Erika Townend Birth

Family get together 😍

📌 New study realised - safety and benefits of using water during labour and birth 📌

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7iPgXaQdxSVQrTsp/

🏠Happy International Homebirth Day🏡

.fph

In recognition of all the magical ✨ midwives out there.

Following on from my recent blogs, see below; this is a super handy guide on what questions to ask if you are offered the induction pathway.
With thanks to sarawickham.com
https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/five-questions-to-ask-if-youre-offered-induction-of-labour/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR17IrCD7veAXdP8DPWqUMVgOmBIMbm--7QB42RxoBHR56Smip3-61m2Zc4_aem_AURqOWCzfjLRV8TGwzM7UNZaMeiz7DKT0SDB71hfiqhqTNbDRfG-qcIfOppZui7EOjn20Dn8ArCse9IuCW-MhxZk

Five questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour - Dr Sara Wickham What are the best questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour? Here are 5 great questions and what you'll learn from the answers.

Come join me and share my latest thoughts.

What does it mean to have birth choices? Antenatal education is critical in preparing expectant parents for childbirth, equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills

** New blog **

The Essence of Antenatal Education.

The Essence of Antenatal Education When the waves of contractions give over to the moment of childbirth draws, possessing a deep understanding of antenatal education is key.

Always so humbled when after supporting a client I am gifted their words of thanks.
Thank you for trusting in my presence A and L🫂

Love this blog written by the wonderful Liz Farrant IBCLC in Sandhurst.
See comments for her website.

Ni**le twiddling toddlers - help for breastfeeding mothers - Boobingit Liz Farrant IBCLC has supported many mothers of breastfed toddlers - helping them put boundaries in place for things like ni**le twiddling

Gorgeous day to be meeting with fellow Doulas🤗

Fantastic independent film!

Go and watch it!

* Born at Home *

www.instagram.com

📸 Look at this post on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/100071213606516/posts/388133140237136/?sfnsn=scwspmo

📸 Look at this post on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/100064769914063/posts/752704920231832/?sfnsn=scwspmo

🌲❄️Last Sling Library of 2023❄️🌲

Baby wearing us great in the winter months , especially over Christmas if you're thinking of attending a light trail or visiting a busy Christmas market!

Come and visit us for anything Sling related !

🌠Remembering all the babies that can't be with us today.

Please consider donating to 4Louis, see link below.

My fantastic friend and midwife today ran 10km for this charity.

🫂 A charity that helps parents in a time of need.
Please donate if you can.

https://4louis.enthuse.com/pf/wendy-evans

🤯 Just 🤯
Have a read below on the power of breast milk.

Thanks, Maddie's Miracle

How amazing is this? 💜💜💜

A photo showing droplets of breast milk fending off armies of harmful bacteria in Petri dishes is going viral on Facebook.⁣
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The photo, posted by a biology student in England, features nine Petri dishes completely colonized with the bacteria M. Luteus, except in the center, where tiny puddles of breast milk have created what looks like “moats” of protection around themselves.⁣
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The student, Vicky Green, said she had similar results with Petri dishes full of e.Coli and the dreaded anti-biotic resistant “super bug” MRSA.⁣
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“The white spots in the middle are discs soaked in two samples of breastmilk,” Green wrote in the caption of her post. “See the clear bit around the discs ― that’s where the proteins in the milk have inhibited the bacteria!”⁣
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An article from YourPediatrician.com explains how this is possible:⁣
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“About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles. Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to whatever disease is present in their environment, making their milk custom-designed to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well.”⁣
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What’s even more impressive is that the samples of milk in the photos came from the mother of a 15-month-old and a 3-year-old, providing further evidence that breast milk continues to protect against illness long beyond infancy.

An excellent read by Rachel Reed.

https://midwifethinking.com/2015/05/13/shoulder-dystocia-the-real-story/?fbclid=IwAR2BstbYHr_HalvQUEllqTlEz5kAfHwCuK3zJM_7Py1ygr3GMURPhkca7iw

Don't sit in silence; please feel strong enough to seek support.

I can't recommend enough the following local breastfeeding free hub 👏

I couldn't resist this sunset sky!

Welcome to all the babies who will join this wondrous world tonight 😍

Thank you to all my clients for allowing me to support you through an incredible year!

Brightest wishes🌟🌲🤗

What a perfect Monday to start the week off!

From a repeat client who absolutely rocked their pregnancy and birth with confidence, self belief and intuition.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Well worth a read!

Interesting paper here showing a link between longer life time duration of breastfeeding and fewer hot flashes and night sweats during menopause. Duration (as in years experienced not per hot flash) was also shorter with longer breastfeeding duration.

Those with the fewest symptoms breastfed for 18 - 23 months. Those who did so for 24 months plus had slightly higher symptoms - although fewer than those who breastfed for shorter durations. No idea why - probably just a natural variation in the data or groupings with a relatively smaller sample in each group.

They controlled for education, age, ethnicity, BMI, how many babies a woman had and smoking (as these have been linked to differences in menopause symptoms. They also checked that the results didn't change when you took into account HRT use - because again there are socioeconomic differences in who accesses and uses HRT.

As always this is a pattern and not a definitive link. Taking a rough overview of the data, around 60% of those who breastfed for shorter durations experienced frequent hot flashes falling to 40 - 50% for those with longer durations. For frequent night sweats it was around half compared to a third.

This isn't about individuals and many other factors would determine symptoms at menopause. You might breastfeed cumulatively for a decade and still experience them or not breastfeed at all and be just fine. It could be useful knowledge to have though as part of bigger conversations around peri/menopause and symptoms.

But I think it's really interesting to look at this on a population level and consider why from a women's health perspective - as female reproductive health is so often left out of these conversations. Why have they found this pattern?

The researchers aren't sure why - but one theory they give is that when you're breastfeeding you have higher levels of prolactin which suppresses oestrogen. They think that maybe the body starts to adapt to having less oestrogen ... which in turn then makes lowered oestrogen levels during peri/menopause less difficult to cope with as the body is more used to it.

Of course... this way of thinking is really the wrong way around because from a biological / evolutionary perspective we would have spent many many years of our lives breastfeeding and living in a lowered oestrogen state. So it's not that breastfeeding causes something different but rather us gradually having fewer babies and breastfeeding them for shorter periods has altered the levels of hormones our bodies experience. [As always not saying we 'should' be breastfeeding for longer and having more babies... just from a biological standpoint this is what would have happened for many historically].

The researchers also note that it's possible that cardiovascular health plays a role. A longer breastfeeding duration is associated with more protection against heart disease and other cardiovascular issues. There is a link between cardiovascular health and temperature control. So possibly that plays a link too.

Maybe something else hormonal is going on. Female hormones are so complex and affected by numerous factors. I also wonder if these is something at play which makes breastfeeding more difficult from a physiological level which then also impacts upon menopause or broader hormonal symptoms? My favourite topic of thyroid health comes to mind (favourite used loosely here). We know an uncontrolled underactive thyroid can sometimes affect milk production... and uncontrolled hypothyroidism can make menopause symptoms more challenging. Thyroid hormones and oestrogen and prolactin also interact.

I also love this paper because it uses a decent measure of breastfeeding - cumulative duration in months over each baby. Studies that use measures such as 'ever breastfed' or any breastfeeding at just one time point make me start muttering and breaking out in a cold sweat (and not just because I'm 40 😆)

Paper here (although might be behind a pay wall)

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-0528.17274?saml_referrer

Women's views and experiences of augmentation of labour with synthetic oxytocin infusion: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Women's views and experiences of augmentation of labour with synthetic oxytocin infusion: a qualitative evidence synthesis To explore and synthesise women's views and experiences of augmentation of labour with synthetic oxytocin infusion.A qualitative evidence synthesis wa…

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week where we aim to remember babies and raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss.

In the UK around 12,000 families a year will experience the tragic loss of babies either due to stillbirth, miscarriage or neonatal death. Here, at Frimley Health, we care for about 150 families a year who encounter this devastating and life changing experience. You can find out more about our specialist service here https://www.frimleyhealthandcare.org.uk/.../baby-loss/

“There is no footprint too small that it cannot leave an imprint on our hearts and the world...”

Have you used the Birth Centre at Wexham Park or Frimley Park Hospitals? Did you want to but couldn't? Did you have no interest in using a Birth Centre?

We are running a new survey to find out about how people feel about Birth Centres.
What was your experience, good or bad.
Why did you or didn't you want to use the Birth Centre?
How did you find out information about the Birth Centre and whether it was a good option for you?

Please fill in our survey to help us improve the Maternity Services in our Trust.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/BirthCentres/