Excellent birth story from a US HB mum

http://bebeprocawood.blogspot.com/2008/04/here-it-is-neils-birth-story.html

Home Birth: The Sunday Telegraph

Excellent and factual article about home birth in Sunday Telegraph and no scare-mongering.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/09/nhomebirth109.xml

new breastfeeding helpline

A breastfeeding helpline to support new mothers has been officially launched by the Government. Public health minister Dawn Primarolo announced a £150,000 year package for the advice line to give women practical support and information. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed are less likely to be obese in later life and gain protection against conditions like asthma, eczema and chest infections. Mothers benefit too, with studies showing a protective effect against ovarian and breast cancer. The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods afterwards. A new report published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), suggests a need for more support for new mothers. It looks at the Infant Feeding Survey of 2005, which showed breast feeding rates went up from 69% in 2000 to 76% in 2005 across the UK. However, only half of women in England were still breastfeeding after six weeks. The Government cash will help support the new helpline, which will be run by two existing networks. The Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, which receive around 28,000 combined calls each year on breastfeeding, will merge and run the advice line. The Government hopes the newly-created National Breastfeeding Helpline will be able to handle a far higher number of calls than either organisation on their won. The new helpline number is 0844 20 909 20. Copyright © 2008 The Press Association.

Great waterbirth

My client X asked me to be her doula for the second time, a year after I attended the waterbirth of her second child.
We had some doubts about whether this would be a straightforward labour...but as it turned out, it was totally straightforward.
X had some cervical issues that might well have given some doctors reason to refuse to support her choice of natural labour. But the hospital we were at respected her as an intelligent informed mum and agreed to support her wishes. In the event, the cervical issues made absolutely NO difference to a steady dilation speed and a strong labour which ended with a gorgeous waterbirth of a beautiful baby girl.

Nancy's HypnoBirthing home water birth

In 2006 I had the privilege of being the HypnoBirthing educator who led Nancy and her husband Tecwin through the HypnoBirthing programme. Their progress and Nancy's remarkable labour and the birth of Sid, their second son, was tracked by the series Home Grown Babies (first shown on Living TV).
Someone (don't know who yet) has put extracts from the episode on YouTube. It is an amazing story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks1-23fcERg&feature=PlayList&p=31717DCA62BBD447&index=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HiljszP1FE&feature=PlayList&p=31717DCA62BBD447&index=1

(begins with a bit of an interview with me in it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M75c73A22vE&feature=PlayList&p=31717DCA62BBD447&index=2

This bit shows the birth.