The Yoga Doula

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jun/11/water-births-do-not-increase-risk-of-complications-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Water births do not increase risk of complications, study finds Using a water pool during labour for low-risk pregnancies is as safe as giving birth out of water, research shows

Sharing this great article by Molly O'Brian on the importance of movement in the birth room.
https://www.all4maternity.com/upright-and-active-birth-active-support/?fbclid=IwAR167IkQ2THw8_-tLjozmUm0bb-7npp71Df7erbpsHW8RT_iY0I7-M0ukz0

Upright and Active Birth – Active Support! | All4Maternity Upright and Active Birth – Active Support! Molly O’Brien - Midwife and midwife educator, Optimal Birth Instagram Published in The Practising Midwife Volume 25 Issue 02 February 2022 https://doi.org/10.55975/OIGH7546 Introduction Birth is a dynamic process – the urge to ...

Hey all!
If you are living in Haringey and planning a home birth, or are considering your options come and join Haringey Home Birth Support group monthly meet ups.

Its a supportive group, run by local mums. A safe space to explore the idea of having a home birth and all that it entails, where you can ask any questions you might have, get lots of tips on practicalities. And each month hear amazing birth stories from families that have attended these meetings.

See below for July meeting - message via their page for the address.

*Special Offer*

5 pack pre or postnatal classes for £52! Valid for 5 weeks from date of purchase.

Book via link in bio x

Very proud of this flyer I designed myself. So sharing it here - feel free to save and share with anyone you know that is looking for a doula, or anyone you think could benefit from having one.

ACTIVE REST

This image really speaks to me on many levels - as a mother, a yoga teacher and a doula.

We lead busy lives, we are on the go, moving all the time. This doesn’t give time and space to us noticing and responding to our intelligent body cues to stop and pause. Which over time builds up and can lead to stress and burn out.

Most of us have heard the expression: you can’t pour from an empty cup!

Knowing what fills my cup and doing it regularly is so important to me.

Making a cup of tea or coffee and choosing to sit down somewhere with a book. Or just to enjoy the hot drink.
Creating time to have a bath.
Taking time to practise yoga.
Making sure I don’t say yes to everything. And saying no to more things, not needing to explain to anyone why - NO is a complete word!

How do you rest? How do you tend to your self? I’d love to know - comment below.

Beautiful illustration by

Autumn at the market 🍂🍁

WHY PREGNANCY YOGA ?
•
Pregnancy Yoga is a gentle and nurturing practise, allowing you to slow down, to move your body in a safe and supported way and to bond with your growing baby.
•
Practising pregnancy yoga will leave you feeling stronger, physically and mentally, and empowered as you approach the birth of your baby and transition to parenthood.
•
Attending a class regularly is a great way to expand your pregnancy support network and create a long lasting friendships with other expectant mums.
•
My weekly pregnancy yoga class teaching schedule (Muswell Hill & Crouch End):

Thursday
Candlelit Pregnancy Yoga 7-8:15pm LIFE by Margot

Saturday
Pregnancy Yoga
9:30-10:30am Yogaloom Pilates
11-12pm
•
Get in touch for more info about the class, or to be added to my mailing list. Book via studio websites.
•
•
•

Long shadows. Moody skies.

Pregnancy and motherhood can be very overwhelming and lonely time for some. Being able to chat with someone who’s going through the same thing can really make a difference.

A friend has recently introduced me to - this fab little app allows women to connect with others living locally, due around the same time, or with the children of the same age.

Here’s a link if you want to join: https://peanut.app.link/QYECdmlD8pb

The Yoga Doula updated their address.

The Yoga Doula updated their website address.

Postnatal Yoga every Tuesday 11am with

Suitable from 6 weeks postpartum and babies always welcome! Rebuild strength gently and safely whilst bonding with your baby and meeting other local mums.

£13 or block of 10 for £95. Can be redeemed for Postnatal Pilates and Baby Yoga also. Book via link in bio.

Beautiful image and words 💛

“When pregnant, the cells of the baby migrate into the mothers bloodstream and then circle back into the baby, it’s called “fetal-maternal microchimerism”.⁠
For 41 weeks, the cells circulate and merge backwards and forwards, and after the baby is born, many of these cells stay in the mother’s body, leaving a permanent imprint in the mothers tissues, bones, brain, and skin, and often stay there for decades. Every single child a mother has afterwards will leave a similar imprint on her body, too.
Even if a pregnancy doesn't go to full term or if you have an abortion, these cells still migrate into your bloodstream.
Research has shown that if a mother's heart is injured, fetal cells will rush to the site of the injury and change into different types of cells that specialize in mending the heart.
The baby helps repair the mother, while the mother builds the baby.
How cool is that?
This is often why certain illnesses vanish while pregnant.
It’s incredible how mothers bodies protect the baby at all costs, and the baby protects & rebuilds the mother back - so that the baby can develop safely and survive.
Think about crazy cravings for a moment. What was the mother deficient in that the baby made them crave?
Studies have also shown cells from a fetus in a mothers brain 18 years after she gave birth. How amazing is that?”
If you’re a mom you know how you can intuitively feel your child even when they are not there….Well, now there is scientific proof that moms carry them for years and years even after they have given birth to them.
I find this to be so very beautiful.

This research is belongs to Hina Chaudhry and her team. Here is the resent article about her and team:
1. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.313246

2. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-science-motherhood-180977456/

April is Caesarean awareness month.

I thought I’d introduce you to my caesarean baby. Here he is. 😊

He is 19 years old. He cracks my ❤️ open and makes me feel so proud. He does not have asthma, obesity, or any of the gut issues associated with csection birth.

He is strong, healthy and thriving in all areas. And for that I am deeply grateful.🙏

I spent the first two years of his life beating myself up for failing at childbirth; for somehow failing him - and myself.

It was only through years of subsequent experience in childbirth that I came to understand that I did not fail him. If anything, we were failed by a system that was intimidated by breach presentation and obstetricians who no longer knew how to support breach birth.

I have compassion for us all.

As many of you know I am a passionate advocate for physiological birth; for birth as rite of passage and for ongoing deep commitment to the ideal preparation for empowered birthing.

I despair at the current csection rate.

The caesarean itself is not the problem. For many babies, it’s life-saving; for many women; it’s a choice and maternal choice is a fundamental right.

The problem is its excessive overuse; its popularity with clinicians; and the impact of its frequency on maternal and societal expectations of birth.

The problem is too many women are ending up with caesareans when they did not choose them.

In the US 1 million + babies are born by caesarean each year.

In some parts of Australia 50 % of babies are born by caesarean.

In the UK, 1 in 3 babies are born by caesarean.

Last week I hosted a postnatal reunion for 3 mothers who had planned home births and all ended up with csections.

The message is our bodies are failing us.

The WHO predicts that by 2030 the global csection rate will be 1 in 3.

That’s 46.6 million babies each year.

A US study that showed 1/3 of obstetricians said they preferred csection as the delivery of choice. They cited reduced chances of litigation following caesarean.

Post-Ockenden the governments response has been to remove the cap on caesareans.

This means the rate is likely to rise further.

It’s not our bodies failing us, it’s the system.