Love Mama

Medway Maternity

Darent Valley Hospital Maternity
December and 2023 babies 💗

Little Yoga Warriors
Anyone with a 4 January baby?!

🎉 Birthday Giveaway! 🧁
It's my birthday 🥳 If your little one shares a birthday with me (born today Thursday 4th January 2024), comment below to win a Little Yoga Warriors Baby Massage course! 👶

I know some of my pregnancy yoga mums are eagerly awaiting their little ones, so I hope this is an incentive! 🤰🌟

Please comment/tag/share to reach possible Jan 4th arrivals 🥰

**How to Enter:**
1. Comment below: I had a baby today! (Time limit 72 hours but I may extend as no idea how many babies will be born 🤣)

**Terms & Conditions:**
- Limited to two babies (first response basis).
- Instagram/Facebook meta T&Cs also apply.
- Entry via Instagram or Facebook

Thanks for celebrating with me! 💜

Medway Maternity
Any festive babies here 💗

Welcome to all babies born over the Festive and New Year's period and congratulations to all parents. 💕

Medway Maternity

TENS machines can be a good help for many in the early stages of labour. These are available to hire from 36 weeks, to be returned within 3 weeks of birth. Both Pearl Ward and The Birth Place offer TENS hire to use in any location.

Unfortunately many of these never come back to us and we are currently completely out of stock.

We appreciate how life and a new baby gets in the way! If you have one of our machines, please drop us a message here or call The Birth Place on 01634 825199. Then we can discuss how to get it back and continue to offer this to those who wish to use them. 💜

💗Happy Valentine’s 💗
Remember to book your hypnobirthing classes in for all those babies due in November 😜

Darent Valley Hospital Maternity
Baby stats for January 2023 💗

January's Infographic slide...

Medway Maternity now offering Group B Strep testing. For information and to make an informed decision speak to your midwife, or have a look at this website https://gbss.org.uk
💗💗

Medway Maternity January babies 💗

Congratulations to all January parents! The first baby of 2023 was born at 03:22. Here's our teaser while we get the full figures ready. 🥰

The Smeds and The Smoos for Christmas Day Magic Light 💗💗

"By a loobular lake on a far-off planet,
There lived a young Smed, and her name was Janet.
Not far away, on a humplety hill,
There lived a young Smoo by the name of Bill."

We can finally announce that The Smeds and The Smoos will premiere on BBC One, Christmas Day at 2.30pm!

We hope you love this intergalactic adventure of friendship, teamwork and the importance of overcoming our differences. 🌕❤🚀💙🌌

“The Grinch stole my…”
Finish the sentence with predictive text… 😂

Important update on pain relief availability at East Kent Hospitals Maternity

You’ve been pregnant for what feels like forever, and now your labour has started.
💗
Your midwife has spoken to you about when to let them know (if you’re going to hospital for your birth) but WTF do you do in the meantime?!
🤔
Well…
✅
Firstly…. DO NOT PANIC!!
✅
To get labour started you need to be feeling relaxed and calm and safe. So whatever you was doing when labour started, if you can, then continue with that.
🌌
If it’s during the night… try to sleep, relax.
☀️
If the day, continue doing what you was doing. Have a walk, watch a good film, sit on the birthing ball…
🛁
A bath, or shower, some good food, listen to your relaxations.
🤗
Try to get as comfortable and relaxed as you can.
⬇️
Save this post and share with your pregnant friends to let them know!

Tag your friends below 😂

Saw this on a local group, which one would you be? My husband would definitely say I’m The Tiny Dangerous One 😂😂

Medway Maternity September babies 👶🏼

Congratulations to all who had babies in September at Medway! 🥰

March to August Medway Maternity stats! 💗💗

💗FAMILY💗
Family can be so important in life so let’s celebrate those that are in our families today!
💗
Happy Family Day!
Tag your family that show support to you and let them know you appreciate them 💗💗

💗BIRTH EXPERIENCE💗
How do you want to feel when you look back and think I abou your birth experience?

How your birth makes you feel will stay with you. You will remember the moments. And feeling confident, understanding your choices, feeling heard, knowing why things will be happening, can all work towards a positive birth experience.

And guess where you can learn to feel like that?! That’s right… with ME! After our classes you will understand how to make the choices right for you on the day. You will have the tools to feel confident about birth. You will be informed and understand physiological birth, know your options for pain relief…

Hypnobirthing isn’t just about breathing. It’s wanting that positive birth experience and preparing for your birth to give you the best chance of getting it.

Beside You
This is a great idea… getting antenatal feeding support can go so far when your baby is first born… great offering if you’re pregnant and in Medway! 💗💗

Calling all Medway mums to be 🤰⭐

Did you know that you can come along to one of our Hello Baby sessions to find out more about feeding your baby?

The session gives you the chance to find out more about:
🔸 responsive feeding
🔸 skin to skin
🔸 feeding cues
🔸 truths and myths around feeding
🔸 exploring your feeding choices
🔸 What’s in a nappy!!
🔸 knowing where to go for feeding support once little one is here
🔸 plus, lots more

Book a Medway Community Healthcare 'Hello Baby' session to find out more.

Medway Maternity

💗BABY NAMES💗
Top baby names for 2022 so far were released by BabyCentre 💗
Have you been thinking about baby names, or are you all set with what you’ll go with?
🤔
I always knew what name I would use if we had a boy, but with my little girl, we didn’t finally choose until after she was born!
💗
We also kept the names secret until after the birth, as everyone has an opinion!
😂
Here’s the top 10 boys and girls names - let me know in the comments if there’s any of your choices! ⬇️

😊Girls😊
1. Lily
2. Sophia
3. Olivia
4. Amelia
5. Ava
6. Isla
7. Freya
8. Aria
9. Ivy
10. Mia

😊Boys😊
1. Muhammad
2. Noah
3. Jack
4. Theo
5. Leo
6. Oliver
7. George
8. Ethan
9. Oscar
10. Arthur

💗SUNGLASSES💗
During labour we need your love hormone, oxytocin, to flow. This gets birth going and keeps it progressing.
💗
But oxytocin is a shy hormone. It likes the dark, or dimly lit, quiet, relaxed…
🧘‍♀️
So sunglasses… stick a pair on during your labour! If you’re going to hospital to have your baby, the journey by car can sometimes slow down labour so putting on a pair of sunglasses will block out the bright lights on the way, and also the harsh hospital lighting when you arrive. Leaving you to concentrate on your birth and keeping relaxed.
😎
So get a pair in your hospital bag - accessible for the journey!
💗
Tag a pregnant friend to let them know this top tip! ⬇️

💗TRANSITION💗

Towards the end of your labour, and before you birth your baby, you may find yourself suddenly doubting yourself, feeling worried, maybe sick, and telling your birth partner ‘I can’t do this anymore, take me home, I’m just not going to do it anymore’...
❌
Welcome to transition!
🙋🏼‍♀️
Throughout your labour we want lots of oxytocin and no Adrenalin... it keeps the birth progressing and baby on their way.
🥰
But transition is just that... a transition from labouring to birthing... and here you may find you have a rush of adrenaline... and with adrenaline comes self doubt, panic, worry... but this is a good thing.
✅
You can recognise that, and own it.
💪
Know that your baby is now on their way, and will be with you very soon. That adrenaline is there to give you a final oomph to birth your baby.
😍
So birthing partners... you too can recognise the transition and be there to reassure your pregnant person! Make sure they know how amazing they are and what a good job they are doing to help move into that final stage to welcome your baby!
💗
Did you say anything similar during your labour?! Let me know below ⬇️

📣 BIRTH PARTNERS 📣
I hear a lot that birth partners feel like they’re a ‘spare part’ during birth or ‘it’s not really about them’…

This is totally not true and we can work together to establish the birth partner’s role in birth and labour to aid a positive experience for them too!

⭐️BIRTH PLAN⭐️
Get involved with writing and researching this. If you’re both on the same page and understand the reasons for the choices in the birth plan you will feel more confident and can advocate for your birthing person…

⭐️PREP THE ROOM⭐️
Environment is really important for birth and during Labour your birthing person will want to relax and focus on birth. You can set up fairy lights/candles, make sure the playlist is playing, ensure food and drink available, make the comfortable!

⭐️POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS⭐️
Positive affirmations can be used throughout pregnancy but you can use some of these during labour and birth. Make sure your birthing person knows what an amazing job they’re doing and how proud you are of them.

⭐️ATTEND A BIRTH PREP CLASS⭐️
I mean, of course I’d say this, but I totally mean it and believe it! If you can attend a class together then you will both be aware of what your choices are and can discuss worries and questions along the way to get as prepared as you can!

Birth partners - this IS about you too!

Did/do you have an amazing birth partner? Tag them below ⬇️ or send to let them know how well they can support you!

💗SEPTEMBER💗
Not sure about you, but it feels like a new year when September comes around. School starts and the seasons change… feels fresh!

September is also a big baby month! All those romantic nights at Christmas time 😉

But if you’re due in the Autumn or Winter and have been waiting to book your course once the summer is over then get in touch! I have limited availability in October, November and December! 💗

Darent Valley Hospital Maternity are looking for feedback on visiting policies 💗

What Visiting Policy do you want in Maternity at DVH?

Now that Covid restrictions are lifting, we are looking at our visiting policy and how best it can suit you & your family.

We have surveyed our staff, now it's over to you!

Please could you take a few minutes to complete our survey and give us your thoughts on what you would like our visiting policy to be.

The survey closes on Friday 16th September 2022.
Results will be published on Friday 30th September 2022.

Many thanks

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HQC7V5M

🌈 National Rainbow Baby Day 🌈

A rainbow baby is a baby born after the loss of a baby.

Any baby loss is incredibly difficult. And a pregnancy following baby loss brings a whole host of additional worries.

Before I birthed my babies, we suffered an ectopic pregnancy and a missed miscarriage. They were the worst days of my life.

Being pregnant afterwards, I couldn’t ever imagine actually birthing my babies, holding them in my arms and taking them home.

But I did…. And I am forever grateful for that.

My passed babies were not storms, but the feelings of loosing them were. And my rainbow babies represent the rainbow of hope and love that I felt on having them.

Sending all the love and hope to those experiencing baby loss, TTC, and with their rainbow babies 🌈

December, January and February birth stats from Medway Maternity 💗💗