Finding a photographer that fits within your budget is not the only thing you need to take into consideration when choosing the right photographer for you…sure, it’s a big box you may need to tick, but if you’re spending ANY money on hiring a professional photographer I am going to guess that you want images that you will actually enjoy right?
Read MoreI thought to myself, if I find out the gender now and it happens to be a girl, I WILL feel disappointed. On some level. For some reason.
But it wasn’t the disappointment I was worried about. It was the guilt of feeling disappointed that I knew was sure to follow that really deterred me from finding out.
Read MoreBirthing women are in such a vulnerable state that the words they hear and the language used around them can trigger an emotional response such as fear or hope.
And as I’ve discussed in previous blogs (read about it here), these emotional responses can trigger the release of flight or fight hormones which have a direct impact on the progress of labour.
Read MoreTonight I googled “childbirth”… 3 listings down the page I found this little gem of an article, so aptly and elegantly titled “Childbirth is horrific. Why did no one warn me?”
Read MoreI thought I'd do something a little different for this week's blog. I've never shared any of my sessions in the one place at the one time before; what you see on my socials is just a snippet of what I shoot during a session.
Read MoreIt’s been a huge few weeks for the Australian photography community and an equally as big one in the Birth Photography community.
Every year, the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP) holds National Awards at which the best of the best of Australia’s (and some other nations too!) photographers put their hearts on the line and put their beloved art forward to be judged.
Read More‘I can remember watching in horror as women's wrists were strapped to the side of the metal delivery frame, so that "the patient would not contaminate the sterile field", prior to an operative vaginal delivery, which we were summoned to observe. Forceps rotations and other manipulations were the hallmark of the skilful obstetrician, the highest compliment for whom was "he is great with his hands".
Read More“Just to really drive this home for you; VBACs and the risk of uterine rupture are almost a complete non-issue when compared to the statistics for maternal outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women who die at THREE TIMES the rate for other Australian women.”
Read MoreIt’s one of the first things that comes to mind for most people when they think or speak about child birth – the pain. So it goes without saying that many people go into their births expecting that they will need or that they are going to opt for pain relief, regardless of how their actual birth transpires.
Read More“The evidence proves that when pushing is delayed until the mother's urge to push, there are fewer fetal heart rate decelerations and less of a negative effect fetal oxygenation. Add in the lowered risk of needing interventions and it's really a no-brainer. “
Read MoreA nuchal cord (/ˈnʲu.kəl/ occurs when the umbilical cord becomes wrapped around the fetal neck 360 degrees. Nuchal cords are common, with prevalence rates of 6% to 37%. Up to half of nuchal cords resolve before delivery.
Read More“If you can find a way to lean into the sensation or pain, it ends up flowing through and out a lot easier. If you tense up then you end up working against the pain. It’s a tricky one to get your head around, because we are programmed to think pain equals something is wrong or broken so the natural response is to be scared or alarmed. I learnt the best thing for my baby was to be feeling good vibes, I did everything I could to make that my mantra! “
Read MoreThe conclusion of the study I referred to above really sums up this discussion nicely:
To be able to say that the birth has been missed, you must be able to define when the birth commenced….and in my mind, the birth of our babies commences at the time of conception. It is such a long and beautiful journey and our babies are working and growing towards being birthed from the moment they have been created.
Read MoreMYTH: Babies that are born purple in colour are having trouble breathing.
Read MoreWhilst I say I chose this path due to a lack of education, what else is a lack of education on your options if not a fear of the unknown?
So did I choose not to birth at home out of fear. Yes. Ultimately I did.
Read MoreHolding space is so important because pity is so damaging. In what situation can you think of that pity would actually do someone well? Pity only digs that person’s hole deeper and makes their load heavier. Not only now are they feeling terrible about their situation, but they have also been made aware that everyone else is feeling terrible for them.
Read More“Unlike a husband, mother or friend, doulas are professionals who devote their lives to supporting women during this vitally important time in their life and they have lots of knowledge about different birth options. Doulas bring with them the experience of seeing a wide array of different birth outcomes so they are flexible, rather than rigid, in their expectations. They do not bring into the birth room any fear of birth, or their own personal history with the birthing woman which may impact on her birth.”
Read MoreWe have lost the sense of our ability to give birth without medical intervention and in scenarios other than the ‘norm’ (hospital birth). We are uneducated when it comes to active birthing positions and the power of the mind during birth.
When birth is removed from day to day conversation it creates a feeling that it is bad, painful and something to be feared.
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