Information for parents about doulas, positive birth and postnatal support.

A birth story of two doulas and one baby for World Doula Week 2018

This world doula week we’re really pleased to bring you the birth story of a Hampshire Doula baby. We talked to his mum and their doula and we’re sharing the story here and across our social media to celebrate the way doulas help make ‘it’ happen. That ‘it’ might be: better births, bonding, support, breastfeeding,…

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Does it matter what your breastfeeding support person calls themselves?

Breastfeeding Support People are called all kinds of things. (Not all of them kind or nice things but that’s another story.) Breastfeeding support is one of those areas where there’s little or no regulation as to who can set themselves up as a breastfeeding supporter or what they call themselves. One of the consequences…

Baby

Skin to skin. Not just for birth.

If you had a birth that didn’t go to plan or if you and baby are struggling to get breastfeeding going well or if you’re finding it difficult to feel that overwhelming bonding and falling in instant love that you’ve been lead to expect will happen as soon as baby arrives skin to skin can help.

Choices

Positive Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

At Hampshire Doulas we’re always on the lookout for good local opportunities to learn more about supporting women and families through pregnancy birth and postnatal times. So, of course, we’re very proud to be able to be involved with Positive Birth Portsmouth first ever conference. It’s going to be an interesting day learning all about…

Doula

Five practical ways to work with your contractions and why they work.

Everyone will find their own way of coping with labour on the day. But being prepared with some ideas of things you can try that might help you cope with your contractions and positively work with what your body is doing is a great way to feel prepared and confident for when you go into…

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How to choose a baby sling or carrier.

In a previous post, we talked about why you might want to use a sling to carry your baby. If you’re looking for a sling to use you might find yourself confused by all the different kinds that are available. It can’t be said enough that the best way to find the right one for…

Choices

Planning a positive birth

…surround yourself with positive people, people who know about birth and how good it can be.

Doula

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Here’s a recipe for our Nourishing the New Mother series that can be made meaty veggie or vegan whatever your preferences. It’s great comfort food and really nourishing. Perfect for your doula to make for you or to make and freeze in small batches ready for when you need it. Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Notes: apparently…

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5 Tips for Increasing your Milk Supply

Establishing and maintaining a good breastmilk suply is one of the top worries that many mums have about breastfeeding. Our society and the prevalence of formula advertising have made us think that this is a very common problem but it’s really quite unusual to not be able to make enough milk with the right supportive…

Doula

Comfort food: Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is such a simple staple we often forget how good it is as a comfort food. This is another great recipe for making in advance and freezing in portion size pieces for when you need something filling to pop in the microwave and enjoy. It’s also something your postnatal doula could easily…