Yesterday was my final volunteering shift of the year on the postnatal ward at my local hospital. Each time I go in I spend a few hours visiting with new mums and their babies and it gives me the most amazing opportunity to support women feeding their newborns. Every time I come away having learnt something new, having met more extraordinary women overcome challenges and find confidence in their new role as a Mum. I meet such a huge variety of women – from the really young to the more mature; the first-timer to the Grand Multip with five or more children; the under-privileged to the extremely affluent. And, at the point when I meet them they are totally united by this experience of having given birth. Almost without exception they are instantly catapulted into that maternal need to know that their baby is feeding, is getting what he/she needs and is thriving. The vast majority of women I meet have a desire to breastfeed – they know that their milk is what the baby is expecting to receive, know the benefits for both the baby and themselves, and have possibly even done some classes about feeding. So, why are there problems? And how are we letting women down in this country?
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How to support someone having a miscarriage
I was really fortunate, earlier in the year, to do a study weekend with an extraordinary woman and psychologist, Anna Verwaal. Her work is primarily around prenatal and perinatal psychology – a lot of what she had to say was extremely challenging as she believes that babies are affected and informed by the pregnancy they experience and the birth they go through. Not so great to hear for anyone whose experiences during those times are less than positive. However, the message I took away was that women (and families) need emotional and practical support not just in preparation for birth, but also in preparation for pregnancy. What a lovely idea to have fertility doulas, particularly for those who are treading that difficult path of fertility treatment, exploratory tests and miscarriage.
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