Love & Lullabies

💕To celebrate all mothers on this special day and especially all the soon-to-be mamas, here is a gift from me to you!🎁

Visit www.loveandlullabies.com.au and in the Contact page add the promo code in the description box.

☝️Offer is limited to the first 3 bookings, so don't think twice!

The private childbirth education classes can be held in Melbourne (AU) or virtually making it possible for you to join regardless of where you live!

Happy Mother's Day! 💐

How did you push your baby out? Open glottis or closed glottis? 💕

📣 New reel on Instagram
Head over to love.and.lullabies to check it out!

😉 Which number is your baby today?

If you already gave birth, which number was yours?

What early sign of pregnancy did you experience?🤷‍♀️

A change in your breasts or maybe nausea? 🤢

Were they the same for all your pregnancies or were they different?

✏Share it with me in the comments! 💕

It is Doula World Week!
I like to celebrate by remembering the amazing first mama that made me a doula ❤

If you are aiming for a positive childbirth experience, get a doula to support you along the journey. You will not regret it 💕

🤰If you are a soon-to-be first time mom and planning to breastfeed, one of the questions you might have is "How do I know when my baby has fully nursed on one breast and it is time to stop?". 🤱

☝️Here are some answers to help you understand what are the cues for a well drained breast 💕

For a very long time, eating and drinking was considered unsafe during labour and restricted in hospitals.🚫
We know today that this is absolutely not true.
☝️In fact, not only it is safe to eat and drink during labour, but it is also highly recommended.
🏋️‍♀️ Your body needs to be fueled and well hydrated in order to perform well and function for the full length of labour, exactly as it would need to be in any athletic activity.

Here are some suggestions for snacks to have handy in your labour basket.🍞🍌🍒🍯

The key is to have foods that are:
✅ easy to digest
✅ easy to grab and leave in between a contraction
✅ small in size (it's best to have frequent smaller bites than a big meal)
✅ nourishing and energetic
✅ appealing to you!

Choose your favourite ones and keep them ready for the big day😉

www.loveandlullabies.com.au

BABY SHOWER GIFT IDEA!!!
Never underestimate the power of education! Knowledge is the key to an empowered and confident labour🤰, to an informed and positive birth experience, to a well prepared and realistic parenting experience🤱.

With the Lamaze childbirth education classes, you won't be just giving them a baby shower gift, you will be gifting them with a life-long treasure 👑

📞Contact me for more info or visit my website!

www.loveandlullabies.com.au💕

💕🤱💕

Postpartum tip today 😉

Did you use crib mobiles?
Were you planning to have one?
Are you changing your mind after this post or planning on adding one at your changing station?

Share your story in the comments🤗
www.loveandlullabies.com.au

If you are expecting a 2022 baby, put on your calendar a childbirth preparation course!

As a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) I cannot stress enough how much knowledge and preparation are the🔑 KEY to an empowered and positive childbirth experience!

I am now offering both private and group classes.
Visit my website and book yourself in!

Let me help you to eliminate fear, anxiety and worry and build up confidence, tools and advocacy.

www.loveandlullabies.com.au

No matter what kind of birth you are hoping for...homebirth, hospital birth, medicalised and pain free as much as possible birth...as a birth doula and as a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, I have 2 main goals:
💕 to make you feel fully supported whilst respecting your space and privacy
💕 to give you the right tools in your hands so that you can feel empowered and confident in advocating for yourself, your baby and your childbirth preferences.


📷.insta

❤🤱🎁


What else would you bring??😉

Happy Holidays to all mamas, but especially to all mamas of 2021 and to the mamas to be in 2022!
I wish you all the best cuddles and the sweetest moments with your little ones.

Love & Lullabies



📷

These guys make me happy 🥰💕

If a doula is teaching you how you should be giving birth, go find another doula.
A doula should be there to help you listen to your body cues and give you a few tips here and there.
But you and only you should decide on how to birth.
Your body knows how to do this!

🛎 A fundal massage (also called uterine massage) is a 💪vigorous massage performed by a care provider (midwife, nurse, doctor) after the delivery of the placenta.

☝️Don’t be misled by the term “massage”: it is not pleasant. In fact, it is pretty uncomfortable and rough.😖

Unfortunately, women don’t always know about this technique before giving birth and sometimes it is performed without asking for their consent. 🤷‍♀️ This takes them by surprise and could potentially become a traumatic experience.

🤔WHY IS IT PERFORMED?
To help the uterus contract and prevent post-partum haemorrhage.
The manual stimulation will help in expelling blood clots and any fluid in excess.💧

HOW IS IT DONE?
By placing a hand at the top of the uterus (called the fundus) and firmly pressing down on your abdomen (similiar to a dough kneading movement).

🕞Usually fundal massages are performed every 15mins for a couple of hours after giving birth.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP?
These are some things I strongly encourage doing:
✅ ask about fundal massage to your care provider during a prenatal visit so you will know what to expect
✅ after the birth, have baby placed skin to skin and try initiating breastfeeding as soon as possible
✅ let a midwife or nurse teach you how to do this massage so you can do it on your own the following times.

Do you remember having one? How did it feel?😏
Share it with me in the comments below!💕

All these UFO 👽positions are excellent during labour but also very helpful during the last weeks of pregnancy to prepare your body and get baby in an optimal position👍

⬇️Gravity will help open the cervix and get your baby down and out more easily.
In these positions there is also a better oxygen supply to your baby.

Did you know that Upright, Forward leaning and Open positions will cut an average of 82 minutes off the first stage of labour (Lawrence A, Lewis L, Hofmeyr GJ, Styles C., 2013) AND make approximately 28% more room in the pelvis?? 👏👏👏

☝️Start trying them out during pregnancy so when your labour starts your body will know what to do and you will already know which positions you are most comfortable in😉

Let me know in the comments if you would like to see more positions💕

"The hug" or "The pillow": I am struggling to decide what's the best title for this graphic😃

Wondering why you have to go to the toilet every 20mins? 😏
That's why mamas!!!😜

It's the love!!! 💕

🤱You are in your 4th trimester, you have your sweet little babies in your arms 💕 but...you just can't figure out how to calm them?😭 They keep crying and getting frustrated and you...well you are tired too!😰

☝️Here to help are the 5S's to soothe a crying baby!

Sometimes you might need just one of these and some other times, you might need all 5!

☝️What is behind these 5 tips is really simple: recreate the womb environment where your baby felt protected, calm and cradled.

So here we go:

is Swaddling: recreate that tightness and coziness🧣 that your baby was used to inside the womb. A baby burrito will feel less exposed and can relax more easily. 🌯

is Side or Stomach position: if your baby is upset, lying on their back can increase their frustration. Instead, try holding them on their side or stomach.

is Shushing: again, think womb environment here. A womb is soooo noisy!!🙉 There is mom's heartbeat and mom's blood flow and mom's voice and so much more! Recreate that noisy environment by using white noise (this could be a 📻 radio static, a fan, a vacuum cleaner, or download a white noise app on your phone📱) or making shushing sounds near the baby's ear🤫
Babies do not need complete silence to sleep😴, that is just a myth 😉

is Swinging: here we go again folks, womb! When babies were in the womb, they jiggled 🤸‍♀️ and🤸‍♂️ bounced THE FULL TIME! That's what they still need now. If your baby is crying desperately and you have no idea how to calm them down, try fast and tiny motion movements and always support thier neck and head. You can also get on an exercise ball with them and bounce.🏐

is Sucking: Very often, the thing that will calm your baby will be feeding. If baby is not hungry, they might just suck on your breast to soothe themselves. If you have started giving them a 👶 dummy, that might help the baby to relax too.
👍Did you know that babies in the womb suck their fingers for emotional comfort and they can already start doing that at 10 weeks? Amazing, right?

So these were the 5S's. I am sure that if you are a parent, you will have tried at least one of these without even thinking about it!😊

🙋‍♀️ Let me know in the comments which one of these helped soothing your baby the most!

This is my candle 💕
Did you lit one too?

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day 💕

Let's join from all around the world in lighting a candle 🕯 at 7pm to honor and remember the babies that we lost too soon. Post a photo and use hastag

Let's break the silence on miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss and let's acknowledge the difficult journey of many families, their stories and their babies.

If you feel vulnerable today, if you are struggling, if you feel that the grief you are experiencing is too much to bear or if a person you love is going through this and you need help in understanding how to support them, please reach out!💕

Visit for more information

💕 ENVIRONMENT FOR LABOUR💕

The right environment during labour is really important.

1. It will allow you to focus inwards
2. It will make you feel in synch with your body and baby
3. It will help you find a ritual
4. It will increase oxytocin and endorphins levels while decreasing the stress hormones.

👍All this will result in a steady progress of labour.

On the other hand, if you don’t feel comfortable and safe:
1. your stress levels will rise
2. the ability to work with your pain will decrease
3. you will lose your confidence

👎This could slow down your labour increasing the chances of interventions and a medicalised birth.

🔔Plan for your physical environment and make it feel as comfortable and safe as possible. 🕯🚿🛁🥤🍪🌿

Having the right “environment” does not refer only to the physical space where you are labouring in and giving birth.
👭👬👫👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️It also includes the people surrounding you.

☝️Choose your people and not the other way around.
Research shows us how continuous labour support with the presence of a loved one, a doula or a friend has enourmous benefits in achieving a positive and healthy birth experience.🤱

☝️Last but not least, labour at home for as long as you can in your cosy space and surrounded by those you love.

👉 Visit: www.loveandlullabies.com.au/blog/e-is-for-environment

𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 ✨

Mamas of Melbourne this one is for you ladies - We’ve all teamed up to bring you this amazing giveaway!

Go in the chance to win one of these awesome prizes! It’s as simple as…

ON INSTAGRAM:

💫 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁s:
calmness

and.lullabies


candles





💫𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁!

💫𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

Wouldn’t hurt to tell us whether you’re currently pregnant or have had your baby, so we know which prize might be right for each winner!

𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟯 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿🎉

Please note:
is a mobile service who comes to you. She operates within 25km of her home within the Bayside, VIC area*

[This competition is open to Melbourne, VIC residents only. Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use.]

I feel so blessed today 💕
I received this special gift from a beautiful couple I supported as a doula.
It just melts my heart seeing their sincere gratitude in their eyes just because I was there for them when they needed support, but in fact I feel that I was the lucky one having been allowed to be there and hold thier space during one of the most intimate moments of their lives.🤱
I will be forever grateful to them and I will cherish the journey we shared together forever in my heart.
Grazie 💕

The essence of a doula: nurturing the mother so she can then nurture her child