Positive Birth Movement Pembrokeshire

21/04/2020

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Did you know, since the Covid-19 lockdown began in the UK, mums and midwives across the country have seen an increase in the number of babies coming back up to their birth weight by day 5! - Something that has not been seen in decades!

It is totally normal for your baby's weight to decrease post birth, however in recent years, it's been known to take up to day 10, or longer, for babies to get back up to their birth weight. This meant, extra measures were advised if your baby's day 5 weigh-in didn’t reach the expected amount.

Interestingly, what the lockdown and self-isolation has shown us is that without a constant stream of visitors, mum and baby have had a better opportunity for uninterrupted bonding which seems to have hugely helped mums and babies to establish breastfeeding and feed for longer, helping them regain their weight far quicker!

Whilst this evidence from midwives and other professionals is only anecdotal, at this stage, we hope that, once the NHS workload has returned to normal, formal research can look into this data in greater detail as this could have a huge impact on how women and their partners prepare for bringing home their baby and breastfeeding.

📸-ashjustine

21/04/2020

20/04/2020

Even Big Brothers can do skin to skin!
Sweetest picture...precious moment ❤

From one of our mamas, Renata 📸

08/04/2020

08/04/2020

🤗 Optimal Cord Clamping 🤗⁣
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Right after a baby is born and still attached to the umbilical cord, the baby continues to receive blood, nutrients, stem cells and oxygen from the placenta (that is still attached to the uterine wall). ⁣
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Not clamping and cutting the umbilical cord immediately offers a number of benefits to your baby. ⁣
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🤗 The placenta can contain up to a third of your baby’s blood volume, that blood belongs to your baby! ⁣

🤗 Research shows that delayed cord clamping results in:⁣

*Increased blood volume in your baby (between 50-160mL of blood) ⁣
*Increased red blood cells (higher hematocrit) *Increased haemoglobin⁣
*Increased Iron stores up to 50% (decreases the risk of anemia in your baby for up to 6 months)
* Baby continues to get oxygenated blood from the placenta while adjusting to life outside the womb, if they are slow to take a first breath. ⁣
*Increased brain development, myelin production ( better developmental scores, and neurological outcomes) ⁣
*Decrease in brain bleeds and intestinal issues in preterm babies⁣
*Encourages undisturbed golden hour- being attached to your baby for longer, promotes skin to skin contact, which increases oxytocin and also gives the birthing person and baby time to adjust to this new life together. ⁣
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Your care provider should be encouraged to leave baby attached to the placenta for a minimum of 2-5 min but ideally until the cord has stopped pulsating and turned white, to receive all these amazing benefits. ⁣
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Posted • ⁣
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08/04/2020

• • • • • •
For the Lockdown Babies. ~
"Sure you were only a baby" I'll tell her when she asks,
About that time in photographs when everyone wore masks.
"You don't remember the chaos when the world was forced to rest."
"You had all you needed in my arms and at my breast" ~
"You never even noticed" I'll tell her then I'll say, "I held you as the weeks went by, we took it day by day"
"We were safe and happy, right where we needed to be".
"I fed you snuggled in my arms, protecting you was key".
~
"You were only a tiny baby" I'll tell her and explain,
Why so many people were afraid, anxious and in pain.
"It wasn't always easy, those isolating newborn days,
But feeding you flooded me with love, got me through the haze". ~
"You were a lockdown baby" I'll tell her when it's time,
"I was your whole world back then, just as you were mine",
"And now, though it's just a memory, I still smile when I see,
A rainbow in a window, put there for you and me."

Grainne Evans

07/04/2020

Close contact and early, exclusive breastfeeding helps a baby to thrive.

A woman with COVID-19 should be supported to
• breastfeed safely
• hold her newborn skin-to-skin
• share a room with her baby

02/04/2020

"This is not what you had planned. This is not what you’d envisioned. There are no visits from friends, no loving doula bringing you soup, no “mommy and me” yoga classes, no coffee dates, no stroller walks through the park. There is empty space where you had planned comfort and company. There are long days with no one but your little one to talk to and this big transition to navigate all alone.

I know it’s lonely, mama. I know the walls of your house feel tight and the days feel so long, and you crave a warm hand on your knee and the soft embrace of a friend. You wish for someone by your side to marvel at this beautiful baby of yours and to wrap an arm around you when the feelings get too big and scary.

We were never meant to do this alone. Motherhood has never been a solitary sport. And yet here we are, in this odd chapter of isolation and distance, with no choice but to do it by ourselves.

But mama, know this- We are alone. Together. You are surrounded all the other mothers who are navigating this tender time in isolation. You are held by all of us who have walked the path before you and who know how much you must be hurting. You are wrapped in the warm embrace of mama earth, as she too settles into this time of slowness and healing.

This too shall pass. And when it does, hugs and coffee dates and visits from friends will taste so much sweeter. Soft kisses on your cheek and arms around your waist and gentle laughter in your ear will be the joyful medicine after this trying time.

Until then, hunker down mama. Find the coziest, warmest spot on your couch, sink into the pile of unfolded laundry, and sleep the Spring away, with that sweet babe warm on your chest."

You are not alone mama.

Image and words by the stunning Spirit Y Sol
https://www.instagram.com/spiritysol/?hl=en

29/03/2020

Beautiful things happen in Italy too...
Life goes on ❤❤

19/03/2020

12 POUNDS 5 OZ, born vaginally at home.

Women are amazing.
Our bodies are amazing.
Midwives are amazing.

YOU CAN DO IT!

08/03/2020

The protective substance is an important barrier between a woman’s body and the environment. Here’s how researchers are using it to understand health.