ClarityDoula

Since my eldest daughter was born over 20 years ago (gulp!) I have loved hearing other women’s birth stories: the dramatic ones, the scary ones, the fast ones, the marathon ones… I will never get bored hearing about all the variation in duration, pain relief, positions and coping strategies. There are no ‘ordinary’ births; every one is special and unique. What I began to notice though, in too many, of the birth stories was the sense of lack of control that many women experience during childbirth, and the lack of help afterwards. What often stayed with me is the feeling that so many women feel abandoned, ignored or dismissed by medical professionals during their labour and perinatal period. It is an unfortunate truth that maternity services in today’s NHS are underfunded. When a woman arrives at hospital for the birth of her baby, she is often taken to the labour ward and left there. She may have her partner for company, but they may not see a midwife for several hours. I have ...

I went out with some friends last week for dinner and a movie. Over pizza and drinks the conversation turned (as it seems to all too often nowadays #doulalife) to each woman’s birth experiences.   Now, I love a birth story, and since training as a doula I feel that I notice more details in them, more common themes... When I look back on these particular stories afterward, and with 16 children between us, I’m aware that not all the stories were shared, what stays with me is the overriding lack of control that many of the women felt, and the lack of choices they were offered. There was the mother who, because she turned 35 during the end of her pregnancy, became a ‘geriatric’ mother (awful term) and was therefore not ‘allowed’ to birth her baby in the birthing suite. Also, the woman who, having just birthed her 5 th baby on Christmas Eve, was left alone covered in her own bodily fluids and soiled bedding for an hour with a soundly sleeping husband. Lastly, the woman who is ...

If you are an expectant mother in South East London you may be trying to make the important decision of where to birth your baby. The Which? affiliated Birth Choice website is a very good place to start, but it is also helpful to have information from ‘real’ people. Having completed the Nurturing Birth doula training course and as part of my continuing professional development I plan to tour the delivery suites (and labour wards if possible) of my local maternity hospitals. The first of these to submit to my scrutiny is Queen Elizabeth Hospital, near Woolwich Common in South East London. The entrance to the hospital is quite attractive from a distance, with a large grassy space dotted with trees, but closer to it is unfortunately, despite very clear signage, a gathering spot for smokers and vapers. After ‘running the gauntlet’ it is very easy to find the Birth Centre on the first floor. It is adjacent to the labour wards, but these are not accessible by tours. I was welcomed ...

I really enjoyed this article in last month’s mindbodygreen relationships section. www.midbodygreen.com is an American website concerned with physical and mental wellness, though the topics of pregnancy, childbirth and maternal health are also relevant to the UK. The author Ashley Spivak, herself a registered doula, explains eloquently the benefits for all pregnant women (and their partners) of having a birth doula either at hospital, birth centre or homebirth when your baby is being born.     She outlines how a birth doula will help you to understand the events that will happen during late pregnancy, early labour and birthing your baby. A birth doula will signpost sources of additional information to help you to make informed choices. During labour and childbirth she will stay with you throughout, helping you to communicate your wishes with medical professionals and keeping the atmosphere as calm as possible for you and your partner. She explains how every pregn...

Hi there! If you’re reading this then you may be a pregnant mother or expectant father in Greenwich, Bexley or Bromley, childbirth professional with your eye on networking or one of my lovely supportive friends or family members. Welcome all! I hope to use this blog to share my thoughts and opinions on issues related to maternal wellbeing, childbirth and childcare issues in the media. I feel as if I am at the beginning of my learning journey, so am magpie-like in picking up any interesting nugget I find without a great deal of premeditation , so apologies if it’s all a bit random! I completed my training to become a birth and postnatal doula with Nurturing Birth in 2017. Prior to that I worked as a Science teacher in a number of comprehensive and grammar schools around the South East in North Kent, Bromley and Bexley. I have three children, a 20 year old daughter who has recently started at Liverpool University as well as two younger children, a 10 year old daughter and ...