This months 'ED Birthtalk' (ED's Positive Birth Group)

[sillywoman]

Hi Everyone,

This is just a heads up to remind you that this coming Thursday 24th, I will be hosting Aprils "ED Birthtalk" (this is the East Dulwich Positive birth group). It will be from 10am-12midday and anyone is welcome. It's held at my house in ED, so is walking distance for most, and babies/toddlers/children are very welcome. I will provide tea/coffee/biscuits/uneaten easter eggs etc.etc. and you just bring yourselves, your positive attitude and interest in all things birth related.

The topic this month is "Am I allowed", which I'm hoping will spark some debate. I have some aids to discussion that I'll provide otherwise we'll just see where the conversation takes us.

Please PM me for the address, otherwise I'll look forward to seeing as many of you as are interested and can make it on Thursday.

SW x

[Saffron]

That's a great topic, so much scope. How about, Am I allowed... to be negative?!

See you Thursday. xx

[midivydale]

Great topic! I will join you ladies too.

X

[sillywoman]

Naughty Saffron!! :D

[Saffron]

Haha, indeed!

But seriously... can positivity backfire if we try to tell ourselves that everything is grand, when in reality things are tough? Conversely, should negative thoughts, such as fears and anxieties, be entirely suppressed? Can we harness negative feelings as a source of energy towards a positive outcome in pregnancy and beyond? And/or how do we make positive affirmations that are realistic and productive?

[midivydale]

V interesting saffron and I would love to explore this. In my experience the whole "positivity thing" is what made me crash in the end....i was so so so positive, prepared, open minded etc and it still went so very wrong. I wish that there had been if not as much but at least some focus during antenatal care which focused on intervention, emergencies, complications and those feelings that can come with such an experience. I am convinced that had some of these aspects been covered during my antenatal care I would have had a different story.

So i would say hell yea to feelings of negativity, fear and anxiety as if processed correctly they could certainly prevent or lessen the severity of birth trauma and associated PTSD and PND.

[sillywoman]

Yes it's a problem I think about a lot with teaching Antenatal Classes - how do I encourage a positive attitude toward labour and birth, whilst maintaing the sense that birth can be a time of scary and out-of-control type feelings/situations - and that's normal too? It's all so individual, but I agree that negative feelings processed correctly can be a healthy response to a difficult birth or a difficult aspect of it - whether it was difficult in reality or in perception.

[sb]

.

[Saffron]

Hoping to see you all Thursday. Xx

[canela]

The most useful (in fact the only useful) thing that I got from my antenatal classes (in Spain - not dissing the ones here) was that the midwife said clearly:

- some women have a more difficult birth than others for a whole load of reasons - and it might be you

- examine your attitude to pain during birth. Pain is usually the body's signal for when something goes wrong. Pain in labour is not anything going wrong so come up with another name for it.

That just struck me straight to the heart and kept me strong. I suppose it's, "Am I allowed to go beyond the normal ways we talk and think about birth?"

Wish I was there!

[sillywoman]

Morning all,

A heads up for this coming Thursday - it's the last Thursday of the month (my that came around quickly) and so I will be hosting the East Dulwich 'Positive Birth' group. It will be an evening session this time so that those of you with daytime commitments can have the chance to come along. The topic is "CHOICE IN BIRTH" and I'm hoping that should provoke some interesting discussion. If anyone has any tips for how to promote choice, any tales of how their choices were, or weren't facilitated then bring them along!

So: East Dulwich 'Birth Talk" (Positive Birth); This Thursday, 7-9pm at my house - please PM for the address. Anyone and everyone who wants to spend a couple of hours discussing the sate of birth locally, nationally and globally is welcome.

SW x

[sillywoman]

Anyone up for a chat about Birth tonight - please PM me for venue details. We'll be discussing "Choice in Birth" over coffee and biccies.

[Saffron]

Likely running late but hope to make it. xx

[Saffron]

On the topic of "choices":

Does concern over a 'blame culture' in health care prevent midwives from offering alternative or controversial birth choices, or accepting and supporting women who choose such options in birth? And, is there anything prospective parents can do to improve this?

I'm thinking particularly in light of the 'tend and befriend' instinct that's purported to replace the 'fight or flight' instinct in pregnancy and labour.

[MP]

So gutted I've missed all of these!

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and would have loved to have attended had I have seen these before :(

[sillywoman]

MP don't worry, there'll be another one next month. :) Thursday June 26th, it's a morning session though - 10am-12pm. And there'll be another evening session the month after that.

This months discussions were as interesting and informative as ever, ranging from the current school situation (well we are in ED after all ;) ) through to the topic at hand - what sort of choices are women presented with, touching on midwifery choices, and the incidence of burnout among Midwives. We discussed does the type of Midwifery care you get influence the choices you have? How to get the best out of the system; who gets the best care - private Obstetric lead care/NHS/Independent Midwife? Hospital guidelines and policies and the research that underphins them - how accurate is it? And so the evening flew by again. I hope to see those of you who couldn't make it this time at the next one (details above) Anyone is welcome, just PM me for the venue. :)

SWx

[Saffron]

http://liketodiscover.com/amazing-video-of-baby-inside-mommy/

[Saffron]