Baywide Birthing

11/11/2025

Incredible opportunity for expectant mothers to ensure their pelvis is aligned and learn some stretches and exercises for optimal fetal positions before labour begins. First Tuesday of every month. Book now!

Free Community Workshop – 1st Tuesday of Every Month at 6 PM Structural Chiropractic, 807 Heretaunga St East, Hastings

10/11/2025

💞 Oxytocin — The Powerhouse of Birth

Often called “the love hormone,” oxytocin is far more than that — it’s the master hormone that controls birth itself.

🧠 Produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary gland, oxytocin signals the uterus to contract.
As pregnancy nears term, your uterus develops thousands more oxytocin receptors, making it exquisitely sensitive to this hormone.

💫 During labour:
• Each oxytocin surge stimulates a contraction — helping open the cervix and guide baby down.
• Between contractions, levels dip just enough for your baby and body to rest.
• After birth, oxytocin remains high to contract the uterus, prevent bleeding, and support breastfeeding and bonding.

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🧘‍♀️ Turning Off the Thinking Brain

Oxytocin works best when our primitive brain — the part responsible for instinct, rhythm, and hormones — takes the lead.
The neocortex (thinking brain), on the other hand, loves logic, conversation, and bright light… but it can actually get in the way of oxytocin’s flow.

When the thinking brain is busy — talking, analysing, timing contractions, or feeling watched — it keeps the body in alert mode. Adrenaline rises, oxytocin drops, and contractions can slow.

🌙 To support the primitive brain and oxytocin flow:
• Dim the lights and minimise conversation
• Protect privacy — fewer observers, less “doing,” more being
• Use rhythmic, repetitive movement — swaying, rocking, breathing
• Soothing sounds and familiar smells cue safety and calm

When a birthing person feels safe, private, and unobserved, the neocortex quiets, the primal brain leads, and oxytocin can work optimally — guiding baby into the world with strength and flow.

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⚖️ What Counteracts Oxytocin

• Adrenaline — from fear, stress, bright lights, or interruptions — can suppress oxytocin release or block receptor binding.
• Cold, discomfort, or feeling watched can activate the “fight or flight” response, slowing labour progress.

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🕯️ In Essence

Oxytocin is both the spark and the steady flame of labour — orchestrating contractions, guiding baby earthside, and nurturing the deep connection between you and your newborn.

🌿 To protect and support oxytocin:
• Keep lights low and space quiet
• Minimise conversation and interruptions
• Stay warm and comfortable
• Surround yourself with trusted support
• Move instinctively — swaying, rocking, or resting as your body guides you

28/10/2025

Check out these FREE pregnancy health zoom sessions for Indian Women….

28/10/2025

M E A S L E S is back in Aotearoa — here’s what pregnant women and families need to know 👶🌿

Measles isn’t just a childhood illness — adults and pregnant women can catch it too.
It spreads faster than almost any other virus — through coughing, sneezing, or even being in the same room.

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👩‍🍼 Why it matters in pregnancy
• Pregnant women can’t receive the MMR vaccine — it’s a live vaccine and not given during pregnancy.
• As part of routine antenatal care, your immunity levels are checked in your first set of pregnancy blood tests. You can view your result in your Expectations Portal, under Rubella. It will show one of three results:
• Immune – you’re protected.
• Borderline – partial protection; vaccination recommended after birth.
• Non-immune – no protection; vaccination strongly recommended after birth.
• If your result is borderline or non-immune, your midwife or GP will recommend having your MMR vaccination after baby is born — ideally before leaving hospital or at your baby’s 6-week check.
• This ensures protection for future pregnancies and helps protect your pēpi in those early, vulnerable months. 💛
• Measles in pregnancy has the potential to be serious and can lead to complications such as pneumonia, preterm birth, or miscarriage.

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🧸 Protecting pēpi (baby)
• Babies can’t be vaccinated until 12 months old, so they rely on those around them being immune.
• If you are immune to measles, you cannot contract or spread the virus — helping to protect yourself, your baby, and everyone around you. 💛
• MMR gives lifelong protection — 2 doses are needed for full immunity:
• 1st dose: 12 months
• 2nd dose: 15 months
• Vaccination protects not just your child, but every vulnerable newborn and pregnant woman in your community. 💛

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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 If you’re not sure you’re immune
• MMR is free for everyone born after 1969 in NZ.
• If your whānau are unsure, check your vaccination records with your GP or in your child’s Well Child book.
• A simple blood test can be done by your GP to confirm immunity — or, if records can’t be found, it’s safe to have another MMR dose for full protection. 💉 This vaccination is available free of charge from most pharmacies across Aotearoa.
• Encourage partners, family, and friends to check their records too — this creates a protective bubble around māmā and baby.

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🏥 Measles complications
• About 1 in 10 people with measles need hospital care.
• Complications can include ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), and in rare cases, death.
• Even healthy adults can become seriously unwell.

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❤️ If pregnant and exposed
• Contact your GP or public health team immediately.
• Immune globulin (IG) may offer protection if given within 6 days of exposure.
• Avoid anyone who may have measles until your immunity is confirmed.

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🌈 The bottom line

MMR saves lives — but because pregnant women and babies can’t yet be vaccinated, your protection helps keep our whole community safe.
Check your records, your Expectations Portal, or ask your midwife or pharmacy — and protect yourself and your whānau. 💛

23/10/2025

💫 B I R T H P O S I T I O N S: From Ancient Greece to Modern Midwives

Did you know the way we birth today has shifted dramatically over the centuries?

In ancient times, women birthed upright — standing, kneeling, squatting, or using birth stools — harnessing gravity and instinct. Birth attendents supported from beside or behind, not from the end of a bed. This continued right up through the 17th and 18th centuries, when upright births were still the norm.

Then came the lithotomy position — that flat-on-your-back pose with legs supported by stirrups we still see so often. Its name comes from the Greek words lithos (stone) and tomos (cut) — because it was originally used for bladder stone surgery, not birth!

Legend has it that King Louis XIV (yes, the French one with the big wigs) fe**sh was to watch his mistress give birth — and suddenly, birthing women were laid back for a royal view. From there, the position stuck, largely for the convenience of doctors, not women.

Today, midwives are proud to be bringing things full circle. 💪
At Baywide Birthing, we support women to birth in whatever position feels right for them — standing, kneeling, squatting, side-lying, hands-and-knees, water birth, or yes, even on the bed if that’s what feels safest.

Because your body knows how to birth your baby.
We’re just here to help you find your strength, your rhythm, and your way. 🤍

28/08/2025

🌸 Hyperemesis Gravidarum – Beyond Morning Sickness 🌸

Nausea and vomiting are common in pregnancy, but hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is something much more severe. It can mean vomiting all day, struggling to keep fluids down, losing weight, and feeling utterly exhausted. Around 0.3–1.3% of pregnancies are affected.

💧 What helps?
• Small, frequent sips of fluid (ice chips, electrolyte drinks)
• Gentle foods or snacks when able
• Ginger (tea, capsules)
• Wrist acupressure bands
• Rest, rest, and more rest

Sometimes, natural remedies aren’t enough. Medical care may include:
• IV fluids and electrolytes
• Safe anti-nausea medicines (such as vitamin B6, antihistamines, metoclopramide, or ondansetron under guidance from midwife, GP or specialist)
• Support for reflux or constipation, which can make things worse

🧡 Emotional wellbeing matters too. HG isn’t “just being sick”—it can feel isolating and overwhelming. Depression and anxiety are more common with HG, and reaching out for emotional support is just as important as physical care.

✨ How can support people help?
• Listen with kindness—don’t dismiss it as “normal morning sickness”
• Offer practical help: meals, childcare, housework, grocery runs
• Sit with her during lonely or difficult moments
• Encourage rest and protect her space from unnecessary visitors
• Advocate alongside her at appointments if she feels too unwell to speak up

🚨 Seek urgent help if:
• You can’t keep any fluids down
• You’re weeing very little or it’s very dark
• You’re faint, dizzy, or very weak
• You’re losing weight rapidly

✨ You don’t have to go through this alone.
Hyperemesis gravidarum can feel overwhelming, but your midwife is here to walk alongside you.

Other supports in Aotearoa:
• Hyperemesis Support NZ (Facebook peer group)
• HG Advocacy NZ (resources & advocacy)
• PADA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa) for mental wellbeing
• HER Foundation for global resources

🤍 To anyone walking through HG: You are not alone. There is support, there are treatment options to ease symptoms and care plans to put in place.

31/07/2025

B R E A S T M I L K - some interesting facts shared …….