I've worked with a couple of families who have traveled back to Adelaide specifically for the birth of their baby. Navigating a health-care system you aren't familiar with can add another level of uncertainty to your situation and may mean you are away from your family, friends or usual support network.
Hiring me as your doula provides you with a level of continuity of care and a support person who is there just for you and your family. Thanks to Kate, Craig and their delightful daughter for sharing this with me. We recently hired Kelly as a doula for the birth of our first baby and she was phenomenal! We moved to Adelaide just 6 weeks prior to the birth and we were in search of someone who could provide continuity of care and support with a public hospital birth. She gave us that... and so much more! Our initial meetings with Kelly helped to inform our approach to the birth, allowed us to work through answers to many questions and left us feeling empowered. During labour, when our birth deviated from some of our original preferences, Kelly supported us in the process of making confident and informed decisions that were best for us and our baby. She has a kind nature, a calming presence and an open heart. If you are looking for a doula, Kelly is a dream to work with and we can't imagine our birth experience without her!
As you can see from my client's own words, birth is unpredictable. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you've taken all the classes, read all the books and blogs and even hired a doula. Mother nature can have her own plans. But what can you do when your birth takes an unexpected turn?
6 Things You Can Do When Your Birth Isn't Going To Plan
Everyone has some kind of plan, hopes, preferences or wishes for how they want the birth of their baby to go. Which is great. Hopefully it means that you've thought about your options and your family's values and made a communication document for your care provider.
If you're a client of mine, we will also talk through your back-up plans while you are still pregnant. This includes what your preferences might be if you change your mind about something, pain relief for example, or if your body or baby have their own plans and you need to consider an instrumental or surgical birth. So what can you do if your birth is deviating from your original plan?
If you are interested in a birth planning session that covers all this and more, you can work with me here. You'll soon see that I do things a little differently when it comes to birth plans and expectations! Birth planning and coaching sessions are available to anyone and can be done over Zoom or Skype. They can be single sessions to help you prepare for your birth.
This post is not intended to cover what to do if your birth has left you feeling traumatised in any way. If you need support and resources for a bad birth, please use this link or the resources on Pinterest board below.
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 Strawberry Cream Pie is one of my favourite indulgent desserts. I'm lactose intolerant, so I avoid dairy where possible, but this recipe is so creamy you wouldn't know it was dairy free. It also has the advantage of being raw, vegan, gluten free and so quick and easy to make. I have converted this recipe for my thermomix but any good blender or food processor will do. Let me know what you think
INGREDIENTS Crust: 100g raw almonds 20g raw walnuts 30g dried, shredded coconut 1tsp coconut oil Filling: 300g fresh strawberries - washed and hulled 120g raw unsalted cashews 40g vanilla extract 50g raw honey 1 pinch salt 190g melted coconut oil METHOD: Mill crust ingredients in thermomix 10 seconds, speed 8 Press firmly into the bottom of a pie plate, slightly building up the sides Place in fridge while making filling Without washing your thermomix, place all filling ingredients in and blend on speed 7, 37 degrees (to keep oil melted) for 1 minute. You may need to scrape down the sides half way through to make sure the filling is smooth and creamy. Pour the filling on top of the crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until set. Serve straight from the fridge. Every person's reasons for choosing to encapsulate their placenta are different. It might be that they've heard about it from a friend or in the media and think it sounds like something they're happy to try. Perhaps they suffered from Postnatal Depression after their last pregnancy and are willing to try everything to avoid a repeat experience. Some women wish to honour the placenta and complete a full circle journey. Whatever the reason, they are all equally valid and unique, just as your placenta is. One of my clients, Kirsty, talks about her reasons and what she experienced from taking her placenta capsules.  I had my first baby in a rural hospital, so I didn’t get to keep my placenta, it wasn’t even an option (or so I thought), and within days of delivery I was slipping into post natal depression. For my second, and last, baby I knew I had this opportunity. The idea of having another placenta literally thrown in the bin was heart breaking for me, and PND is the darkest place I’ve ever been, I would do anything to not experience that again. I can’t say that my capsules alone stopped post natal depression this time, but it helped me form a bond with my midwives who helped me basically smuggle my placenta out of the hospital in a bucket, it made me feel strong, proud, and powerful to be able to bring it home and decide what happened with the parts of mine and my baby’s body. It made me feel like a strong mama bear, using what my body had given me to aid my recovery. (free infographic)My approach to birth-planning with clients draws inspiration from different areas. One of them is goal-planning. Setting goals can be fun, exciting and also stretch you to consider different areas of your birth you might not have previously thought of. Through my Clarity Sessions, you (and your partner) get up to four hours of one-to-one time with me. What do we go through: 1. Your previous pregnancies and births. Let's see what worked for you and what didn't. 2. The power of emotion - how do you want to feel during your labour, birth and immediate postnatal period? 3. Defining your biggest, juiciest goals. WARNING: you might be surprised that these are different to what you originally believed. 4. A reality check - are your current actions in-line with your goals and circumstances? 5. Action steps - finally we will nut out specific actions you can start taking straight away and make achieving your goals one step closer. How do you make your birth-plan unique to your circumstances, powerful yet flexible? In this infographic I share 5 tips to help you to develop a fabulous, meaningful birth plan. If you'd like to delve deeper with me and get crystal clear on what you want from you birth, book in a Clarity Session asap. Which of these 5 tips most INSPIRES you? Let me know in the comments below.  Elemental Beginnings will be at BBB Parenting FairAs a doula, Kelly from Elemental Beginnings is a specialist in supporting and coaching parents through pregnancy, birth and that adjustment phase with your new little one. Just like a personal trainer helping you and your partner to achieve your optimum birth experience and parenting goals. Whether you want private birth education, continuous support to cope with the physical and emotional intensity of labour or an extra pair of hands to help with your baby, Kelly is there for you. Come see me at the Belly Baby Beyond Fair - Plant 4, Bowden, Adelaide Sunday 10th February, 10am - 3pm I'm taking bookings for free half-hour birth planning sessions or just stop by if you'd like to ask a Doula some questions about optimising your birth. I'd love to see you. I'll also have a few little goodies for sale - postnatal lift balm, cord ties and bath soak herbs As a little extra bonus - anyone who books my placenta or doula services on the day will get a 5% discount xx  |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Peabody Awards, ivelissephotography, Exile on Ontario St, Faye✩ Mous