Down To Earth Birth

11/03/2023

A reminder that this fab podcast is still available - talking breastfeeding experiences, grief and how to get support if you’re struggling with how you feel about a difficult experience 💔

I’ll pop the link in my stories 👏🏼

'When breastfeeding goes wrong some women feel guilty that they have failed to do what should come naturally. But Professor Amy Brown from Swansea University says those with the most severe physical and emotional impact could be experiencing trauma, similar to the effects of a traumatic birth.

We hear from Linzi Blakey who had problems with breastfeeding when she gave birth to her daughter and son and had to give up before she wanted to. A specialist therapist has helped her to realise that she did the best she could - despite a lack of the right kind of support when she was feeling vulnerable.'

Link in my stories 👏🏼

03/03/2023

There is that saying that you have to lose yourself to find yourself.

And I guess for me,
It’s more that I had to hold onto myself,
on the never-ending journey to
discovering myself.

Nothing has been lost.
Just changed.

So I surrendered to the process.
Grief. Joy. Frustration. Peace.
Taking turns between them.

I held onto me.

Not the woman I was.
But the woman I am being molded into becoming.

She carried me. She carried us. We are carrying on.

03/03/2023

I've been recently blessed with more time and less emotional labour.

So I will be adding online antenatal sessions back into my schedule!

They will be 1 to 1 and I'm aiming to keep them as affordable as possible.

A session can last from 1-2 hours and can include any of the following;

Feeding and informed choice
Birth preparation and preferences
Active birth and pain relief
Newborn 101- what to expect

Sessions will be delivered via zoom and will be accompanied by signposting and handouts that will be sent to your inbox following the session.

If this sounds exciting, drop me a line on here
On my IG OR from my website, downtoearthbirthinfo@gmail.com

01/10/2022

Hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
Because the baby’s being taken care of—⁣
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—⁣
by not only the mother,⁣
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.⁣
⁣
But the mother,⁣
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣
may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣
may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣
⁣
And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣
⁣
So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣
in the background, making it all happen:⁣
feeding her baby at all hours,⁣
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣
and being that baby’s everything.⁣
⁣
So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣
⁣
And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣
⁣
So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣
⁣
Because the mother needs to be held more.⁣

11/07/2022

Babies in hot weather

Hot wather can be quite difficult to manage with a young baby. It can change feeding and sleep patterns. Babies often wake more when its hot (adults do too!) and often like to feed more frequently Here are some tips!

Keep the bedroom cool by keeping the curtains drawn and the windows open. Try to get a through draft between rooms.
(For those of you outside the UK, yes its true, we don't often have air conditioning here as its hot for about 2 weeks a year!)

If baby has a bath, keep the water cool.

Keep clothing and bedding light and cotton is best. Layers are good so you can add something in the early hours of the morning if the temperature cools a little.

Use a fan to keep the air circulating, but don't point it directly at the baby.

Avoid direct sunlight, keep babies in the shade as much as you can.

Remember babies will probably need to feed more often in the hot weather to keep themselves hydrated.
Breastfed babies don't need any extra water if they're under 6 months. They will feed little and often and the milk will be more watery to keep them hydrated.
Formula fed babies may need a little water but can also have more milk.
For combination fed babies, try to have set times for formula feeds and then breastfeed responsively in between so baby can stay hydrated, there's no need for water.
All babies over 6 mths can have a little water with solids.

It can get very hot and sticky when feeding and cuddling babies in hot weather. Putting a muslin square between your skin and baby's will help. But believe it or not, skin to skin will actually cool baby down.

07/06/2022

🥰

25/05/2022

Hi all! Happy hump day!
I just wanted to let you all know about changes in my service.
My birth support is unfortunately on hold at the moment, this is due to other work I’m doing, plus family life and my own hobbies and trying to squeeze all of this into a 7 day week (can’t we just add 2 more days to the week please?🙈).

There are also plans in place to move forward with my pre pandemic plans of Somatic Birth, which will be online with a view of in person sessions. These are lovely relaxed movement based sessions that focus on the connection to self, connection to baby, active pregnancy, preparation for the postnatal period , and birth.

Doula, Rebozo, Birth Preparation Sessions, Babywearing Dance and Antenatal Dance in Liverpool and the North West

01/05/2022

So eloquently put 💜

11/06/2021

Beautiful 🥰

08/03/2020

The childbearing year is a vulnerable one for anyone.

There are an increasing number of women giving birth on Merseyside with extra vulnerabilities. They do, very often, have the expertise of midwives specialist to their needs, but many of these women don’t have access to a birth partner throughout the birth of their baby.

The evidence shows that outcomes for such women and their babies can be improved by bettering the continuity of their care throughout the Antenatal, Intrapartum and Postnatal periods, which is something that caseloading midwives strive to achieve. But that having a Doula on board can also assist with.

Doulas are trained to support emotionally and practically, reassure, educate and advocate for those who accept their services.

I’m currently in the early thought process of setting up a voluntary service on Merseyside (some may know of the the original service provided in Liverpool some years ago). The scheme would be open to those with extra vulnerabilities and would involve Doulas that already provide a service to growing families (and are therefore already trained with insurance, dbs etc) giving one antenatal, on call/birth support and Postnatal visit per year.

I’m also looking at funding to allow those who wish to be involved, the chance to train, be insured, DBS checked and be mentored as new Doulas for this service. It would involve the same commitment of providing at least one Antenatal, on call, and Postnatal visit per year.

Is that something you could help with, something you may interested in, or something you feel you could provide?

I’d be interested to hear from you if so.

Tisha x

30/12/2019

➕ THOUGHTS ➕
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With a new year on the horizon there is always that sense of a fresh start. I do love that feeling but it also comes with its downside - like you have to start fresh.
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We are all on our own journey and just because it is the start of a new year, does not mean it has to be the start of something you may not be ready for. Trust in the process and know that you are where you should be and have faith that the future is full of what is right for YOU 💕✨🌈⚡〰️
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📷 love this from Find Your Shine Therapy