Sarah Sayer Birth Geek

25/07/2023

So…………. I got me a little side hustle!

Don’t panic, I’m still a doula, mentor, hypnobirthing instructor and doula course facilitator BUT I like to keep my plate full and I aim to always keep moving my business forward.

So, may I introduce you to my new business, in partnership with my amazing niece Lou.

We’ve spotted a need in the birth business world, a need for drop-dead gorgeous websites without the large price tag of a bespoke design or the ball ache of making it yourself from scratch.

In September we will be launching our first selection of absofrigginglutely stunning templates. Ready for you to select your favourite and be guided through personalising it to make it your own.

What’s not to love huh?!

Be the first to see the templates when they drop.

Follow us .your.business and head to the bio to sign yourself up to the waiting list.

structor

02/06/2023

This really resonates with me after a conversation I had this week with a new mum who was overwhelmed and thinking about what her baby “should” be doing

Rather than being able to focus on what she was achieving (which was doing an pretty amazing job of feeding her baby) she was worried that she wasn’t having enough feeds in a day.

We can be so bombarded with info, measurements and timings it becomes hard to see what’s actually going right, in this case I reminded her to look at the positive signs that her baby was showing her. Lots of lovely wet nappies and a very content baby. ❤️

What constitutes one breastfeed?

How long is a feed? Should it be one breast or two? How much gap should there be to warrant it being called a separate feed? What about cluster feeding? Should my baby be feeding every 3 hours?

I heard this analogy the other day from Gill Rapley, author of "Baby Led Breastfeeding" amongst other fabulous books.

Gill Rapley said: "If I have two half pints of beer at the pub that counts as two drinks. But what about if I have one pint and spin it out over the same amount of minutes? That's one drink right? Or does taking a mouthful every 10 mins make it about 8 drinks?"

So basically, it doesn't matter! The most important thing is to feed responsively. Sometimes babies may need several goes on the breast to feel satisfied. Thats OK. This is just cluster feeding and is the equivalent of going to the pub and having lots of sips of a pint. Sometimes baby might prefer a big feed, like when you prefer to down most of your pint in one go. Sometimes they might just want half a pint.

When I'm supporting a parent and I ask them how many feeds baby is having, I love it when they say "ummmm .... well ..... lots?" Thats exactly what I want to hear.

Mmm I really fancy a beer now 🍺 And yes you can have one and still breastfeed! (Thats a different post)

12/05/2023

Posted • Some great reasons to sign up to our "Is There a Doula in You?" event, coming up this month!​​​​​​​​​
Head to the link in our bio to register your place.

"Is There a Doula in You?" costs just £27, which is deductible from the cost of any of our courses if you book within a year.

12/05/2023

Posted • Some great reasons to sign up to our "Is There a Doula in You?" event, coming up this month!​​​​​​​​​
Head to the link in our bio to register your place.

"Is There a Doula in You?" costs just £27, which is deductible from the cost of any of our courses if you book within a year.

08/05/2023

If you’re new here then chances are you’re looking for a doula and the thing you’ll want to know is who is this birth geek person?!?!

So allow me to introduce myself….

I’m Sarah and I’ve been a doula for a million years. Ok, not quite a million but it’s been a long time, I trained back in 2009 and I’ve been busy supporting clients either as their doula or in their antenatal preparation ever since.

I am both a birth doula and a postnatal doula. I am also a doula course facilitator and a mentor for new doulas. So you can see why I call myself the birth geek.

I’m all about people getting the best from their experience of the perinatal period. I help them achieve this with great preparation, signposting and ongoing support.

You only have to google the statistics on the effectiveness of doula support to see it’s a no-brainer. Better outcomes, better satisfaction and more positive experiences for both the birthing person and their partners.

My approach is very down to earth. I’m a bit sweary, I drink too much coffee and I often look like I’ve slept in a bush (I’m embracing my natural curls after years of hair straightening, with mixed results 🤣)

If you think I could be the doula of your dreams then let’s start with a chat (either over coffee or over zoom) and let’s see where it takes us.

07/04/2023

Posted • It's coming back! ​​​​​​​​​
Our fab 5 day event, giving incredible insights into the work of Doulas and the experience of training with Nurturing Birth returns on 22nd May for 5 days.

Spread across the 5 days will be daily emails, offering opportunities for exploration and self-reflection looking at your ideas around the birth world and the role of Doulas within that. We also have online gatherings, competitions, private Facebook group set up specially for the event and the opportunity to ask Nurturing Birth Facilitators, Mentors and Graduates about the Nurturing Birth approach to being a Doula and what it will look like for you to train with us and go on to become part of our growing and thriving community.

This represents incredible value for money, with a incredible amount of content to consume, and even better, all participants get 10% off the cost of a course if booked within 2 days of the event finishing OR the cost of this workshop taken off the full price of a course, if booked within 1 year of booking ✨

What are you waiting for? Head to the link in our bio to sign up!

23/12/2022

That’s it for me! I’m officially off until 2023 and feeling very thankful for everything that 2022 brought to me (and very thankful that I’m not on-call this Xmas🥂)

This year, as well as my usual births and postnatal jobs, I also stepped into a new role as a facilitator for and I’ve loved every gosh-darned moment of it! It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone, brought new challenges, new friends and I’m very proud of myself. I really feel this role was meant to be for me, I get such a buzz helping new doulas and seeing them flourish. ❤️

It’s been wonderful getting to know the lovely and inspiring women involved with NB and I’m especially grateful to and Sam who have become friends too.

I’m looking forward to more courses in 2023 (check out the nurturing birth page for more info) and to supporting more lovely new families in the perinatal period!

So if I’ve supported your birth, helped you postnatally or been part of your doula journey this year I want to wish you a MASSIVE HAPPY CHRISTMAS, thanks for being part of my life and for choosing me to support you ❤️

10/10/2022

Yes! So well put Liz ❤️

I know it can be hard if you have a really strong feeling about something and you really passionately believe that it is the BEST course of action for your clients, BUT by impressing your opinions on them, they are missing out on one of the most important parts of hypnobirthing…

✨making their own informed choices and decisions

And

✨connecting with their intuition

If you tell them what is BEST for them then they basically skip that part and you become no better than the medical staff who may or may not be pushing or impressing their opinions on them (let’s face it that happens a lot).

What can you do?

Encourage your clients to really embody the mindset and nervous system regulation elements of hypnobirthing, like regularly listening to their hypnosis tracks and affirmations, practising their breathing techniques (they are not just for labour!), doing the relaxation techniques that you share with them.

When they feel calmer and less fearful, they can more easily make decisions, and when they feel regulated by all that breathing practice, they can more easily connect to their intuition.

Share with them the information that you have about the decisions they will need to face, do activities in class where they explore all options, you can encourage them to do their OWN research and remind them to apply BRAINS to their major decisions or when they aren’t sure what to do.

This approach is so empowering and transformative for your client. They become confident, clear and feel ready for whatever lies ahead!

What do you think about this?

Let me know in the comments! ✨✨

28/09/2022

Our next free monthly birth group is meeting next Tuesday from 7-8.30 at the Bourne Green shop.

To book your place head to for more info.

09/09/2022

One of the things I really enjoy when I’m doing antenatal prep is getting to know my clients birth partners and helping them to find their power and strength.

Knowledge goes a long way so helping birth partners understand the birth process and all it involves as well as signposting to fabulous resources and information has a massive impact.

Then, when I get to see those partners in action, well-that’s just incredible to witness. Strong, calm informed partners are so effective and have the BIGGEST results when it comes to positive outcomes and happy birth experiences!!

Do you want to get the most from your birth partner? Ask me how.