2009 - Doula babies! It was a fantastic year to start my doula journey and I was thrilled to get my recognition as a birth doula in December. I was so privileged to be at the births of Thomas, Jane, Dylan, Morven and Violet - all amazing natural deliveries. I also supported families post-natally and loved looking after Poppy, Hatty and Matilda. I hope 2010 will be as exciting and look forward to telling you about the many babies and families I support this time next year!

I have promised so many classes over the years that I would let you know about my favourite Aromatherapy book. I have relied on "The Fragrant Pharmacy" by Valerie Worwood which has an excellent chapter on Babies and Children. We had a workshop with an Aromatherapist when training with Peter Walker who was at pains to explain that it is important not to overload a baby's senses with lots of fragrances, especially chemical ones, and interfere with the Mother/baby smells. A lovely tip I learnt recently is to sleep on your baby's blanket during pregnancy, take it with you to hospital so that your baby can be wrapped up in your smell after birth - especially lovely if you have to be separated for any reason.

I've wanted to write about Postnatal Depression for a long time as it is such a hidden illness - so many women come out of the woodwork and admit that they have suffered AFTER going through it, but many will rarely put their hands up and admit they are not coping at the time - somehow it isn't right, isn't acceptable, is admitting defeat - aren't we meant to totally adore being a Mum? I have struggled with depression in my life so know how utterly terrifying and isolating it can be and feel it is very important to talk about it - to not let it be a taboo subject. I did a huge amount of reading around the subject when I was training as a massage therapist - indeed baby massage has often been prescribed for Mums with PND to help with bonding and socialising. Certainly the raised levels of oxytocin when giving and receiving massage are beneficial. There are other key factors that help too:

• Breastfeeding - for increasing oxytocin levels (the feel good hormones in the body) and for one-to-one bonding
• Sleep - we all know that lack of sleep can affect our mental health and the recommendation to sleep when the baby does is a very good one, though not always easy. If you can achieve an uninterrupted four hour stint at night, with a one hour sleep during the day then you are doing well.
• Support - get all the help you can - from your partner, family, postnatal doula, nanny, cleaner, friends etc. Whoever offers!
• Nutrition - making sure we eat well is important, but emphasis on Omega oils has been proven to improve mental health.
• Exercise and fresh air - physical activity is proven to boost endorphin levels, and fresh air is good for Vitamin D levels in the body too (another key vitamin for mental health). Exercise can also be a good social activity, which is great if you are prone to isolate yourself. There are so many Mummy-friendly exercise options out there, or you could just meet up with a friend for a walk and a chat!
• Talking - birth and having a new baby can bring all sorts of emotions to the surface so it is good to talk these through. If anyone ever wants to talk through their birth or postnatal experiences I am more than happy to volunteer a listening ear but am not a qualified counsellor (yet! Working on that one!)
• Finally, there is plenty of help out there in terms of medication and/or therapy - sometimes we need to pursue these options and it is by no means admitting failure.

An excellent website for more information is http://uppitysciencechick.com/ and also the Association for Post-natal Illness, based in Fulham, which has free telephone help lines, http://apni.org/

I look forward to seeing many of you soon Have a great Valentine's Day!
Love
Sophie
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