Mumma Nurture at The Nurture Hub

15/10/2021

23/07/2021

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A healthy baby is not all that matters.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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How many of you have heard this after you have given birth?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Atleast the baby is here and safe.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Healthy baby, happy mum.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This is SO WRONG on so many levels.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A healthy baby should be the bare minimum achieved at birth. Of course, there will be unfortunate times where this isn't the case, but for the majority of people their babies will be born safe and well.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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However, this is where the problem lies. Getting your baby out and safe will almost always override the well-being of the mother during labour. I am not saying this is wrong, who doesn't want their baby here safely? But the physical and emotional well-being of the parents is absolutely paramount too and so often forgotten about once your baby is born.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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'you'll forget about the birth once they are here anyway'⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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NO. You don't forget trauma. And trauma happens all too often, perhaps more than you would even realise. Trauma is whatever you feel it to be. It could be the language used, a procedure or an emergency. These flippant comments are so deeply damaging to those who have experienced birth or perinatal trauma and live with the effects, every single day, but it's fine right? Because your baby is here safely.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Honestly, I have no words.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Please, if you are experiencing the after effects of a traumatic birth or experience during pregnancy or the postnatal period, reach out. I will soon be offering a wonderful, gentle technique to support you in processing your trauma and we can start the first steps now. There is support and YOU matter. 💖💖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Hannah x

18/07/2021

Crikey it’s hot!!

I’ve been tempted to do this today and I’m not even pregnant! Growing a human is hot work, here are some of my top tips for keeping cool in this heat.

💧 Keep hydrated! Sounds simple but easy to forget. Drink plenty of water, even better coconut water which is full of electrolytes!

💦 Get yourself a cooling spray or just a simple spray bottle filled with water from the fridge- a great instant cooler!

🥶 Keep curtains shut and get those fans going. Putting a frozen bottle of water in front helps to cool that hot air.

🍉 Eat food that is from the fridge and high in water content, cucumber and melon are my favs!

🥵 Cold flannels or towels on the back of the neck, brow, on your legs, just generally anywhere to cool that body temp down!

🌞 Stay in the shade and get those feet in a bowl of cool water, great for relieving those swollen feet too!

Failing that, get in the freezer! 😬
Disclaimer, I don’t accept any responsibility for frostbite! 😂

13/07/2021

100% this!

Make decisions based on facts, not fear.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I was speaking to someone recently who has spent her entire pregnancy fearful of birth, because she was told she would be induced.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Our short conversation consisted of me telling her that she didn't have to be induced, if she didn't want to, provided she had looked into the reasons why it may be suggested, balanced with any cons and alternative options.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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We spoke about awaiting spontaneous labour or having a planned caesarean instead, with the understanding she could change her mind at any time with any of these options.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This simple discussion, essentially about human rights in birth, changed her entire attitude. She didn't KNOW that she could say NO.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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She just wanted her baby to be okay. She had been told that without induction, it could lead to severe consequences. This is not necessarily the case and is a form of coercion.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This isn't about what is right or wrong, it is about knowing that you have a voice and a choice.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You will learn all about your choices in our hypnobirthing classes, along with evidence based and unbiased information to help you make the right decision for you. Get in touch or visit the website to find your local instructor 😘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Hannah x⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Image:

25/03/2021

Beautiful birth story.
Sharing with consent.

“Hi Helen,⁣
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We just wanted to introduce you to Noah, who arrived at 4.43am this morning weighing 7lbs6oz.⁣
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We were able to have him at the New Forest Birth Centre which was lovely, and we were really fortunate to have two wonderful midwives who were both super supportive of our birth plan (and actually even assumed I didn't want a cervical check rather than us having to say so!).⁣
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Everything you taught us was so, so valuable in making it a far more calm and comfortable experience this time round. The few times I started to panic or lose control Matt was quickly able to remind me of techniques to refocus. ⁣
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Labour started on Mon night but stalled quite soon after, then throughout Tues I had periodic contractions which ramped up from about 8pm. We headed to the birth centre around 1, got in the pool about 2.45, and eventually he came out in about 3 pushes. Matt was in the pool with us and did the lower back counterpressure you showed us which made a huge difference!⁣
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Overall we're really happy to have had a much more positive experience. Thank you so much for your help in enabling that!! We're so grateful.⁣
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Esther & Matt”

21/03/2021

Happy world Hypnobirthing day!

Today is all about celebrating the immense impact that Hypnobirthing has had on so many women, birthing people, their birth partners and of course their babies!

I love hearing all about how hypnobirthing impacted a birth experience, did you practice hypnobirthing?

I’d love to know how you feel it helped you and your birth experience...feel free to comment below. 👇🏻

08/03/2021

After such a tough year for all, I think this quote resonates with us all. We are stronger than we probably ever realised.

06/03/2021

Did you know that holding a comb during labour could provide natural pain relief?!⁣
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How does it work? Well I’m guessing you’ve heard of acupressure right? Well it’s the same concept. There are several pressure points located on the body that can be used for pain relief during labour and a comb held with the teeth facing down against the palm (pressing at the base of the fingers) applies pressure on some of these key points. ⁣
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It’s also said to play into the ‘gate control theory’ which states that the brain can only focus on a select number of sensations at a time. As the nerve endings in our hands are closer to our brains than our uterus, this confuses our brains and helps us to forget about contractions. How cool is that! ⁣
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I wish I knew about this when I was expecting. Anyone actually tried it? I’d love to hear more and whether you think it helped. ⁣
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Disclaimer: as with any complementary medicine practice, please check first with your midwife or GP.

Image credit to

25/02/2021

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Photo of a 26 week old foetus.⁣
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This photo is incredible. I’m always so blown away by how amazingly clever our bodies are. How capable they are at growing and nurturing a baby inside us through approximately 40 weeks.⁣
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During pregnancy, our clever bodies naturally:⁣
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⭐️ Increases its blood volume: the volume of blood in a woman's body increases by a whopping 50 percent in order to help support the uterus. Accordingly, the amount of blood pumped by the heart increases as well which can lead to that pregnancy ‘glow’ some people will notice. ⁣
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⭐️ Grow a whole new organ (otherwise known as the placenta)! A structure that develops in the uterus and provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby whilst also playing a key role in waste removal. The placenta is then expelled by the body once your baby has been born.⁣
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⭐️ Get more flexible! More specifically, as you move through your pregnancy, a hormone (aptly named ‘relaxin’) helps to soften the ligaments that hold your bones together and the pelvic bones themselves begin moving in order to accommodate your baby's birth.⁣
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These are just a few of the incredible things that our bodies do during pregnancy. In general (but of course there may be some exceptions) all without any conscious input or interference by us . ⁣
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If our bodies are so clever and amazing at doing all of this without any conscious effort or interference from us, why would that be any different or need to change when it comes to birthing our babies? ⁣
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I’ll just leave that thought there.
Image credit

13/02/2021

❤️ A Valentines special - The love hormone! ❤️⁣
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Oxytocin is also commonly nicknamed ‘the hormone of love’ or ‘the love hormone’ and that’s because it’s the hormone that’s released when falling in love, fertility, making love and or**sm to name just a few.⁣
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Oxytocin is also the key hormone in birth! It’s responsible for starting labour as well as each and every contraction. it’s involved in the bonding process with your baby and breastfeeding.⁣
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It kind of makes a lot of sense then that making love, ni**le and/or cl****al stimulation, having an or**sm, cuddling and kissing are all great ways of stimulating that oxytocin release which may just be all you need to get that labour going! 😉⁣

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11/02/2021

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Wow, what an article! ⁣
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It’s a long one but well worth the read right to the end. I’d highly recommended you go and grab yourself a cuppa and get comfy! ⁣
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Such an interesting and powerful insight into why intervention rates in our maternity settings are rapidly increasing in the UK and a great example of why it’s so very, very important to consider your birth environment, your birth team and ALL of your OPTIONS.⁣

https://www.pregnancy.com.au/out-of-the-laboratory-back-to-the-darkened-room/?fbclid=IwAR1ZbnqHaKH4FHyDvwdlEzNTP-0YRq3r3wjZG6rrEG7D0rTGq7eBXflBNe4

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24/01/2021

Mumma Nurture HQ’s looking pretty in the snow!