TracyDonegan

It’s definitely a good idea! Think of a birth plan as a flexible communication tool – not as a list of demands. It’s so helpful for the Midwives as they’ve never met you before so it’s a great way to give them some idea of how to support you. Where are you having your baby?

Tracy

Congrats Pookie!!!

Glad to hear you’re still getting some mileage out of those affirmations!! 😀

Tracy

http://www.GentleBirth.ie

Sadly, Dads are often overlooked in all things pregnancy/birth – and they have such an important role. Some Dads are quite happy to stay in the background but there are lots of Dads who really wish they knew what to do to support their partner more.

This is a new video from the organisation I train Doulas…[Read more]

Hi Sabbi,

My next workshop is at the City North hotel on Jan 15 & 16 but we’re having a meet up in the lobby at 7pm on Wed Dec 29th. It’s a great opportunity to meet up with other GentleBirth Mums/Dads and kids 🙂

The Irish Times did an interview with one of my GentleBirth clients last week so hopefully it’ll be in the health supplement…[Read more]

Hi Mary,

Doulas are relatively new to Ireland and there’s only a handful of us attending births at the moment. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds from student Midwives to pilots! The doula essentially helps the couple have the best experience possible – especially if they are planning a natural birth. We usually meet up with Mum and…[Read more]

Some Mums had asked if there was any reimbursement from VHI etc for Doula cover. At the moment Aviva are the only company who promote the use of Doulas (less caesareans means less expenses for them) From January you’ll be able to have the support of a Doula for only 300 Euro after reimbursement – this also covers my GentleBirth workshop.

The…[Read more]

All this fear of birth stuff….

Do we forget as a (modern, 1st world, western) culture that this has been going on since time and memoriam without any medical intervention at all and just the assisted expertise of a midwife?

God, I ma not going to bore anyone with what i am learning on my course, but one thing I have discovered which is REALLY…[Read more]

I’m so excited to be getting back to Doula work in January now that Cooper is getting a bit bigger.

I do most of my work in the Lourdes but also cover the Dublin area when needed. In a nutshell the Doula ‘effect’ is similar to what GentleBirth/hypnobirthing does – less fear = reduction in the stress response and an increase in the hormones that…[Read more]

Hi Pookie,

I teach GentleBirth hypnobirthing weekend workshops in the City North Hotel every month except December. My next workshop is coming up on Nov 27 & 28. It’s a wonderful way to prepare for your baby’s birth and really enjoy your pregnancy without any anxiety around the birth.

Have a look at http://www.GentleBirth.ie for more details…[Read more]

Hi everyone, just to let you know the GPshave found a new home!

Thanks

Tracy

Hi Anne-Marie,

I would give the hospital a call and see what they say as they’ll be familiar with your medical history. I started to have tightenings this time around from about 25 weeks – on and off and much more so if I was overdoing things or dehydrated. Be sure to drink lots as the weather gets warmer 🙂

Tracy

Hi Orla,

Do you offer pregnancy massage?

Tracy

Thanks!

It was quite a dissapointing show – very much focused on the minority of things that can go wrong and making them sound very common. I’d imagine it was probably a fairly scary show for afirst timer.

I hope they’ll do another show about amazing births to balance out the negativity of this one.

Tracy 😀

Great article Siobhan. Stand alone birth units as well as MLUs are sorely needed.

Tracy

Great article!!

Preparation is so important. It’s ironic that we tend to put more thought into planning a holiday than one of the biggest days of our lives. Exploring your birth options (even if you don’t write them down) can go a long way to a more positive experience on the day.

Tracy

Hi Amarie, no matter what age you are it’s always a good idea to be healthy and fit before conception. There are increased risks of chromosomal problems as you get older so this is worth discussing with your GP ahead of time (in the meantime get started on your folic acid).

A cesarean comes with additional risks for you and your baby so it’s…[Read more]

Here’s a piece I wrote a while back about avoiding an episiotomy.

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Of all the squeamish discussions about birth experiences probably nothing makes you cringe and cross you legs quicker than when talk about labour turns to the big E…..no not the epidural but the episiotomy.

More and…[Read more]

Hi Alison,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Is it an option for you to go to another maternity unit – even the Lourdes? There are some great midwife led programs in Dublin such as the Community Midwives at H.Street and the Coombe have a new midwife led run scheme with very little waiting time.

Although it’s also a busy unit the…[Read more]

Hi Sarah, you still have plenty of time. Keep doing what you’re doing – hypnosis and acu do have a very high success rate in the studies. Another option at NMH is an ECV where your baby is turned externally into a head down position. If your baby hasn’t turned in the next week or so you’ll be referred to the breech clinic to discuss your…[Read more]

Hi Eileen,

Have you had an antenatal appointment yet? If not you might ring and see if you can be seen sooner. It could be the uterus stretching but it’s always good to get anything out of the ordinary that’s worrying you checked out.

As you’ve previously had a VBAC it’s definitely worth discussing with the staff and see how things go with…[Read more]