risk

You are the Expedition Leader

Preparing for Birth is like preparing to climb Mount Everest, but with much more chance of success and a lot more warmth! When climbing Everest, a Sherpa is an essential part of your team. They know the landscape, the climate and remain calm and alert. In Birth, a doula is like a sherpa. The doula is familiar with the location, the people and the physiology, remaining calm and alert, guiding and supporting you.

The Flows of Modern Birthing

​​You have probably heard of ‘The Cascade of Intervention’.  It is the idea that once an intervention occurs, the rest shall follow.  This is considered a ‘Slippery Slope’.  It is, however, more nuanced than a cascade and there is more than one slope.  If we think of physiological birth as a flowing river, there are …

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The trouble with science

There once was a self-declared expert and leader Who took on the role of information feeder He feed us the news As we sat in our pews Believing he was the bullshit weeder. Not the best limerick, granted…but it expresses my feelings right now.  That my feelings are in limerick form highlight the ridiculousness of …

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The My Health Record: Are you in or are you out?

Do you know you only have until Nov 15th to opt out of My Health Record? ‘opt-out’ set ups are disrespectful and strategically ensure passive consent I attended an info session a couple of weeks ago, where the presenter was an IT specialist.   His job was to ‘reassure’ attendees about My Health Record. What he …

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Protector, saviour or unconscious abuser?

What follows has grown from a dream, or a short visual sequence as I awoke, that stuck with me. The vision:  a woman swims in a luxury, private pool.  She dives deep, enjoying the silence and time with her thoughts, the weightlessness,  the agility.   A man thinks she is drowning, he jumps in, tries to …

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Is menstrual blood dangerous?

The syncronising uteri of dedicated birth supporter and the birthing woman…. Is it possible? There are anecdotal reports that co-habiting women syncronise their menstrual cycles.  Are there dominant uteri?   Do some women, such as birthing women, have this effect? Does it only affect women not on hormonal birth control? In high school, our choir mistress …

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