Author: mamaway
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10 Steps to a Safe Sleeping For Babies
As a first-time mum, motherhood can be a labyrinth of well-meaning advice and anecdote. There is so much information out there and much of it is simply picking and choosing what resonates and what is personal preference. However, when it comes to safe sleeping, we need to be well-informed. The lines here are not blurry…
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Bonding – the way to her heart and yours
As a mum to both biological children (of the womb) and foster children (of the heart), the issue of ‘bonding’ with each baby/child has been a topic I’ve held close. There was never a question as to whether I loved each baby. Of course, I did. They were each longed for and anticipated and they…
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For the class of 2017 – a quick lesson on labor drugs
To the class of 2017, You’ve heard it all before… there are no university medals, just a cute bundle to behold. So, let’s be smart and understand all there is to know, so we can make informed, educated decisions about our bodies and our babies. This is not a shame game, mums. We need to…
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Confessions of a Doula: What Your Birth Taught Me
The word ‘doula’ originates from Greek and signifies ‘mothering the mother’, making it a fitting job description. As a doula, I am not medically trained like a midwife, nor do I possess the expertise to deliver a baby. However, I offer invaluable support throughout the journey of a pregnant woman. My role involves providing various…
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Labour hormones… happy, hippy and horrid
Labour is called labor for a reason, it’s tough to work and there’s no getting around it. However, if someone claimed that you could have comfortable and swift labor… you’d want to hear about it, right?The first place to start is to understand some of the crazy, wicked, Yoda-smart hormones that your clever little system…
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5 Newborn Cues – the Baby Translator
Did you ever see that Simpson’s episode where Homer’s brother invents a baby translator? It goes on to make sense of Maggie’s baby talk. ‘Lavish attention on me and entertain me’ she’s translated to say. It would be nice if one of these was on the market. I know our family would have done whatever…
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Pregnancy Rules: What NOT to say to a pregnant woman
Don’t assume a woman is pregnant… EVER! I learned this down the aisle of Woolworths. I’d had three children of my own, so there was no excuse for my brain explosion. There was a young woman, searching for the best breastfeeding pads. She saw me, with a small child, and asked ‘Excuse me, which are the…
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Breastfeeding – What I wish I could have told myself
Perhaps no one could have prepared me for breastfeeding, even if I had have been a little more tuned in. I mean, If there was a degree obtained through childbirth education, I had graduated with Honours. At the time, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Labor signs, contraction management strategies, physiology of birth, the…
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7 Things you didn’t know about breastmilk
Breastmilk is unquestionably the perfect food for young humans as it is specifically designed for them! I really had very little clue as to the value of my breastmilk, when I first started breastfeeding. I had heavily rested on the fact that someone else had done the research. I figured women had been doing this…
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WHICH VAGINAL-BIRTHING-NUT-CASE SAID A C-SECTION WASN’T GIVING BIRTH?
For the most part, the final stretch of pregnancy is spent asking the final down and dirty questions about labour and beyond. Chats that include formerly un-speakable subjects: maxi-pads, stool softeners and Sits Baths, become common-place. However, many women are clothed with very little information when it comes to a Caesarean section, especially if they…