News — giving birth

My midwife and antenatal class had recommended a TENS for non-medical pain relief (avoiding medical interventions was my strong preference, given how light headed morphine can make me and how keen I was to labour in the birthing pool, which would not be possible with an epidural).  I looked into a couple of hire services online and am so glad that I chose Natal Care - the machine arrived promptly, was very easy to set up and test, and it was a great relief that it came with a return envelope so I knew sending it back would be a...

We asked one of our lovely new mums, Kimberley some questions about her labour. Here's some of her advice for a positive, prepared labour. What techniques, tools and people helped you during labour? A:  I had a bag of tricks at the ready after reading JuJu Sundin's book called 'Birth Skills'. I didn't end up needing many of them since my labour was so quick, but what I found helpful was my husband distracting me by counting, a heat pack on my shoulders, walking/stomping around the house, squeezing a stress ball, and listening to this calming music over and over again....

We love hearing your birth stories. Jahnea shares her story of Dustin arriving in the world… My water broke at 5:30pm. I had only just sat down after a tiring day wedding dress shopping with my friend. I was two days past my due date and finally had done all the things I needed to. I felt a funny twinge and thought that I needed to pee. So I took myself to the toilet and water rushed out as soon as I reached the bathroom. I did for a moment think I had wet myself. Every time I moved my...

Labour is no easy feat (natural or not). I can’t tell you how many people I talked to, how much I read, and how much I mentally and physically tried to prepare myself for my labour. When you do your research on something, your experience tends to be much more positive, and you tend to be much more mentally ready for it, because you have an idea of what to expect. If you’re aiming for a natural labour without medical interventions then check out our tips and tricks for helping you manage one of life’s most miraculous challenges. Stay at home...