A health and wellness platform for women in pregnancy and beyond.
29/12/2025
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs.
RSV symptoms make it difficult to distinguish it from the common cold or other respiratory viruses (like the flu or COVID-19).
RSV spreads in the autumn and winter along with other respiratory viruses. It usually peaks in December and January.
Use these 4 simple precautions to protect you and your littles!
newborn
28/12/2025
How much weight did you gain in pregnancy? Was it something you were worried about?
Weight gain in pregnancy is both normal and unavoidable. Read that again!!
If you think that you are the only woman to fasten her jeans with a hair bobble or to cry on your bedroom floor because nothing fits anymore, then think again.
I think we need to be really pragmatic when it comes to weight gain in pregnancy, because whilst it is normal it is not an excuse to ‘Eat for 2’…. In fact energy needs do not change in the first 6 months of pregnancy and increase only slightly in the last 3 months (and then only by around 200/300 calories per day).
There are many factors that affect the weight you gain during pregnancy:
🔸Pre-pregnancy weight
🔸Nutrition
🔸Physical activity
🔸Medical/Obstetric conditions
We also need to remember that this weight gain is not exclusively fat gain as we can see above, there is a lot going on.
Did you know your circulating volume (fluid/blood) increases by nearly 50%….. all these factors contribute to weight gain.
Unfortunately there is no recognised ‘normal’ value for weight gain in pregnancy, but these are “ball park” figures! Don’t worry if you don’t fit these parameters.
I still get messages from women explaining that their doctor has told them to “eat less to make a small baby” or that “they should not be putting on more than 10-15lbs” 😡😡 (FYI this is terrible advice generally speaking).
Always bear in mind that excessive weight loss or weight gain in pregnancy can cause complications and as such should be discussed with your Midwife or Doctor to tailor an individual care plan for you.
pregnancy postnatal
25/12/2025
Gifts for the newborn are good. Gifts of support and acts of service for the mother are better!
Don’t be like the “wise men”.
25/12/2025
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate 🎄
Have a joyful day full of all the things that make you happy!
24/12/2025
Merry Christmas Eve 🎄🎁 Swipe for my Night before Christmas Midwifery Edition
It’s time for my Christmas Midwifery poem to make its appearance, with a few tweaks!
Spare a thought for all those healthcare workers who give up Christmas with their families to support you and yours.
Happy Holidays All ❤️
24/12/2025
I mean…. These are three of the best ways to approach your labour and birth.
Even with intervention we don’t have to remain inactive, strapped to beds and machines on our back. Hell we even have mobile epidurals these days.
Move like Mary (disclaimer: I’m not advocating you get a donkey 🤣)
Amazing artwork is from do go check her page out! It’s unreal 😍
08/12/2025
Are you worried about your baby being too cold at night? Whether it is winter where you are or simply summer and you are super relient on air conditioning?
Here are 5 signs your baby is too cold.
Remember if this is the case your baby will usually tell you by crying and being unsettled.
Touching their hands, face, feet are not reliable indicators of temperature - so know these signs.
And the single best way to warm up and settle your baby if you suspect them of being too cold is to get them in skin to skin with mum or dad and they’ll be toasty in no time!
birth postpartum newborn
06/12/2025
Who is having/has had December babies??
05/12/2025
Ho Ho Hell No!
One thing you can rely on consistently during the festive period is the increase in inductions of labour.
If your due date falls within the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year you may find induction of labour being discussed out of the blue with unclear indication.
Now I’m not saying every induction is unjustified because of the holidays, but a hell of a lot can be and maternal choice is always important in decision making (some women elect for personal reasons and have every right to if they are fully informed).
But otherwise holidays are not a reason for induction but you can bet your last dirham that the wards will be busier than ever in the run up to the 25th.
If you have any concerns about suggested induction remember to ask for indication, evidence, guidelines and if you really want to…. A second opinion!
Don’t get stuck in a cascade of intervention for Christmas 😩 I’d rather have a lump of coal.
20/11/2025
Did you know 10cm doesn’t mean we have to start pushing right away!
Actually rushing to push is the surest way to set yourself up for a fall. Patience is a virtue!
If you are 10cm dilated then awesome, but we need to consider other factors before pushing:
❓What station is baby at? How low is their head?
❓What position is baby in? Do they need time to rotate?
❓Do you feel pressure or the urge to push?
❓Do you have an epidural and need a passive hour or two?
❓Are your contractions sufficient to aid active second stage or do you need more time?
❓Is baby coping? If so…. What’s the rush?
So as you can see we make so many other assessments when contemplating beginning active second stage (pushing).
If we are impatient and we ignore them it can lead to prolonged pushing and perhaps being labelled “failure to progress” (horrible term) and finding an instrument or caesarean birth being suggested!
18/11/2025
Did you know that pregnant women live nearly at the limit of human endurance??
Yep, researchers from Duke University studied athletes such as elite runners (we’re talking 3000km +…. not sure who those nutters are though) and cyclists in the Tour De France in a bid to identify the absolute limit of human endurance!
Their research showed that the human body can cope with a maximum energy expenditure of 2.5 times its’s resting metabolic rate (which is on average around 4000 cals).
What is so interesting about this is that when it comes to pregnant women, at their peak their energy expenditure is around 2.2 times their metabolic rate.
So in a nutshell, growing tiny humans means your body is pushing the boundaries of your human capabilities in a way only otherwise experienced by exceptionally elite athletes!
What’s that? Superheroes? Why yes, I do believe we are 😉
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Hi all, I’m Nikki.... I am a UK trained midwife living and working in Dubai. I have been here since 2016 and faced so many challenges in healthcare, as a woman and as a practitioner in my own right. These challenges gave rise to my blog ‘The Fit Midwife’.
It combines the two things that take up all of my time. Maternity care and fitness. And throughout all of the issues I cover I continuously reinforce informed choice, birth rights and the female voice!
I am a qualified level 3 PT and like to incorporate this in to my maternity work because fitness saved me in so many ways and has led me down a path in my life that, although not easy, is definitely the right one. I am a firm advocate that healthy women have healthy pregnancies and subsequently have healthy babies.
I have a no nonsense approach to maternity care. I do not sugar coat things and I do not hold back on saying what it is I really think on the lack of rights, choice and information in maternity care, especially in the UAE. I aim to educate and give women the tools to ask the questions and challenge what does not feel right when it comes to their care. To encourage them to empower themselves.
