Posted on Apr 28, 2017
We all dream of the day we have our baby. We wait for maternity leave to start- catching up on Netflix, meeting up with friends during their lunch breaks and trying the bottle whatever sleep we can before the whirlwind of a baby enters our world.
Then one day- the silence is interrupted, our heart is opened wide open and our days are busy. But it’s a new kind of busy. Your day may disappear in a cloud of nappies, feeding, expressing, washing and the countless hours spent settling. But when your partner walks in the door at 6pm and asked ‘but what did you DO all day?’ the answer is simple– EVERYTHING.
All parents will tell you the first 6mths passes so quickly, but the days can pass so slowly.
The first six weeks is a blur and then suddenly you are out of it. Your baby probably has more time awake, and hopefully more predictable sleep times. Your body is recovered, your mind is active and you may need some ideas on what to do with your baby.
Babies of all ages get bored, all parents need stimulation, and vice versa. Meeting new parents in the same stage as you is invaluable in the first year of parenting. Here are some ideas to think about:
At Eastside Midwives we host the fabulous yogi Laura Dixon to take two yoga classes a week at our rooms. Laura runs a Mums & Bubs class on a Wednesday morning at 9.30am and a Slow & Stretch Yoga (suitable for pregnancy) on Thursday at 7.30pm. Class are affordable and do amazing things for your core and pelvic floor. Its also an amazing opportunity to meet other mums, the yoga mums grab a coffee after the class and chat about their weeks.
To book just contact us via the website or contact Laura on 0412 747 205
Posted on Apr 27, 2017
I was already a midwife for 10yrs when I fell pregnant with my child. And although I knew the mechanics of birth, and felt confident in my body’s innate ability to give birth. I still felt fear creeping into my thoughts. When I was snuggled in bed, waiting to dream, I would remember the little person squirming in my belly needed to enter this world. When I was driving along in my car and my mind wandered to the day of my birth, I imagined pain. Little did I know that in these states of daydreaming I was actually already entering a self hypnosis.
So I enrolled myself and my partners into a course very similar to Hypnobirthing Australia’s. I initially thought it was just for my partner- who is not a midwife- to become educated and aware of the passage of birth. But what I found in that weekend, was the physiology I knew, the experience I had and the knowledge I had accumulated could only take me so far.
Many wise women have said in the past- your head has no place in birth. Never did I learn this as much as during this course.
I learnt that our minds are our biggest obstacle to a positive birth. All those times I had heard women asking for help, it was always ‘I cant do this for anouther 10hrs’ or ‘if it gets worse than this I wont cope’. But these are all fears for the future, women are coping in the now.
Learning self meditation or self hypnosis techniques allowed me to let go of the fear, it allowed me to stay present and accept what was happening in the now. The hypnosis wasn’t like on TV, no one clucked like a chicken. It was a deep meditation- where I was aware of the room, where I could react to danger (real or perceived) and where I felt safe.
I admit I had to work to accept hypnosis. All hypnosis is self hypnosis, so if you don’t believe it will work, it won’t work. I felt like accepting hypnosis was like being tricked, that if I could resist the deepening state then I was strong. But the opposite is true, accepting the gift of allowing yourself to sink deeply into a state of relaxation is amazing.
My birth was long, it was calm, it was beautiful. Was it easy? No, labour is hard work, labour takes you to a place of such intensity you struggle to put it into words. But labour doesn’t need to be painful and it doesn’t need to be scary.
Contact us for more information on Hypnobirthing Australia Workshops.
amy@eastsidemidwives.com.au or Helen on 0425 770 316
Posted on Oct 19, 2016
Where to birth in Melbourne ?
Trying to fall pregnant can be really fun, besides the obvious, the anticipation of what is to come. Dreaming if your new baby will have your nose, or your partners obscenely long eyelashes. Picturing your nursery and the teeny tiny little clothes your baby will wear.
Unfortunately what we often forget to look at, until those two little lines pop up on the test, is where should I birth my baby ? The answer to this is far from simple.
There is no place of birth to suit all families. For some families a private hospital with a private obstetrician is the best option. For some families it’s the facilities of a large public tertiary hospital. And for some the familiarity of home is the best place to birth. Similarly no one care giver suits everyone. Midwife or doctor? GP with extra training in obstetrics or specialised obstetrician? Independent midwife or midwifery clinic? There are so many choices and just as many opinions.
Would you buy the same car as your best friend just because they like it? No? then you shouldn’t choose a primary carer just because your friend liked them. Different women want different things from their primary carer. Just because a hospital is closest to you, doesn’t mean they are the best fit for you. Also- just because you have paid for private health insurance for years, doesn’t mean you should go private just to claim some money back.
At Eastside Midwives we can offer you independent advice on where to birth your baby. Amy & Helen go through all your hopes and fears to help you choose a place of birth that fits in with your birthing philosophy. We have both worked in a variety of settings, so understand the pros and cons of each option.
So if you are confused by your options, make a time with us early in your pregnancy and we can help you make a decision.
Posted on Oct 12, 2016
When we made the transition from Eastside Midwives to Eastside Midwives & Counselling it seemed, to us, like a straight forward swap. We had been providing homebirth services, and transitioned to offering the same midwifery support, just excluding the birth.
What seemed to make perfect sense to us, didn’t make perfect sense to other people. The overwhelming question we get asked is ‘soooooo what is it you actually do?’ We have lovely rooms, but unless people know what amazing things we provide, it doesn’t matter how lovely our rooms are. So, I am hoping to help clear up the confusion, explain what services we offer and explain exactly the kinds of families/women who would benefit, we believe benefit greatly, from our care.
Pregnancy Advice and Support:
Ultimately all of the women who seek care from us at Eastside Midwives will have a primary care giver for their pregnancy. That is the person who takes your blood pressure, organises your blood tests and books you into hospital. Sometimes that is a doctor, sometimes that is a midwife, sometimes that is a combination of your GP and hospital midwives. We provide ADDITIONAL care to that. You come in to see us at our clinic, outside your normal pregnancy care, to get extra help.
That can include:
-women unsure where to birth their baby
-women who are severely unwell and want to discuss natural methods of helping with the nausea
-women confused about the tests she is being offered
-women who want to discuss pain relief options
-women who are scared of giving birth
-women who are planning a VBAC and need some education
-women wanting help writing a birth plan
-women wanting extra knowledge about breast feeding
-any woman who has unanswered questions about pregnancy and birth
Infant Feeding Advice and Support:
One of the biggest challenge’s after your birth your baby is breastfeeding. Can I breastfeed? Should I breastfeed? And how do I breastfeed? It is a natural thing to do, but that doesn’t mean sometimes it isn’t bloody hard work. Amy and Helen from Eastside Midwives know how difficult breastfeeding can be and are here to offer all the support your need to continue. We offer breastfeeding advice during pregnancy, lactation consults, lactation day stays and baby weighs for women concerned about their infants intake. Of course we also support and help women who choose to bottle feed and can provide education.
So some of the reasons people come:
-women wanting to learn about breastfeeding during pregnancy
-women confused with all the information about breastfeeding
-women with new infants who are topping up and want to get their baby full time breastfeeding
-women expressing and needing to keep up their supply
-women with twins or triplets (or more!) wanting help on feeding routines
-women with nipple damage
-women who experience pain on breastfeeding
-babys with a poor latch
-women with vasospasm
- women worried about their babys weight gain
-swapping to bottle feeding from breastfeeding
Sleep and Settling:
The lack of sleep with a baby is one of, or the, hardest parts of having a baby. The phrase ‘sleep like a baby’ really means to wake up every 20mins for seemingly no reason. There is so much conflicting advice and so many unrealistic expectation regarding sleep and babys. At Eastside Midwives we are able to help you set realistic goals for infant sleep, help with strategies to increase the blocks of sleep you get and help everyone in your home be more relaxed. Please be aware we do not recommend nor support ‘cry it out’ techniques for settling.
Counselling:
There are so many things around pregnancy, birth and newborns that can cause depression and anxiety. Both Helen and Amy have had their own families and completely understand how difficult, confusing and tiring it can be. The first year after having a baby is really difficult on a relationship and many partnerships break down over the time.
Eastside Midwives Counselling can help with:
-previous birth trauma
-fear of birth/pain
-relationship tension
-difficulty adjusting with the transition to parenting
-post natal depression or anxiety
-or just a discussion about things you find difficult
Extra Stuff:
We provide a lot of ways to connect with other mothers and stay fit and healthy. We are always starting new things, having informative talks and coffee mornings. Follow us on Facebook to see what we are offering.
-Pregnancy Yoga
-Mums& Bubs Yoga
-Birth Story mornings
-Infant Massage
There is so much we do offer, but we don’t offer birth support anymore. We are a hub of activity, a place to come, get support and meet other mothers. Check us out, watch us grow, come and visit.
Amy & Helen
Posted on Sep 28, 2016
We are really looking forward to providing some Lactation care for women in our clinic.
So far we have been focusing on so many areas of care for women and families antenatally. Antenatal support and education, Yoga (Thursdays 7.30 pm and Wesnesdays 9.30 am) and VBAC classes (TBA).
So, next up, we have Lactation support. With a referral from your GP, you can receive rebates for any postnatal visits you have with us. You could see us privately, or you could come to any Lactation Day Stay days that we will be arranging. We plan to start Day Stays really soon.
We are finding more and more that women are silently struggling with their breastfeeding issues as Health Professionals from the hospitals and MCHN are under the pump (hours wise), therefore women are giving up breastfeeding as they feel that they are "going it alone". well that's where we step in. You can pop into our clinic. Or to make sure that we are available, give us a call first. If you are within 6-7 weeks since having your baby, you can get a refferal from your GP and get a handsome rebate for our services.
Amy and i are both Lactation Consultants and have years and years of experience between us.
As well as helping out with breast feeding we can help with Sleep and Settling techniques. Sometimes families just feel so sleep deprived in those early weeks and months that they have forgotten any tips of the trade that they were taught when their baby was first born. OR you may have slipped through the cracks of the hospital system. When you come to see us we listen to how things have been going for you, what has been your babys sleep/feed patterns thus far, and make suggestions to you according to your own parenting styles. This is unique to each and every family.
We can make referrals to pediatricians here onsite if we feel that is necessary and we can work together with these pediatricians to have the best outcomes possible for you and your family.
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