A University of Auckland-led international study published today provides the strongest evidence yet that sleeping on your back, in the last three months of pregnancy, more than doubles the risk of stillbirth.
If you’ve had a baby, you likely attended a 6-week postnatal check with your obstetrician, midwife, or GP. But you may not have had a postnatal check with a women’s health physiotherapist. Find out more about the postnatal women’s health checks every Mum needs to know. Continue reading »
Kiwi Families resident midwife expert, Kathy Fray, breaks down the textbook version of the birthing process. But she adds in a fundamental process that all expecting Mothers need to consider – preparation. Find out more in the 5 P’s of normal labour and birth. Continue reading »
There’s a number of physical complications that pregnancy can cause. One of these is pelvic organ prolapse. This can cause swelling, bulging, lower-back, abdomen or pelvic pain, as well as both urinary and fecal incontinence later in life. If you’ve given birth, find out about the 5 signs you might have prolapse after birth. Continue reading »
Dear Mummy and Daddy,
The day you saw that pregnancy test, was a day never to forget. I know you were scared and nervous. So nervous you took a second test just to be sure. But you were excited too. To say over-the-moon is an understatement. I know your hearts began to race as you pictured the new direction your life was heading. You saw a family of three in nine months’ time. You wondered if you would be good parents. Don’t worry Mummy and Daddy, you are. Continue reading »
Around the world, caring for mothers after childbirth has traditionally been a matter of great importance. In many societies the practical knowledge of how to help mothers after childbirth is still handed down through the generations by the women elders of the family. It is a time of celebration when family and community work together to honour and care for the mother so that she can enter a period of ease, recover her strength and bond with her baby. Continue reading »
Charlie can whistle now. He worked it out on his own, more or less. One day, quite by mistake, out came a toot tweet, and he giggled, Hey! Did you hear that? I’d heard it and I knew it was special, this self-making music. Built-in entertainment, and now he’s whistling along to songs, keeping us all amused, and I reckon that’s a step toward a sort of independence he’s not felt yet, and I haven’t felt in six years.
That’s all about to change.
…could I be, pregnant? You might have asked yourself this little question in the quiet recesses of your mind. Our instincts are still a little understood factor in pregnancy prediction. But that first little question may in fact itself be an early sign of pregnancy. Perhaps you’ve been on high alert for the slightest changes. Or it could be that even the idea of it is a surprise! For some women, intuition tells them before their body ever does. However you are alerted to it, there is no doubt that if you are pregnant, things will change quite a lot in that body you know so well.
Have you ever heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat’? Well, there’s not many times when this is more true than when you’re trying to conceive. What you eat can greatly affect your health and well-being and can also affect your chances of conceiving. In this article, we explore good nutrition for conception and give some ideas about how to improve your chances of conceiving. Continue reading »
The birth of a baby is a momentous, meaningful event. A special time in our lives that touches us all deeply in different ways. Unfortunately, many mothers enter the last stages of their labour feeling fearful and overly anxious. Find out a midwife’s tips for finding sacred joy during childbirth. Continue reading »
