Hi There!

I have been inundated with questions about my pregnancy and birth stories (2 births under my belt now and 2 completely different experiences) I have decided NOT to write a lengthy blog post about the in’s and out’s of my personal experiences.  Why?  Because in all honesty I don’t think it would be that helpful for you.  What I would adore to share with you though is a list of tried and tested resources I used during both my pregnancies and both births in the hope it may inspire you in your quest of exploration and research.  Birth has become in my life the biggest initiator and teacher I could possibly imagine and each experience has brought enormous blessings and deep wisdom in my life beyond my daughters.

With so much love on your birthing journey…

Kate X

“Whenever and however you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body, and your spirit for the rest of your life.” – Ina May Gaskin

Teachers

Apart from my midwives (who were beyond amazing, total earth angels) and my Mum and other important women in my life I found these teachers to be incredibly inspiring and I literally devoured everything I could written by all of them and recommend all of their work 100%

Books

I read so much during my first pregnancy and not one book on pregnancy for my second (was too busy running after a 2 year old). These are the top picks from my collection of books.

Pregnancy

 

Beyond

 

Yoga

Being a yoga teacher I know how important it is to take care of the body during pregnancy and help your whole system adjust to the enormous changes happening inside the body.  It also helps to prepare you for labour and delivery.  Yoga was a huge part of both my pregnancies and I loved exploring my body through movement and asanas and my babies loved it too, dancing in the womb alongside me.  The days I didn’t do yoga I felt different in my body – heavier, less energetic and achy (especially in the last couple of weeks).  I had my own daily practice but below are some routines I used throughout pregnancy.

 

I did this class almost everyday (almost!) A dear friend sent it to me and I found it the perfect companion to my pregnancy.  It is only 28 mins so was totally doable even on my busiest days.

Lindsey Wise is a dear friend of mine and this is her prenatal yoga which I also loved.

Adjunctive Treatments

I had a number of treatments during both my pregnancies to help my body, mind and spirit with all the change and transition that was happening inside and out.  I cannot emphasis enough how important it is to ask for help when you need it, especially during this time and to take exceptional care of yourself as you prepare for the wildest ride of your life.  I recommend you doing some research and find some amazing healers and therapists that can lovingly support you and all your needs during this sacred time.  Make sure it feels right in your body and ensure the practitioners have experience with pregnant women .  The treatments I had during various stages of my pregnancies were;

  • Naturopathy (especially in caring for postpartum)
  • Acupuncture (had sporadically during first and second trimesters and then weekly from 35 weeks until birth and then after)
  • Chiropractic (this definitely helped align my pelvis and hips for birth and supported all the extra weight on the joints)
  • Osteopathy
  • Watsu (hands down my fav treatment of all time! It is a whole new experience when pregnant – mind blowing)
  • Energetic metaphysical healing (this was huge for me, both pregnancies)
  • Massage

 

Extra things I loved #katereardonloves

Spinning Babies website – an incredible resource to help get Baby in a good position for birthing.  My second daughter was breech until 38 weeks and she turned after I was using positions from Spinning babies daily and also regular acupuncture.

Pressure points for labour– This comprehensive guide was so helpful in labour and leading up to labour.  I have irregular contractions for a few weeks before I go into active labour (these little ones love telling me they are coming…a few false starts!) and my husband did these points and I found they worked really well.

Your Zen Mama – A beautiful community of women dropping real, honest and vulnerable wisdom.  Beautiful sharing and some great advice and videos from Mama’s.  Super supportive and lovely.

Podcast.  Healthy Births, Healthy Babies  – I loved this podcast and binge listened to so many episodes.  They have incredible teachers on here sharing a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that I soaked up.  Plus when baby brain really kicked in I found it hard to read and so listening to this podcast was great!

Australian Breastfeeding Association– such a wonderful resource for all things breastfeeding, they have you covered!