Bold Birthing

12/11/2025

✨ 6 months in the making… ✨

…and The First Years is finally LIVE 💖

Just Monday, the website launched - kicking things off with a beautiful guide on how to enjoy a stress-free Christmas 🎄 (without needing to go viral or chase likes 🙌).

As one of the founding consultants, I’m beyond proud to be part of this incredible team - supporting families the only way I know best:

💫 providing continuity of care through pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period.

I’m forever humbled to be chosen by families to walk alongside them on their parenting journey - watching their confidence bloom day by day 💕

This new organisation means I can continue doing what I love across the UK - alongside 34 amazing specialist consultants, here to support you at every stage of family planning and parenting.

And it doesn’t stop there 👀

🌿 On 1st January 2026, “The First Years Village” officially opens!
A dedicated space to connect with consultants, access holistic and inclusive support, and find a community that truly fits your family.

✨ Expect:

Monthly live training sessions

Exclusive resources to help plan family events

Monthly live support from lovely Elaine - a former DWP Decision Maker (PIP, DLA, Access to Work, and more) with 20+ years of experience 💪

The First Years Village is for everyone raising or caring for young children - no matter your family structure, background, or how you came into your parenting role. You belong here. 🫶

Until the big launch, there are a few founding offers:
💞 2-for-1 Membership - £74.50 each (only 20 available!)
🌸 35% off Founding Member price - £96/year (price locked for life!)
💌 PLUS an extra 10% off with my code NickiL10

I know it sounds a bit salesy 😅 but I honestly don’t want you to miss out on this incredible level of support at any stage of your journey.

Feel free to message me if you’ve got any questions 💌

With love,
Nicki xx 💖

04/11/2025

So happy to be part of this huge team to support families wherever they may be 💖

Worth giving "The First Years" a follow. A new organisation who do all they can to strip out the overwhelming feelings of trying to do it all... admittedly I've actually lost count how many specialists have signed up as trusted consultants!

So basically, whatever you are going through, whatever stage of family life you are at there will be someone who can support you 😊

We are pleased to announce that Nicki Layton is joining us. Nicki is a hypnobirthing and antenatal specialist and you can find out more about her work at .

31/10/2025

Laughed probably too hard at this one...

For ALL the reasons! 🤰🏻

(You can tell them to "go away" by the way)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQcbkbUjSAF/?igsh=dGI5MnpvaHEyY3Bw

25/10/2025

This is precisely why I always recommend following people like Dr Sara Wickham. Riddled with evidence-based content and constant research that empowers parents to make informed decisions... calling out the fear-mongering, disempowering headlines and articles written by journalists who simply just need to sell a story... and we all know drama and negativity sells better 🤷🏻‍♀️

It sometimes feels like there's a new childbirth-related news headline every week.

And no matter whether it's on the web, in the papers or on TV, it’s highly likely that it will be scary and focused on risk.

It may instill fear and undermine women’s confidence in their own bodies and babies.

Here are a few things that you should bear in mind when reading these headlines and the associated stories.

1. Both the originator of the research and the people who turn it into a story want to get the headline and the story to spread as far and wide as possible. Their job isn't to help you make an informed decision about what is right for you.

2. The goal of getting maximum publicity for a research finding or story is sometimes achieved by taking a sensationalist stance. Sometimes, key facts are glossed over, shared in a misleading way or left out completely.

3. Risk and fear sell news very quickly. There are many, many studies showing that birth is safe and that women's bodies are marvellously good at growing, birthing and feeding babies. But these don't make exciting headlines, and they don't make nearly as many people read, click and share, so they are often ignored.

4. There is almost never any discussion of the bigger picture or the wider context, either of the study or situation itself or of other work that has been done on the same topic. We need more information than can be found in the headlines.

5. In reality, research and report findings are never certain. All studies have limitations. Sadly, the complexity and the uncertainty gets compromised in favour of those risk-filled headlines which make you want to click, read and share.

Stay calm. Remember that the job of the media is to sell headlines, not to help people making pregnancy and birth decisions.

Breathe.

Get informed.

And then make the decision that's right for you.

If you'd like to see more of my work on this topic, you can find me at https://www.sarawickham.com/wrfm

23/10/2025

What a gorgeous idea!

🎄 You don’t need another to-do list this Christmas 🎄

You need space - to breathe, to laugh, to be present 🎁😉

A Christmas to remember will gently guide you to let go of the pressure and find joy in the moments that matter most.

For parents who want a calm, connected, joy-filled Christmas - not the “Instagram” version!

Shift from overwhelm to enjoyment as you are guided through gentle, practical steps to create a memorable Christmas your family will love

20/10/2025

✨ Two weeks. That’s all ✨

The UK has the worst paternity leave in Europe.

Just two weeks - paid at less than half the minimum wage.

And if you’re self-employed (like me)? You get nothing.

This policy forces partners back to work far too soon, leaving new mums to cope alone while recovering from birth.

As a birth worker for over 7 years, I’ve lost count of how many Bold Birthers I’ve supported postnatally once their partner has returned to work. Sometimes on day one of coming home with a newborn. Sometimes when their baby is six months old (or older).

Now consider this - our c-section rate is 42% (2023/24). That’s major abdominal surgery.
Six weeks of recovery.
No driving.
No lifting.
Prioritising rest… all while injecting blood thinners.

And yet, partners are back at work after just two weeks.

We’ve lost “the village.” Most families don’t have grandparents or close friends nearby. The couple is the village - and the village is left unsupported.

Both of my births were positive. My husband was an incredible birth partner. I hadn’t even changed a nappy in those first two weeks.

We both sobbed when he left for work.
Eight years later, I can still see him walking away.

The weeks that followed were a blur of exhaustion. I was a husk.

Exclusive breastfeeding (pumping didn’t work).
A baby sensitive to dairy - nights of screams and 30-minute wake-ups.
Tongue tie.
Infected stitches.
No replies from my midwife.
No replies from my health visitor.

Two weeks isn’t enough.

It’s not bonding time - it’s survival mode.

Families deserve the time and space to recover, to rest, to heal together.

It’s time the UK caught up with the rest of Europe and recognised that postnatal recovery and parental bonding aren’t luxuries - they’re foundations for life.

Today I’m joining The Dad Shift and Pregnant Then Screwed in calling for longer, better-paid paternity leave in the UK.

📢 This week, Parliament is debating statutory maternity and paternity pay.

Please, email your MP and ask them to attend - templates are available via The Dad Shift’s bio.

19/10/2025

Oh my life ❤️❤️

13/10/2025

Here's to softer and wiser 🥂

No one really prepares you for how much motherhood changes you. Everyone talks about the love, but not about the weight that comes with it. The constant wondering if you are doing it right. The quiet tears you wipe away while rocking your baby because you love this season but also feel so lost in it.

You will question yourself a lot in the beginning. You will miss who you were before, and then one day you will realize she is still there. Just softer. Wiser. More patient than she ever thought she could be.

It does not stay this hard forever. The nights get easier, the cries slow down, and you will start to feel like you again. You are doing enough. You always were.

24/09/2025

This... is a most excellent post that I just HAD to share...

I want to chime in on the "Paracetamol in pregnancy doesn't cause autism, Donald what are you even DOING?" Message. But I haven't planned this post, so it might be a little bit of a ramble and a stream of consciousness.

While researching for my latest book I've read so much about how autistic traits have existed as long as humans have, and that many of these traits would have been valuable to our earliest communities. Pattern recognition being just one of those useful skills. For many autistic folk today, the disability element comes from living in a society that doesn't support and respect neurodiversity, often because we are not able to comply with a 9-5 capitalist lifestyle without burning out.*

Also - trying to link paracetamol to autism is a little bit like trying to say oxygen is fatal because 100% of living things that breathe it eventually die. Basically a link or an association doesn't equal causation. If it did, we'd all be afraid to drink water or have our hair cut, or do *anything.*

Let's also remember that an untreated high fever in pregnancy (especially in the first 12wks) *can* cause serious complications for both infant and parent... and paracetamol is generally very good at relieving fever.

There's almost certainly a comment to be made here where I want to ask why are we so afraid of autism? I spend most of my time with neurodivergent people - by choice. 🤷‍♀️

*I know there are people who's experience of autism is much more complex - I'm not here to dismiss high support needs as just a case of "society sucks." If you or someone you care for falls into that high support needs category - I see you, too. I just also know that many autistics and other ND folk would thrive in a world where we're accepted as we are. So this post is more for those people I guess.♥️

**Also I'm not a Dr. I'm a neurodivergent IBCLC who's currently writing a book about breastfeeding and neurodivergence. My kids are autistic. Most of my friends are neurodivergent, and many of my clients are as well. But I suspect my hours of reading actual studies and expert literature might amount to more research than a certain powerful *somebody* has done before causing the internet to implode. Again. 🙄

*** Also, also. The book is currently going through its second round of edits by myself and Addie. It will then be handed to an *actual* editor before getting it's final sweep by the publisher. We're aiming for release in the first half of next year but I have ADHD so don't hold me to that. 🤣

10/09/2025

Can't recommend Sam enough. She's supported a few of my clients and is just the loveliest to have around... a true sanity lifeline ❤️

“I need another pair of hands!” - every mum, especially every mum with more than one 👶👦 (This isn’t me officially “doula-ing” - a friend just caught the moment of me balancing her little ones on a recent day out - but it does perfectly demonstrate the juggle… and that I’m here with extra hands if you need them! 😄🤗)

14/08/2025

When I say "you can do it"... I really mean it. Just another mother hero smashing some serious goals 💪🏼❤️

What does it take to win an ultramarathon? For Stephanie Case, it meant running 100 kilometers over tough mountain trails—while stopping three times to breastfeed her 6-month-old daughter.

At the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Wales, she wasn’t chasing a win. After three years away from racing, she just wanted to feel like an athlete again. But she ended up finishing as the first woman, in 16 hours and 53 minutes, on a course with more than 6,500 meters of climbing.

Getting to that start line wasn’t easy. After two miscarriages and having her daughter Pepper through IVF, Stephanie doubted she’d ever feel like an athlete again. She started running during her second trimester and trained carefully so she could keep her milk supply while preparing for the race.

During the run, her partner met her at 20K, 50K, and 80K so she could feed Pepper—a plan that needed special permission and a lot of organization.

Stephanie’s story is about strength, determination, and showing that motherhood and sport can go hand in hand. Her next goal? The Hardrock 100—a race that once felt like an ending, but now is the start of a whole new chapter.

📸 by Clement Cellier

13/08/2025

My life currently whilst trying to sell our house... 🤦🏻‍♀️