If the thought of packing your hospital bag gives you a serious case of the overwhelm’s or confusey’s than this post is for you. 

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There’s something really exciting unfolding in pregnancy circles, women are moving beyond focusing solely on birth and beginning to talk more and more about the postpartum period, you know, those blurry weeks when you dive into the deep waters of motherhood - and then someone throws you a baby!

When I was pregnant with Cooper now 4.5, there was very little talk about what happens after labour. Everything was geared towards birth and meeting baby. But I feel in my Mama bones that a change is coming, the circle is opening and we are rebuilding our village. Our postpartum Mama village, we are truly blessed to have no shortage of inspiring and passionate women leading us back down the path of woman-centred care and support. Secrets once locked away are now being shared and we are beginning to return to the wise ones to guide us.

Sophie Walker of the chart-busting, highly successful podcast Australian Birth Stories has created a 4 part educational series, Postpartum: Life After Birth to openly discuss and demystify early postpartum. Specifically:

• Breastfeeding with Amberley Harris of Maternal Instincts by Amberley
• Pelvic floor and abdominal rehabilitation with Shira Kramer of Be Active Physio
• Post Natal Depression with Psychologist Lisa Fetterling and;
• Sleep and settling with Midwife and sleep guru Amelia Lamonte aka The Midwife Mumma.

I was so very fortunate enough to be given access to this wonderful four-part interview series which by the way I absolutely loved and highly recommend. You can liken this series to sitting at a round table enjoying the gentle and encouraging conversation. What strikes me most is the genuine passion each guest holds for their profession, their enjoyment and desire to support and nurture women is unmistakable.

It’s the kind of resource that every expecting Mum needs.

• Evidence-based
• Easy to digest and;
• Supportive of the unique needs of individuals and their families

Even as a Mum of two, well beyond the immediate postpartum period I gained so much from this series. Of particular note is the incredibly important yet, rarely discussed, topic of how birth impacts breastfeeding, how to recognise the difference between ‘baby blues’ and postpartum depression and how to begin to seek help as well the importance of listening to what feels right for you.

I personally found Lisa Fetterling's interview to be pure magic, could there be anyone who adores women and mothers as much as this woman? I think not. Her encouraging and frequent affirmations made my little heart warm and fuzzy: “It is because they ARE SUCH GOOD MUMS!”, “Because they are WONDERFUL Mums”

It’s true babes - You are damn wonderful Mamas.

You can purchase the four-part interview series here and listen to Sophie’s exquisite podcast Australian Birth Stories on iTunes or Spotify.

 

After a brief hiatus last week - I was basking in the hot Perth sun with family - it’s time to jump back into our Shout Out Sunday feature!

Today: Melbourne based birthwell birthright led by Tanya Strusberg

I first discovered birthwell birthright not long before my son was born in 2014. Due to my tardiness we had missed out on a place in the hospital run birthing classes, whoops! But it was, as it turned out, the greatest ‘mistake’ I ever made.

Like most first time Mum’s I’d heard ALL the horror stories and ALL the opinions. I thought I would most likely have an epidural, because that's what women did and my fear and anxiety was focused on the procedure itself, having the catheter in my spine as well as the loss of feeling to my body. Let's just say I got a lot more than I bargained for!

Here’s a few key learning's from Tanya’s Lamaze birthing class which gave me all the confidence I needed to have the birth I WANTED.

• An insanely accurate understanding of contractions, most importantly understanding their purpose and feeling.
• Detailed information about Epidurals and exactly how it affects labour. This. This one Mama’s is super important. Not because women shouldn’t have epidurals, but you most definitely - 100% - without a doubt should be well informed about them and how it will affect your labour. Tanya’s favourite quote from authors Diana Korte and Roberta Scaer who co-wrote, A Good Birth, A Safe Birth is very appropriate to mention here: “If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any.”
• More techniques for relieving ‘pain’, pressure and increasing calm and focus than you can shake a stick at.
• Amazing resources and practical guides for my birth partner (my husband). He left our class totally pumped and excited as well as completely aligned with my intentions. Because of Tanya’s class, he never doubted my strength throughout the birth of our son. 

Tanya is incredibly passionate about empowering women to have the birth they want and her list of training and accreditations is too extensive to list in full here. She is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE, FACCE) and volunteers with Birth for HumanKIND as a doula, providing free birth support for women in need including young mums, refugees and asylum seekers.

You can book a place in any birthwell birthright course via the website. And of course stay up to date on all things Lamaze and birth via the birthwell birthright Facebook and Instagram accounts.