baby

Birth of Arnhem

Our little baby Arnhem Indigo is sixteen days old today, and I wanted to spend a few minutes writing down my thoughts to express our deep gratitude for MAMA, in particular our incredibly kind and knowledgeable midwife Rachel who I got to know from 20 weeks pregnant.

I fell pregnant with Arnhem in Darwin, where we were living with our two little boys (3.5yrs and 2yrs) and made the decision to relocate to Melbourne quite swiftly, where I knew we would have realistic support of family and friends to welcome a third baby. I flew down at 20 weeks in a mad dash to find us a house and sort out my birthing options. I honestly didn’t know where to start – I’d previously had a home birth and then a hospital birth, so I kind of wanted something in the middle. Naively, I thought I could employ a private midwife, and deliver at hospital. A lovely Melbourne doula, Karli Smith, who I’d connected with on instagram, told me about the MAMA group, and I booked an appointment with both MAMA and a local public hospital. I left the hospital completely deflated, after being told that no private midwife could deliver, and they could be a support but totally hands off. I then met Rachel, at the Hampton clinic, with my good friend and support student midwife, Melissa Humphries – and left the appointment actually excited and confident that I would choose a home birth for this bubba!

As we prepared as a team for this birth, I felt completely supported, and always left my appointments feeling lighter and more confident – often after a massive laugh and joke about how many legs this child would have, he was such a wriggly little thing! I had fears and anxiety rise to the surface from time to time, I suppose residual fear from my first home birth (it was a very long, exhausting event) – but the beauty of having a private midwife who you get to know, is they learn to know what your fears and worries are, and Rachel kept calmly bringing me back to the here and now, offering me advice, knowledge, options and reminding me I can totally make this the birthing experience I want.

The birth itself was true to Rachel and Jan’s predictions – that third babies can be little tricksters – and it wasn’t the neat little eight hour labour I had visualised – it was nineteen hours from the first contraction until Arnhem came into our world, and it was a journey of peace, mindfulness, rising to my personal challenges, overwhelming support and care from my midwives and Mel, my friend, and my husband. At some point we were all sitting around having cups of tea and cake, in the light of the salt lamp. Things started overnight then stopped when the sun rose and our other two little boys got up for the day, I did go through some disappointment that we’d reached day break already with no baby, but everyone helped me to reset my expectations, to re-focus, to get some rest and it all started again around lunchtime, and Arnhem was born, on the couch, before 3pm.

We are incredibly grateful for our experience, thank you.

Choking Hazards for Kids

Working as a paediatric emergency nurse you have the absolute privilege of sharing and learning from the experiences of countless kids and their families. This tends to make you a cautious parent in some situations, and throw caution to the wind in others. At Save a Kid we share information, so parents can make informed decisions. There are no lectures – we’re parents just like you. In my past 10 years as a mum my kids have rolled off the bed onto the floor (well, 2 out of 3), pulled drawers onto themselves, unstrapped car seats without my knowledge and yes…as you’ll soon see, eaten things they shouldn’t. Fear of not knowing what to do when a baby or child chokes is one of the most common reasons for parents to enroll in a first aid course. In most sessions parents speak of a near miss they’ve experienced, or are about to start solids and want to feel prepared. Babies and toddlers love to explore, and equally love to shove everything they come across in their mouths. This is why children under 5 are at the greatest risk of choking.

Things to consider with food

Kids’ airways are round and narrow. Their teeth pop up slowly over time, and the whole eating thing is new to them – so they can’t chew properly. The shape of foods themselves can pose a danger, particularly if they’re round and narrow (matching the shape and size of their airway). Always cut round and cylinder-shaped foods longways. Grapes, Frankfurts and cheese sticks are good examples. I once discovered my middle son at about 5 months in his bouncer with bulging cheeks. When I squeezed them, out fell a pile of little cherry tomatoes. His big brother fed them to him (siblings can be the biggest hazard going around!).

As well as shape, texture needs to be considered. Soft, sticky or dense foods like marshmallows and meat are more likely to become stuck. Similarly, foods like apples and carrots, that are crunchy and may have a hard skin, can be hazardous. Crispy foods like popcorn, nuts and corn chips can shatter and be inhaled. Consider grating, grinding or cooking hard, crunchy and crispy foods, and chopping dense things like meat up into small pieces. A less common hazard identified by my eldest (again) at age 2, was feeding his helpless baby brother dried dog poo (again, poor boy was strapped into the bouncer).

Non-food hazards

As with food, we need to think about the shape of toys and common household items you have laying around (especially if you have older kids…this makes things tricky!). Coins are one of the most common choking hazards for children, because of their shape and easy accessibility. Often when swallowed kids poo them out, but they can easily become lodged in their airway or esophagus. Just last month my 3-year-old pooed out a glass marble (I did catch him with it, and saw him swallow it, so was on the lookout for it at the other end).

Ingestion of a button battery can be fatal as little as 2 hours, if it becomes stuck. Be aware of things like remotes, toys, scales and thermometers that may use them. It’s best not to store button batteries at home, rather purchase singularly when they need replacing, and dispose of the old one carefully. If parents ever suspect a child might have swallowed a button battery, they should take them to the nearest Emergency Department to check immediately. Plastic shopping and dry-cleaning bags should be tied in a knot before storing them to stop kids putting them over their heads (or even better – ditch the plastic all together!).

Most importantly, remember choking is silent. So, supervision whilst eating and playing is really important. It’s tempting to get things done when kids are settled and eating in their highchair (i.e. trapped and can’t interrupt you), but someone with a complete airway obstruction can’t make a sound – so they can’t call out for help.

If a child is choking, you need to be able to act immediately. Make sure that not just you, but anyone looking after your kids know choking first aid, and how to do CPR. If you know the hazards, the signs of when your child is choking, and how to act, choking shouldn’t be something that you fear.

Megan is the founder of Save a Kid Infant & Child First Aid, paediatric emergency nurse of 16 years, and mum of 3 wild boys. Save a Kid run public sessions at MAMA Kensington every 8 weeks, and also take private group and corporate bookings.

Why do you feel drawn to practice yoga?

By Grace Joukhadar

When I started teaching yoga over 10 years ago, people would come to me (yoga) to help them solve physical pains – usually back, hip or shoulder pains. One thing I have noticed in more recent years is that people are seeking yoga for the mental and spiritual benefits.

The physical is still important, but I have found many come to me more so because they suffer from anxiety or depression.

It is a sign of the times, I believe.. Or is it just the age group I am now attracting as I age? Perhaps a bit of both…

One thing I do know is that I see people begin yoga with me and want to be healed. They want to discover peace and achieve a calm mind.

I always say the same thing;

It will take time and it won’t happen in one or two classes.

It takes a consistent and ongoing commitment to see improvements in mental health.

Yoga has many amazing tools to help us find this inner peace that many of us seek.

It can help us relieve and manage anxiety and overwhelm.

But ultimately the work comes from YOU.

Yoga isn’t a quick fix. It won’t solve your problems…

However, it will offer a range of solutions to help you discover yourself, re-train your thinking, and discover tools to help you find calm within yourself.

It all comes down to your commitment within yourself.

Are you ready for change?

How would you rate the importance of your mental and physical health?

If you would like to see how yoga can benefit you, come to one of our yoga classes at MAMA – we offer prenatal yoga classes as well as mums and bubs and a general class. If you’re unsure which class is best for you, contact me at info@yogawithgrace.com.au and we can work out what best suits you!

If you are looking for individually tailored sessions, I also provide one-on-one consult packages.

Hope you’re having a great week!
Grace

How do you find your time out?

By Mary Giordano

I often hear mothers lament the lack of time they have to themselves after their babies are born. It seems to be a regular topic of conversation between mums and I absolutely get it, as I feel it too. All. The. Time. When my son was born 5.5 years ago it became apparent to me very quickly that my ‘me time’ was suddenly a precious commodity and I struggled to adjust to the change. For me, time alone is an absolute necessity and essential element of my wellbeing; an opportunity to recharge my batteries and reconnect myself to my inner world and external surroundings, preferably in silence or quiet. After I emerged from the delirious first few months of parenthood, my ‘me time’ was still very elusive so I did a mental inventory on how I was investing my time in an attempt to regain some from somewhere, anywhere. I made a few changes, including quitting all social media, and all of a sudden I regained a little bit of time. A win!

I then made a list of some things that I found nourishing and decided that regardless of the energy I was expending on the draining parts of my day I would make a commitment to myself to do at least one of these activities every single day. For me these were massage, dancing, meditation, time in nature, making things, reading, taking a hot bath and practising yoga. I wanted my goal to be realistic so I was mindful of ensuring the list included some things I could do together with my son if need be, but my preference was nevertheless to carve out some time alone, where possible. I learned that sometimes even the briefest moments of alone time could suffice to get me through even the most challenging days.

When my son was one I returned to work, managing a Community Hub where I supported migrant and refugee women to identify meaningful pathways for themselves and engaging activities for their preschool aged children during their resettlement in Australia. Although this work was sometimes emotionally draining, I often found my work days easier than the days I was home being mum. I continued my commitment to myself to do at least one of my soul nourishing activities each day and although I didn’t always manage, I knew that it was me that had to make it happen and that there was no point making excuses to myself about why I couldn’t get a break.

I always imagined having more than one child but after a traumatic experience of childbirth the first time around and a significant struggle adjusting to motherhood, the idea of spreading myself even more thin was daunting to say the least. However, when my son was 3.5 I was pregnant again and that is when I found MAMA. When I first met Jan, she assured me that a better birth was possible, and even probable the second time around. I found great solace in the conversations I had with the MAMA midwives as I journeyed through my second pregnancy and prepared to birth my second baby and myself, as a mother of two. When the time came, my daughter’s birth was better than I could have imagined. A beautiful, serene and life changing experience that filled me with confidence and positivity and despite my prior concerns, my transition to motherhood for the second time was smooth and easy.

Needless to say, for the first few months postpartum, my ‘me time’ was once again very hard to claim but once we all adjusted I was able to find the time I needed to nourish my soul in solitude every single day. This is still a non negotiable for me. Interestingly though, instead of taking advantage of my maternity leave to rest and relax, I actually stepped up a gear. I trained to become a doula in order to support other women to have similarly positive and empowering experiences and childbirth and to help collectively dismantle the culture of fear our society perpetuates around childbirth. I started volunteering on some projects for Birth for Humankind in order to marry my former professional life with my emerging one. I also started a business, called madreluna, that encompasses my doula work and a range of wellbeing products I lovingly make to encourage other women to take time out for themselves.

The products I make are a direct reflection of my own efforts to find time to nourish my soul and reclaim my ‘me time’ and they are all things that I personally enjoy using. Not surprisingly the range currently includes bath salts and milk baths, both enriched with organic rose petals from my garden; a rich blend of herbs that support healing for use in a postpartum sitz bath; heat packs infused with organic lavender, perfect for use during labour; mother and child matching eye pillows infused with organic lavender – perfect for relaxation, meditation and to prepare for sleep; a luxurious coffee, raw sugar, vanilla and cinnamon body scrub and handmade buntings of flags that are customisable to include your favourite affirmations for labour and birth. I am excited that my relationship with MAMA is ongoing and has recently turned into a partnership with some of my products now available on the shelves at the clinic in Kensington. Make sure you check them out next time you visit; you might just find they’re just what you were waiting for to encourage you to take some time out yourself.

For readers that are interested, one of the things I have been working on for Birth for Humankind is a community event to celebrate the organisation’s fantastic work and important community relationships, existing and emerging. You are cordially invited to attend the event on Saturday 31st August from 12-3pm at Our Community House, 552 Victoria Street, North Melbourne.

For more information about myself or madreluna, please visit www.madreluna.com.au

Written by Mary Giordano

Aromatherapy for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies!

By Sonya Edmonds, MAMA’s resident clinical aromatherapist + massage therapist

Pregnancy brings many changes, physically, psychologically and socially. There is often some concern about the use of aromatherapy during pregnancy. However, under qualified, expert care aromatherapy can enhance wellbeing through each stage of pregnancy in the following ways:-

May help to alleviate common discomforts such as nausea, muscular complaints, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, pruritis (itch), fatigue, insomnia and emotional upsets.
To help maintain good general health through regular use of essential oils and prevention and early treatment of infections
Support your pregnancy through reduction of stress and anxiety and ensure good sleep patterns.
Preparation for labour, both physically and psychologically.

Research regarding the use of essential oils during pregnancy and birth is very positive leading to aromatherapy being incorporated into various health care settings. Aromatherapy can be combined with massage to support the changing body during pregnancy and is valuable for birth preparation. One study done by The Touch research Institute showed a reduction in anxiety, stress hormones and obstetrical complications in women who received regular massage during their pregnancies.

Aromatherapy can be employed for childbirth to help reduce anxiety, encourage relaxation, promote uterine contractions and relieve pain as well as to treat associated symptoms such as nausea and fatigue. Fear, anxiety and stress can have a negative impact on the commencement and progress of labour. Odour has a direct pathway to the area of the brain that governs fear and research shows the use of positive aromas can help to reduce pain perception.

Consultation with a qualified aromatherapist is strongly recommended when using essential oils during pregnancy. Sonya uses high quality essential oils and a variety of massage techniques safe and appropriate for each stage of pregnancy.

Postnatal

Becoming a new mum (or dad) is life changing! This time is full of wonder and excitement as well as challenges and readjustment. During the postnatal period aromatherapy and massage can be beneficial for new mums as they recover from birth and adjust to the physical as well as emotional demands of motherhood.

Aromatherapy and/or massage can provide support for new mums in the following ways:

Healing of wounds & prevention of infection
Relief from muscular tension, often associated with birth or breastfeeding posture
Help treat breastfeeding issues: under or over supply, mastitis
Ease other discomforts e.g. digestive issues, poor sleep, fatigue
Alleviate feelings of anxiety, depression, low confidence
Empowerment as a new mum by learning how to care for your family with natural, aromatic remedies.

Each stage of our children’s lives brings new challenges as parents. Especially significant for parent is the saying “fill your own cup first so you can give to others”. Sonya provides nurturing treatments specific to your needs at any stage in your parenting journey.

Babies and Children

With guidance from a qualified practitioner essential oils and other aspects of aromatherapy can safely be used to treat many minor ailments in babies and children. Special care needs to be taken when treating babies and children and consultation with a qualified aromatherapist is recommended, especially for children under 12 months of age.

Childhood conditions that can be treated with aromatherapy include:

Respiratory issues, coughs and colds
Asthma and allergies
Digestive upsets such as colic and constipation
Muscular discomfort
Skin problems
Poor sleep
Emotional upsets

Mother Nurture aromatherapy products are also available at MAMA to help nurture the whole family.

Infant massage is also offered at MAMA through classes or private consultation.

Touch is integral to our wellbeing and there is a comprehensive list of benefits for infant massage, based on extensive research. Some of the many benefits to babies and children include:

Reduced crying time
Improved sleep, improved mood
Relief from wind, colic, reflux and constipation
Boosts immune system
Relief from sinus and chest congestion
Enhanced co-ordination

Research has also shown that performing regular baby massage has helped caregivers feel more confident and less stressed, enhancing the special bond with their baby.

Infant Massage for Breastfeeding Support

By Sonya Edmonds, clinical aromatherapist, RN, RM

There is a comprehensive list of benefits for infant massage, based on extensive research. Many of these benefits can help to improve the breastfeeding experience for both mum and baby. Some of these benefits include:

Enhanced attachment and bonding

Infant massage enhances bonding and a new parent’s confidence in handling their baby. Skin to skin touch promotes the release of oxytocin; the hormone responsible for the let down’ reflex.

Increased activity of the vagus nerve/ enhanced weight gain

As the breast milk changes composition and increases in volume, infant massage can assist with weight gain as it stimulates the vagus nerve. Increased vagus nerve activity aids in the digestion of breast milk, promoting weight gain in all infants, but especially the low birth weight infant. Research shows that vagal tone and gastric motility during massage were significantly related to weight gain.

Reduced crying

Parents who regularly massage their infants can observe their early feeding cues and respond quickly to their infant’s needs.

Improved sleep patterns

Infant massage enhances serotonin release, aiding in improved sleep patterns and the promotion of deep sleep cycles. Infant massage assists in regulating the release of melatonin, helping to balance circadian rhythms. Improved sleep for baby leads to a well rested mother, facilitating better breast milk supply. A more settled infant will be more likely to attach and suck well at the breast.

Relief from wind, colic, reflux and constipation.

Specific massage techniques can be used to relieve wind, colic and constipation. Massage speeds the process of myelination in the nervous system which can assist with reflux.

Reduced anxiety and stress hormones

Massage measurably reduces cortisol levels in children and parents. Stress hormones can have a negative impact on breast supply. Aromatherapy can also be of great benefit in this case.

Baby massage differs from adult massage. It is important to learn this skill for life from a qualified practitioner.

Sonya Edmonds from Mother Nurture runs regular Infant Massage classes at MAMA

Check next dates + book your spot now!

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