Hazel Acland Tree's Blog, page 6

Eight ways to increase pain in labour

Labour is hard work there is no two ways about it. Even the name of it ‘labour’ tells us that, it is hard physical work. When the work to be done requires so much mental concentration that brainwaves slow down from active Beta to distracted Alpha to turn the focus inwards then labour has truly… More Eight ways to increase pain in labour

Preparing your baby for their birth

In the third trimester the end of your pregnancy comes into focus. You will not be pregnant forever! Preparations for birth take on a different meaning as the day comes closer when you will finally get to meet the small person who has been growing inside you all these months. The natural bond between mother… More Preparing your baby for their birth

Pregnancy retreats for women

Taking time out during pregnancy can help you to relax and connect with your baby. But in a busy life sometimes it’s hard to find the time to slow down, to nourish yourself and feel connected to the growing life within you. A one day retreat is the answer to slip out of busy doing… More Pregnancy retreats for women

Lego Education

On my kitchen wall there was a big clock. I used it daily when getting ready to do the school run, or timing cooking, or getting ready for an appointment. It had been there for such a long time that nobody remembers where it came from. Then one day it stopped. I was surprised, not… More Lego Education

An introduction to the archetypal journey of Labour & Birth

The process of labour and birth is an archetypal journey in the sense that it is an original pattern that every natural birth follows (Natural here meaning a labour that is uninterrupted and without interventions).  Those natural labours follow a pattern of labour that is recognized the world over by midwives, doulas and women who… More An introduction to the archetypal journey of Labour & Birth

So what is the evidence for doulas?

In 2012, Hodnett et al. published an updated Cochrane review on the use of continuous support for women during childbirth. They pooled the results of 22 trials that included more than 15,000 women. These women were randomized to either receive continuous, one-on-one support during labour or “usual care.” The quality of the studies was good.… More So what is the evidence for doulas?

Doula support more effective in improving obstetric outcomes

The Cochrane Review of Continuous support for women during childbirth included 21 randomized controlled trials with 15,060 women with doulas and hospital staff (including 4 newly added trials that compared trained support people from the woman’s own social network (partner, family friends)). This review confirms previous findings that improved obstetric outcomes are associated with continuous… More Doula support more effective in improving obstetric outcomes

How would you like to arrive, little one?

The world is here waiting for you, how would you like to arrive, little one? There is air here, waiting for you to breathe into those lungs of yours, to feed your soul. There are colours here, indescribable until you have seen them with your own eyes, little one. Then we can name them: red […]

Changing the world, one birth at a time

One of the things I love most about being a doula is being the bridge between worlds, the bridger. Standing on the cusp of that place between spirit and form, between potential and realisation, the place of pause and action, between water and air, that place where babies float upside down and time is marked […]

It’s OK (in case you were wondering) home is a safe place to give birth

phew…busy times. Yesterday I began a daily newspaper for childbirth professional called: The Doula Daily and then today, on our second day of running in comes the huge news as NICE announces new guidelines that recommend 45% of women are going to be advised to give birth outside of hospital (no, sigh, not in the […]