Empowering births and new parents, through pregnancy, labour & birth and beyond.
Urinary incontinence is common in pregnancy and is reported by about 60 percent of women. For these women, the severity of their condition can increase during the course of their pregnancy, especially peaking in the second and third trimesters. Of these women who experience incontinence in pregnancy, 70 percent go on to resolve the condition… Continue reading Healing from incontinence
The birth plan: a tool pioneered by childbirth activist and midwife, Sheila Kitzinger in the 1970s, who believed that women and not their caregivers, should be the focus of childbirth and be able to advocate for themselves with this document, which detailed their wishes for the delivery. In the wake of birth plans, the Better… Continue reading Own your birth: Why you need a birth plan
When planning for your birth, you must consider your options; an attempt at vaginal birth, which may or may not result in an emergency caesarean, or choosing to have a caesarean, also called a Caesarean Delivery on Maternal Request. Charlene Yared West spoke to Dr Jacky Searle, an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Life Vincent Pallotti about the… Continue reading Caesarean birth: Safety is the priority
Tasha and Wayne McKenzie wanted a baby even before they said their vows on their wedding day. After four years of trying to fall pregnant naturally and after six unsuccessful rounds of IVF, their friend Lee-Ann Laufs said she would be their surrogate. Charlene Yared West sat down with Tasha, Wayne and Lee-Ann to learn… Continue reading ‘Surrogacy gave us the gift of twins’
If you have been trying for a baby for more than a year, but have been unsuccessful, you are one of at least 50-million couples who experience infertility worldwide. The number of children being born in South Africa is also on the decline and according to the Recorded Live Births 2013 to 2015 report, the… Continue reading Multiples: A dream come true through IVF
Ruwa was nervous at our first meeting. Soft-spoken, she asked about my role as a doula for her birth. I walked with her in pregnancy and birth and when she went into labour, I met her at the hospital. Her birth changed everything. She was shown how powerful her birthing body was and that she… Continue reading Ruwarashe’s Birth Story
Hailing from New Zealand, I had never met Pip in person, but she was referred to the Relax Into Birth Hypnobirthing course by a dear South African friend of hers, who had also completed the course a few years earlier. She was so excited to share her story with me after she had given birth,… Continue reading Pip’s Birth Story
What a pleasure to be Tamlyn's birth doula. From the moment I met her quite early in her pregnancy, she embodied a certain positivity and exuded a confidence I rarely saw in a first time pregnant mama. She shares her story of trusting the process for her home birth, which I loved being at with… Continue reading Tamlyn’s Birth Story
Petra is a very strong mama who I met when she was pregnant with her first baby. Firm and determined, she never gave up all through her two birth experiences. It was lovely getting to know her as a mama also living in the Valley and this is the story of her second birth, where… Continue reading Petra’s Birth Story
It was my honour to walk beside Aimee and Ryan for the birth of their baby girl Kenzy. Here is their story... When I think back on my “Birth Day” it was nowhere near what I expected, despite all my reading and “scenario-planning.” And to be honest, I wasn’t convinced I needed a doula in… Continue reading Aimee’s Birth Story