine feeding creates “Good creamy milk.” In comparison, she states that feeding on demand creates “Watery milk” that “causes wind, reflux, and poor sleep.”

Now I’ve picked my jaw up from the floor and actually processed this incredible work of fiction, lets break it down with some science, instead of fantasy. Fortunately, Prof Amy Brown and her colleague Victoria Harries looked at the topic of strict routines and breastfeeding outcomes in their research from 2019. They found that reading books that promoted strict routines around sleep and feeding lead to reduced breastfeeding rates, reduced responsiveness to baby crying, and less physical contact between parent and baby.

“So what?” You might ask. Well, all of those things come with the possibility of associated risks.

Allowing a baby to cry (ie not responding to their needs) makes it harder for them to learn how to regulate their feelings and feel safe and well connected with their main caregiver. (Evans & Porter, 2009)

Physical contact is essential for babies, and reducing it because you’re trying to get baby into a routine, might also be harmful for their bonding, feelings of safety, and self regulation skills.

Breastfeeding is of course incredibly important for many reasons, but even if we put all of the usually cited health outcomes to one side, we need to remember that around 80% of mothers in the UK tell us that they stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to. (UNICEF)

And do you know what happens when you can’t meet your breastfeeding goals – specifically because of pain or other physical challenges?

You are more likely to suffer from postnatal depression. (Brown, Rance, Benett 2015)

Let’s jump back to how feeding on a routine is more likely to lead to you not breastfeeding. This is at least in part due to breastmilk being made on a DEMAND and SUPPLY basis. Ie – the more often you feed, the more milk you create. In addition to this, RESEARCH (not someone’s dreamland) tells us that SOFT breasts (ie frequently used breasts!) contain milk that is higher in fat than full breasts (Or breasts that have been left to fill up because baby isn’t due to feed yet.) (hassiotou et al, 2013, Daly et al, 1993)

Next, lets look at reflux and breastfeeding.

Firstly – breastfeeding is protective against reflux (Chen et al, 2017)

Secondly, reflux is normal – and only needs treating if it’s causing problems. (Curien-Chotard, M. and Jantchou, P. 2020)

And a lot of reflux symptoms can be caused by:

- Over or under supply of milk (Newman, 2013)
- Tongue tie (Hazelbaker, 2010)
- Allergy (Salvatore and Vandenplas 2002)

Do you know how you can help a refluxy baby? FEED THEM OFTEN. (La Leche League, The Breastfeeding Network, The NHS)

And a little bit about sleep before I end this already too long for FB post:

We know that babies need to feed frequently, even at night (Adams et al, 2020)
We also know that waking to feed reduces the risk of SIDS (Harper et al, 1992)

So, to summarise, feeding to a routine is likely to lead to:

- Milk that is higher in water content, due to fuller breasts.
- Ending breastfeeding before you’re ready
- Increased fussiness, including reflux symptoms
- Reduced feelings of safety and attachment for your baby
- An increased risk of PND
- Low milk supply

Basically the complete opposite of what that “expert” in question is claiming.

01/08/2022

It’s deeply ingrained, this habit of putting hats on newborns. Search online for images of newborns and almost all of them are togged up in a woolly hat, for all the world like they are about to go outside for a snowball fight. So why do we do it? And why do so many midwives […]

10/07/2022

TENS machine’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hello cottage family, does anyone have a TENs machine with them still? Sometimes we get so excited to see you at home with your baby that we forget to take them back to clinic with us and we would hate for anyone to miss out on using one!

It doesn’t matter if it’s been with you a week or for months, please let your midwife know via text and we can organise picking it up ❤️

16/06/2022

A great example of how the cervix dilates with contractions

09/06/2022

Best advice for early labour

09/06/2022

A great visual demonstration of how a placenta low lying can “move” away from the cervix.

10/05/2022

I recently went to visit a new mama with a two-week-old baby. This mama wasn't a client of mine but rather the daughter of a friend whom I offered to look in on. When I arrived with a pot of soup and some lactation slice in my bag, I found her trying to make a snack for her boisterous three-year-old whilst juggling a fussy newborn in her arms. Her husband was at work and would be till late, there was washing piled up waiting to be folded, she hadn't eaten breakfast or had a shower even though it was nearly midday.

As I took over the snack making duties and put the soup on to warm, I asked how she was getting on even though I had a fair idea just by the look in her eyes. She forced a smile as she spoke about how she was 'ok' and 'a bit tired' but I could see the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes and it broke my heart to see her try to put on a brave face, trying to cover up a situation that was far from ideal. This was a new mother who was alone, isolated, lonely, exhausted and overwhelmed and despite all of this, was still trying to pretend as though she was coping and even enjoying this time.

I also noticed that the house was full of cards and bunches of flowers ...... dead ones ......

When I mentioned all of the gifts, cards and bouquets she said 'yes, people have been so kind'.

Hmmmmmm I thought. They might have been kind, but they've also been completely thoughtless.

This new mother didn't need cards and bunches of flowers to slowly wilt and die on the mantelpiece. She needed support, she needed love, she needed another pair of hands to take the weight off her shoulders. She needed healthy food, she needed a caring touch, she needed a listening ear and she needed practical help.

I'm sorry but dead flowers don't cut it ....

The care of new mothers and parents is so woefully underappreciated and overlooked that cards and flowers rather than support and practical help have become the norm in our culture. However, as I explained to this new mama as I folded her washing and cuddled her baby so she could eat her lunch, if she had lived in India or China it would have been totally different. Historically in these cultures (and in most other indigenous cultures worldwide), there would be no snack making for the toddler or washing to fold. Instead, she would be snuggled in bed resting with her baby as others took care of her every need. She would be having a daily massage and have her belly bound for comfort. There would be delicious and nutritious meals served to her and her toddler would be amused and cared for by others giving her time to rest and recover from her birth and to fall in love and breastfeed her newborn.

The difficult truth is that the leading cause of death for new mothers after birth in most Western countries is now su***de. Let that sink in for a moment.

It is my opinion that this devastating statistic is a direct correlation to our 'bounce back' culture that doesn't honour a 'slow postpartum' but instead insists new mothers rush back into their old lives, their old jobs, their old jeans. Insta perfect. But to what cost?

How have we got it so wrong? And what can we do to reverse this damaging trajectory?

I believe that education is the key. Education about the importance of the postpartum weeks. Education about the fact that a newborn baby cannot be optimally nourished and nurtured by a mother or parent who is exhausted and depleted and whose cup is empty. Education about the value we should place on the care of new mothers and parents so that they thrive rather than just survive the weeks following birth, setting them up for a positive start to their parenting journey.

I'm determined to make this happen. I would love for you to join my Slow Postpartum revolution. Let's make the world a better place, one mother, baby and family at a time ...

With love Jojo ###

PS: You can find out how to join my Slow Postpartum movement in the comments

27/04/2022

Research tells us that for healthy women with healthy pregnancies homebirth is the SAFEST option.

“I’d love to have a homebirth but I’m going to deliver at a hospital… just in case.”

1) Homebirth midwives are medically trained professionals, highly qualified and equipped with the skills needed to handle an emergency and knowing when to transfer.

2) The homebirth midwife that you’re scared of being under-qualified has probably seen more natural, physiological births in a one month timeframe than the typical OB has in their entire career.

3) The emergencies and trauma you’re trying to avoid are more likely to happen within a hospital setting because they have such a high rate of medically unnecessary interventions, leading to the cascade of interventions.

*Women should birth where they feel the most comfortable but we also need to remove the fear and stigma from homebirth because it’s a safe and valid option*

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