My Expert Midwife
-
How to make a Birth Plan
Read more →Birth plans mean exactly what they say and are a plan about how you would like your labour and birth to be. Often women say, “I won’t make a birth plan, I’ll just go with the flow”, as they imagine their birth might be unpredictable or they won’t be able to control how things happen. Having a birth plan can help you to plan what you want for your labour and birth. It will also inform the midwives and other health care professionals caring for you about your plans, enabling them to incorporate your wishes throughout, however your birth journey...
-
Kangaroo Care for your baby
Read more →Kangaroo care is known to improve outcomes for premature babies and can be encouraged in neonatal units from as early as babies being born at 26 weeks gestation. Kangaroo care can also be used for your full-term baby and continued after your baby is no longer needing special care. What is kangaroo care? The name originates, quite simply, from kangaroos, who give birth to extremely underdeveloped babies (joeys) the size of jellybeans, which then crawl into their mother’s pouch to continue the rest of their development, for around 7 months. The pouch provides the joey with the perfect environment for...
-
International day of the midwife
Read more →The international day of the midwife has been celebrated on the 5th of May since 1991, with 50 nations globally recognising this special day. Midwifery is a very different profession as you move around the world. Some midwives work in very medicalised environments surrounded by the latest technology, whilst others in less developed countries have very little in the way of resources. Celebrating midwives Midwifery care has been shown to improve outcomes for women and families, when women engage in antenatal care, have a qualified birth attendant and receive good quality postnatal care. Midwifery is certainly not a career for...
-
Your mental health in pregnancy
Read more →Perinatal mental health is the umbrella term for all mental health conditions around pregnancy, including the year after birth. You may also hear terms such as prenatal/antenatal depression and postnatal depression (PND) mentioned, which refer to specific times during your pregnancy or after the birth of your baby. Mental health conditions, in general, are spoken about much more freely than they used to be, with people now being openly encouraged to talk about their feelings and discuss what is troubling them. As mental health problems are now known to increase during pregnancy and in the postnatal period, there have been improvements in NHS maternity services. You may find that there are dedicated mental health services or midwifery teams, if you need them, in...
-
Things you can do with your placenta
Read more →Many people feel squeamish when placentas are discussed, but they are truly amazing as your body has grown an entirely new organ to sustain your baby. In fact, in other cultures, such as Maori in New Zealand, the placenta is treated with so much respect that it is returned to the land in a burial ceremony. Even if you are turned off by the thought of keeping your placenta, once you have given birth, do try to have a look at this amazing organ that has kept your baby alive for all those months inside you. Your midwife can show you the structures and how it worked for you and your baby. Different things to do...
-
Baby skin rashes
Read more →Everyone always imagines that their newborn baby’s skin will be wonderfully smooth and flawless. However, there are several different types of rashes that you could encounter on your baby’s skin, most of which are harmless. It is useful for parents to gain knowledge about different newborn skin conditions, so you can identify them and seek self help solutions or medical help if you are unsure. How your baby’s skin develops after birth Your baby’s skin can be quite sensitive to the external environment, however your baby will soon develop its own effective defence barrier and acquire a robust immune system. When your baby is born their skin is sterile and will be colonised by the bacteria that are...
