The Birth Gem Doula

About
Doula Services
Massage and Reiki
The postnatal pantry
Blog
Birth Art Mandala and Belly Painting
Placenta Remedies
Contact

Contact

Phone

07545 061 535

Email

contact@thebirthgem.co.uk

About
Doula Services
Massage and Reiki
The postnatal pantry
Blog
Birth Art Mandala and Belly Painting
Placenta Remedies
Contact

These ladies knew how to sob didn’t they! I want

These ladies knew how to sob didn’t they! I want to talk about crying.
“Don’t cry!” I’m sure we’ve all had this yelled at us by an impatient parent, worried friend or love at some point. Of course no one wants to see a person they care about visibly sad or in pain and tears are one of the one of the most visible bi products of negative emotion. It’s understandable that we want to stop them in those we love, but did you know a cry is good for us when we need it? I’m sure you’ve felt the benefits after allowing a big cry to wash over you, felt sedated and maybe even clarity. I remember going into labour after a big emotional cry waiting for my first born. It was definitely the release I needed!
I love a good cleansing cry though for years I would hold back necessary tears and emotion as much as I could. I cry easily and my children love to watch out for my tears with amusement during any movie scene they suspect might set me off! Damn you Pixar, they always get me 😆There’s a reason a big cry feels cleansing, quite simply it is.
Emotional tears contain stress hormones, they also trigger a release of oxytocin and endorphins. So quite literally a cleanse an release that soothes physical and emotional pain. Crying is also self soothing, it activated the parasympathetic nervous system. Even the way you breath during an emotional crying session has a benefit, regulating and cooling the brain. So if you need a good cry don’t suppress it, listen to your body, be like these Disney princesses and just let it all out.
I’ve held space and held mothers as they cried their necessary tears and seen the physical and emotional benefit. Today I welcomed my tears as I prepared the birthday cake for my youngest sons 13th birthday. Cashmere tears baby, i’m in my feels ❤️ #cryingishealthy #feel #motherhoodunplugged #thisismotherhood #emotionalhealth #cleanse #emotionalrelease #holdspace

❤️A snapshot of a sacred postnatal session I o

❤️A snapshot of a sacred postnatal session I offered during the week.
A big delivery of food, a warm oil massage, flower bath and arguably most important, an open heart and ears to truly listen to her, no interruption, no unsolicited advice, just truly hearing her for as long as she needs. This and so much more is what a newborn mother deserves during this tender yet intense time.
A time where her stamina and balance are tested like never before as her body and world transforms again, her heart expands with more feeling than ever before, she is so open and beautiful though she may not necessarily feel it! The soft strength of the new mother always takes my breath away. What an honour it is to serve a woman in her postnatal season, this magical messy limbo.
❤️Pregnancy and birth tend to get a lot of the magazine covers but this tender and beautiful piece of the birth story, the 4th trimester deserves more than a brief chapter at the end of a birth book or a moment as the music fades out in a movie or tv show. This is not a time for ‘bouncing back’ a phrase I hate as much as ‘ a healthy baby is all that matters’. She can’t go back, only through and preferably held, nourished, nurtured and heard. I have seen and experienced what is lacking around us, preventing mothers from truly becoming. After the buzz of visitors dies down and the pressures and expectations remain who nurtures her? Who hears her?
Have you planned for your postnatal season? For how you might feel and for who and what you may need.
Visit my positive postnatal plan here:
https://thebirthgem.co.uk/positive-postnatal-plan/
#thefirst40days #the4thtrimester #postnatalrecovery #postnatalsupport #postnataldoula #nourish #becomingamother

💖Coping with anxiety in Pregnancy and motherhoo

💖Coping with anxiety in Pregnancy and motherhood during the pandemic continued.
Like I said yesterday I definitely do not subscribe to toxic positivity, you do not have to stay positive, remind yourself that there are worse off folk out there, be grateful for what you DO have or deny any part of your authentic humanness. Negative Feelings and emotions are just as valid as the positive ones and suppression is not helpful at all. Give yourself space for self- compassion. Here are some more tips for just that, self kindness.
5. Distraction ~ If you find that your negative thoughts are spiralling out of control start a simple activity. Anxiety can make it hard to focus so keep it simple and self nurturing. A simple craft, colouring in, baking, a simple pleasure like watching your favourite film or show, indulge in some dance
6. Focus on your whole wellbeing~ Take active steps to staying well, this helps you to feel more in control and less anxious. Stay active with joyful movement and exercise. Eat well and Drink plenty of water. Establish good sleep habits as much as you can. Protect your energy, this is as important as any other part of your health, avoid people that raise your anxiety, consider muting unhelpful social media contacts. Simply do nothing for 2 minutes, focus on a breathing exercise. Make notes of the activities and tools that sooth and nurture you and practice little and often.
7. Connect ~ connect on a deeper level with your pregnancy, build a simple or not so simple altar, lay beautiful things on it from walks in nature, images that inspire you or just make you happy, place cards that you pull, crystals and more. Meditate here, practice yoga here, just connect here.
Buy and use the mothers wisdom deck. Connect with other mothers however you can, connect with those that make you feel good and learn to say no to things and people that don’t. Connect with your inner wisdom. Use an app like calm and Spotify for good meditations connections and more.
Not every stressor is in your control but some can be.
#pregnancyanxiety #mindfulness #mindfulmotherhood #connectionmatters #birthdoula #sacredpregnancy #motherhoodrising #anxietysupport #kindness

❤️ Anxiety in pregnancy during the pandemic L

❤️ Anxiety in pregnancy during the pandemic
Let’s face it, parenting is tough right now. Mothers to be and new mothers have been dealt a pretty rough deal during all of this with the ongoing restrictions, measures and now the home birth service suspended. Plans and wishes have been changed and adjusted and it’s just not fair really, you deserve better. To say that the pandemic has drastically changed the pregnancy experience would be an understatement.
Of course these measures are in place for your safety but this doesn’t mean that they are not without sacrifice, the ongoing restrictions in birth are taking a tole on the spiritual and emotional health of many.
I am not here to deny you emotion or to tell you not to feel anxious. Your feelings are real, legitimate and important. Anxiety is a normal response to a perceived threatening situation. It’s completely understandable to feel it right now but here are some tips for easing it. You deserve so much more right now and to feel a little more in control 💖
1. Avoid constant news updates, assign your birth partner the job of giving you essential updates.
2. Reach out and ask for support. Your care team are there for you, request as much zoom contact or phone contact as you need with your midwives, doula, friends and family, face book and online support groups. Even though physical connection is limited right now you still have support should you need it. You are not alone.
3. Be kind to yourself! Know that your emotions are normal, do not be hard on yourself for your humanness. These feelings are just that, they are not you. They are not your fault. They are feelings
4. Practice bring present. If you catch yourself running away with ‘what ifs’ take a deep breath, have a little shake a focus on the present, something you can control. Maybe a pregnancy colouring in sheet, really notice what your doing? The pattern, the sound of the pencil on the paper and do not judge if you become distracted.
*CONTINUED IN NXT POST*
#mindfullness #pregnancyanxiety #doula #birthdoula #motherhood #pregnancyjourney #selfkindness #mothersmatter #butnotmaternity

#selfemployedclub January challenge. 8. A goal I

#selfemployedclub January challenge.
8. A goal I have ~ Its very hard to set goals and make plans right now, being self employed right now is hard with the future still on hold and daily life subject to change. I would say my only goal right now is to simply continue supporting mothers in meeting their babies in the most loving way possible and hopefully with them feeling as safe and empowered as possible. My goal is to continue as I am with an open heart and loving arms.
9. How I celebrate my wins ~ So what is a win to me? It’s hard to pinpoint but I’d say when a mother takes all she needs and all I have to offer with no self doubt and knowing that she deserves it! The first time I dreamed up my packages I wasn’t sure anyone would want or feel they needed what I had to offer but shortly after I put my offerings out there I was contacted by a mother who wanted all I had to give. This was so validating and I still serve her from time to time to this day. This was massive for me and I celebrated as I always do, a new course! I love adding new skills, new books and tools to feed my birth geek passion!
10. Favourite work space ~ At your side of course! Wherever you are birthing or mothering is my favourite space to be
#birthkeeper #birthdoula #sacredbirth #postnataldoula #doulauk #motherhoodunplugged #selfemployed #motherhood #mumpreneur #motherlove

❤️ This beautiful placenta! ❤️Would you lo

❤️ This beautiful placenta! ❤️Would you look at this remarkable and unique work of art, possibly the most important organ of all. The root of your origin, protector and control panel of your womb ship, tree of life. A transient organ that serves the role of several during its temporary physical existence.
Providing oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide, providing nutrients, removing waste, the placenta also procures a lot of important hormones and through all of this important work still manages to keep the blood of the mother and baby separate!
Energetically the placenta is also a remarkable organ and so much more than medical waste it is just like all things birth, a true miracle. When working with any placenta an amazing and powerful energy can always be felt. I have read a lot of beliefs around the significance of the placenta but one I would love to share is an Aboriginal belief. The placenta is a hologram of the soul and contains a life map. When you plant the placenta in Mother Earth she understands that your baby has arrived and can take care of them. Their journey/ life map is now anchored. I find this belief so deeply touching and hold it in my heart as I plant any placental remains (with mothers permission always) under my dedicated mother rose bush.
#placentaremediesnetwork #placenta #placentamagic #theforgottenchakra #placentalove #thefirstfortydays #placentaencapsulation #souljourney #lifemap

1st post of the year! This month I’ll be joining

1st post of the year! This month I’ll be joining the @selfemployedclub #selfemployedclub January challenge. What a perfect time to be introducing/ reintroducing myself. So I’m catching up
💖Picture 1, this is me. Mother, Doula, massage therapist and all round mother lover Doing a little of what I love, honouring and celebrating a mother to be, a fellow doula, making flower crowns and connecting with my doula sisters back in 2019 BC (before Covid). What a precious memory, I’m looking forward to hugging them all again!
💖 picture 2 ~ Why I started. I credit my precious nieces and nephews in helping me answer the call to this work. Before I started on the doula path almost 8 years ago now I had supported 4 births, a rare and lucky gift that was pulling my heart towards something I wasn’t yet aware of a little more each time! I will always credit these little faces and the honour of mothering my sisters as they became mother to why I started and will never look back.
💖 picture 3 ~ What inspires me. It’s hard to put into words how much women inspire me because nothing quite does it justice. I’m forever inspired by the magic, strength and power of women. The messy, honest rawness, the soft yet strong, the fragile, joyful and brave. How can I not be inspired to be in service to the absolute goddesses of this world. Every day I’m inspired to serve and by all that is woman, birth and motherhood. #birthinspiration #sacredpregnancy #doula #doulauk #workingmotherhood #sacredbirth #motherhoodrising #selfemployedwomen

💖I’ve been thinking about hearth craft. The e

💖I’ve been thinking about hearth craft. The every day magic, the simplicity and remembering that living your life is a spiritual act. I would sometimes wonder if maybe I’m too romantic, too much of a fantasist maybe, I’ve been described as ‘overly fluffy’ before! but this year I’ve found that the trait I used to worry about has become such a necessary strength. More and more throughout this year I’ve found comfort, magic, beauty and such joy in my everyday. Working from my heart outwards and remembering that the simple can be profound and powerful.
💖I’ve connected more with my natural surroundings, I’ve sunk deeper into the comfort of my home, my ‘spiritual hub’ creating magical and beautiful spaces with craft and ritual and simply enhancing the every day. Nurturing, nourishing and loving more. Tending to that mother craft!
💖I’ve always looked for and found magic in the everyday and the seemingly mundane. As a child I remember once even writing a romance about the plastic shapes we had in our maths drawers at school, the circle and the square that journeyed from their separate drawers and fell in love, I think they even had a baby hexagon 😆
💖Looking to our children can help us access the every day magic, noticing how open they often are to being enchanted by the simple and mundane. This isn’t to say we can’t feel saddened by the loss we have all experienced this year, I’m a big believer in feeling and honouring everything. It’s about embracing what we can, especially those things we might often overlook in our rushing and doing.
💖What simple magic might you find and embrace today? Mindfully create and enjoy a meal, a tea ritual, finding something beautiful out in nature? However simple it is I hope you find a little joy and enchantment in it, may it be remarkable in that it’s yours. #happinez #everydaymagic
#happiness #findjoy #hearthcraft #sacredspace #sacredliving #sacredmotherhood #motherhood #motherhoodrising #nurture #nourishandnurture

Contact Details

The Birth Gem - Doula, Massage and Reiki
Boxers,
Royal Oak Lane,
High Hurstwood TN22 4AL
07545061535

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