Leisa Masters | Medical and health

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Leisa Masters

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25.01.2022 ' . And of course, it certainly matters to understand the implications of a scar on the uterus, however the hoo-ha over women's chance of rupture and the restrictions placed on her by medical providers is certainly over-played. The chance of rupture is agreed to be 0.5%. This rate is the same as other complications such as cord prolapse, pl...acental abruption and shoulder dystocia in other births. Do we see the same coercion, bullying and harassment of women about those complications? You bet we don't. So, if the chance of a uterine rupture occurring is the same as several other complications that aren't focused on and restrictions placed for, then isn't VBAC just a birth? If you are ready to shift the fear and blocks from your birth preparation, then keep an eye out for my special offer coming next week. I can't wait to tell you about it. #timetoshiftthoseblocks #vbacisjustabirth #whatahooha

25.01.2022 . I’m not the mother I thought I’d be. It turns out I am an infinitely better mother than I ever thought possible. I learned so much after she was born, found out about the importance of attachment. And I could never have imagined that I would breastfeed until nearly six years or bedshare for over 10. ... But also, now that I know, I find that I fall way short of the mother I would love to be. My go-to behaviours aren’t the ones I want, the reactions I have aren’t the ones I want. I also know I’m doing the best I can. I’m learning every day, she’s teaching me every day. And ultimately, when it’s her turn, she’s going to be so much better than me. #breakingcycles #attachmentparenting #sortof See more

24.01.2022 . I have been journaling for the past couple of years. If you’d ever told me I would become a regular journal-er I wouldn’t have believed it. Learning to take regular time with my thoughts, needs, feelings has been a game-changer for my mindset.... Investing in different types of support for myself has introduced me to so many different ways to be in my life. And I’m so grateful. My daughter notices the importance of my journaling to me and buys me the most delightful notebooks each time I need one. I received this beauty for Christmas and I love it so much. Do you journal? Does it make a difference to your life? Do you have something special to write in? #journaling #mindset #christmasgift See more

24.01.2022 Join me for a live discussion on my Instagram page about maternal anger and what it’s really telling us. I’ll be talking with Dr Sophie Brock a sociologist and researcher about what anger might be really telling us and how we can use it to guide us. Starts soon.

24.01.2022 Podcast - Ashlee’s free birth and how she became her own healer. Search for Earthside with Leisa Masters on your favourite podcast app or follow this link https://spoti.fi/3kNTLxB

24.01.2022 ’ , and you feel the pressure to follow their lead, but you know you want something different for yourself. You worry what they will think of you, you wonder if they’ll disapprove. Preparing for your birth, your way, is so important. We often feel bound to our need for approval but following your own needs in birth can lead to the most wonderful of places.... I see many women coerced by what others want for them, family, friends, care-providers, but you have an opportunity to find out what is right for you and that particular thing doesn’t have to be what someone else would choose. And that’s a good thing! If you want help working out what it is you personally need for your birth, and know you need to move away from worrying what others think of you, then send me a message to find out how you can do that, it’s a space of new possibilities. #whatsrightforyou #yourbirthyourway #peoplepleaser See more

23.01.2022 , ’ . And if you aren’t doing the internal work, then when in the midst of the challenge of your labour and birth you might find you don’t have the self-guiding compass that will take you to the exact place you were hoping for. But what’s so wrong with wanting to hear stories that are the same as you want for yourself? Nothing of course. Stories can be inspiration...al and let you know something is possible. But when you are asking for stories that are what you want to hear, without understanding why those stories turned out that way, and not understanding the breadth of variation of birth stories, then you aren’t really preparing for what you could need. We can’t build our own birth story on the back of others, we can however, create our own unique pathway based on what we desire, learn what could be blocking that and figure out ways to move past those barriers. Stop kidding yourself that anyone else’s story will be your own. Do your own work, build your own autonomy. You’ll never be sorry you did. I’m offering my ‘Journey to Autonomous Birth’ program for just $396 for the next week if you are ready to create your own story. Now might just be the right time. Link in bio #createyourownstory #birthstory #doyourwork See more

23.01.2022 We eased our way through Christmas Day and are in the aftermath of the excitement which inevitably has tears and overwhelm. However, I always love the way she finds silver linings and ways to make it through. She is filled with a resilience and hopefulness that fills me with joy. I hope this time has been the way you hoped it would be and your heart is full. I feel in my bones that good things are coming. #motherdaughter #herecomes2021 #goodthings

23.01.2022 ‘ ’ ? You know why, whilst straight forward advice and technically a sound tactic, it’s not going to be useful to a lot of women? I want you to understand that knowing many details about birth and what you want for it doesn’t actually matter if you are a people-pleaser and birthing with people who aren’t right for your vision for birth. Your go-to beha...viour that avoids argument and likes to keep people happy will most likely come to the forefront at this vulnerable time. ‘Just say no’ isn’t going to work for you. Now it’s true, you might get lucky, despite all of these factors and have a great birth experience, but are you willing to chance it? Shifting through your need to please others doesn’t just matter for your birth, it will show up again and again throughout your life and your mothering. Unless you are willing to break from its hold, understand where it comes from and do the work to see how much it factors into your life a as well as find ways to release it. Then, it can be so different. If you are ready to bust out of people pleasing for your birth and your life, ask me about my Journey to Autonomous Birth program, I’m offering something a bit extra for the next week. #peoplepleaser #breakout #changeyourlife See more

22.01.2022 - ’ Ashlee shares with us how she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her 20s and how through self-awareness and connection to her body, she became her own healer. It was from this foundation that she made the leap into a self-directed pregnancy and planned freebirth and she reveals how aligned it felt to her life philosophy. Ashlee also talks about her grief for her breastfeeding journey that did not work o...ut how she hoped and shares with us how she moves through the ups and downs of mothering in this day and age. https://spoti.fi/3kNTLxB #podcast #freebirth #birthstory See more

22.01.2022 , ’ . And if you aren’t doing the internal work, then when in the midst of the challenge of your labour and birth you might find you don’t have the self-guiding compass that will take you to the exact place you were hoping for. But what’s so wrong with wanting to hear stories that are the same as you want for yourself? Nothing of course. Stories can be inspiration...al and let you know something is possible. But when you are asking for stories that are what you want to hear, without understanding why those stories turned out that way, and not understanding the breadth of variation of birth stories, then you aren’t really preparing for what you could need. We can’t build our own birth story on the back of others, we can however, create our own unique pathway based on what we desire, learn what could be blocking that and figure out ways to move past those barriers. Stop kidding yourself that anyone else’s story will be your own. Do your own work, build your own autonomy. You’ll never be sorry you did. I’m offering my ‘Journey to Autonomous Birth’ program for just $396 for the next week if you are ready to create your own story. Now might just be the right time. Link in bio #createyourownstory #birthstory #doyourwork See more

22.01.2022 ‘’. They are advised by their breastfeeding peers and often professionals to do a range of things to make breastfeeding a success. By the time they come to me, they are overwhelmed, confused, and often feeling hopeless. And it’s a situation I see time after time. The truth is, for most of us, there is no reason to do anything to make breastfeeding happen. Breastfeeding is robust - it works, but our lack of unde...rstanding and our insistence on needing to help it, often undermines the very thing we are trying to do. I was recently reflecting with a woman I worked with who is now confident and relaxed in mothering her baby. She had spent many months busily doing a vast number of things to help her breastfeed. After our first session together, she started doing nothing, and it changed everything. Then we began the work to undo all the doubts that had been placed in her mind so that she could continue to do nothing and watch her baby thrive. I teach women to understand breastfeeding, know when it is working, what to look for if it isn’t and create space to enjoy your mothering days rather than be caught up in unhelpful and unnecessary advice. You can join my upcoming 4-week program if this sounds like the type of mothering you would like to experience. Send me a message to find out more. Because breastfeeding is simpler than you think. #breastfeedingisrobust #comelearnwithme #onlinebreastfeedingprogram See more

22.01.2022 , and I remember feeling confused. When would I use it, why would I need it? I did end up using it one time when I was heavily engorged and it provided quick relief and softening of the breast so my daughter could feed more easily, but there were other ways I could have moved through that issue without a pump too. Next time I used a pump was when I was away from my daughter for long periods of time at wo...rk. So other than that, why are so many women desperately sourcing the perfect pump in preparation for their breastfeeding experience? Could breast pumps be just another thing marketed to women as a must-have, along with bottles, dummies/pacifiers and that tin of formula just in case? Well, yes. A breast pump can be a useful item and fulfil a specific use that some women will need, but it certainly isn’t a must have. Another reason so many women believe they need a pump is so that they can share feeding duties, or power pump to increase their supply, or as part of a sleep regime program. These are the types of hurdles that derail women’s breastfeeding relationships and undermine her ability to be at ease with her baby. And you don’t have to succumb to any of it. Join my 4-week online breastfeeding program to learn more about when and if a pump will be useful to you and how to leave the unnecessary junk behind so that you know how to breastfeed your baby with confidence. Begins the end of January, message me for more information. #breastpump #breastfeedingmyths #confidentbreastfeeding See more

21.01.2022 Maternal anger discussion with Dr Sophie Brock Now on my IGTV. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHbnwp9ljHK/

21.01.2022 ' ? You know why I think one of the worst things a pregnant woman can do is trust her doctor with her and her baby's safety? Do you know what is the hardest thing for so many women to accept? The truth is her doctor might or might not be recommending medical action based on a medical need, or they might be recommending a course of action just because they feel like it. How outrageous, right?... I just read another study that according to Dr Sara Wickham 'confirmed that there are wide differences in who gets offered or recommended an induction or a planned caesarean'. This means that unless you don't mind what or why things are happening to you in your birth, you will need to be figuring out if the recommendation is actually going to help you or harm you. You can't trust your doctor, and figuring that out and developing your own sense of clarity around how you communicate, how you trust yourself is going to make a huge difference to what happens in your birth. The study in particular looks at women who have had a previous caesarean, and the way they are advised for their next birth. If you are planning a VBAC for your next birth and are interacting with a medical model, this has never been a more important consideration for you. If you want help working through this, get in touch with me, there is something extra special that I've been putting together to support women who are planning a VBAC so that you can be in charge, calm and supported for your birth. #canyoutrustyourdoctor #doyoutrustyourself #ownyourbirth

21.01.2022 . Join me for VBAC preparation with a difference. Six weeks of clearing the way to the birth you want, moving through your fears and being able to make decisions that are right for you. I’ve created a new group program, that will guide you through what you need to know for your VBAC. A mixture of intimate group calls and personal mentoring so that all your questions are answered.... Starting soon, message me to find out more. #vbac #birthhowyouwant #youknowyouwantit See more

21.01.2022 ’ . It made me laugh out loud and I swiftly blocked this person. Previously I wouldn’t have laughed, I would have felt shamed or defensive (or both). I would have thought carefully about what I would respond to really show that person how wrong she was. But no longer. I have moved beyond that, now what others think about what I do does not matter to me. She is able to hav...e her opinion, it is not my business. I mothered how I wanted for my daughter and I breastfed her as long as I felt like. And it makes me happy and proud. Breastfeeding our babies doesn’t mean we just need to learn about breastfeeding. We also need to learn about normal infant behaviour and about how our society’s lack of understanding of baby sleep grossly undermines breastfeeding, and very importantly we must also learn how to move through the opinions of others so that we can find our way and mother our babies and older children instinctually and without fear of outside opinions. My 4-week breastfeeding program is set up to create a foundation for confident breastfeeding and mothering, because when we can access these tools our weeks and months are infinitely easier. Send me a message if you’d like to learn more, because that space of clarity is so worth it. #breastfeedingwithoutfear #breastfeedingwithconfidence #breastfeedhowyouwant See more

21.01.2022 , . And it might be, but it can equally be as unlikely. We are all individual, we have different bodies, babies, emotions, support networks, views of birth, care-providers and most importantly we have different go-to behaviours. Every woman’s story will unfold uniquely dependent on a plethora of differences, so it is not useful and perhaps even dangerous to try to conv...ince someone that your story is somehow indicative of theirs. Our experiences can be useful to each other if told in a way that shares information, for a woman to learn and see how it fits for her. And crucially, if the details are shared in a way that doesn’t infer a particular outcome will be guaranteed. It is in fact unfair to transfer stories. Women are capable of creating their own way, figuring out their own path and seeing what they are willing to do or not do. Women, create your own birth stories and encourage other women to do the same. If you need help finding out what YOU want, that is different to everyone else, take some time to have a chat with me. I’ll hold space for your own story to emerge. #dontdoit #makeyourownstory #createyourownpath See more

20.01.2022 , ’ . And yet when I have asked why they thought that I’m met with a long list of reasons that aren’t a sign of low supply. In fact, when I ask more detailed questions about their baby, I hear signs of a well-fed baby. So, what’s going on?... Why are women ending breastfeeding before they want to and why are women being told what amounts to a whole bunch of lies about their milk? Well, reasons are many. Top of the list is the insidious marking of formula and followed by a society that generally just does not understand breastfeeding. Add to that care-providers who regularly insist on unnecessary supplementation from the outset and you have the perfect storm for women being convinced of something that isn’t true. Women who want to breastfeed should be able to build a strong foundational knowledge about breastfeeding their baby and understand how to side-step the myths and misinformation that derails many a journey. Join my 4-week Confident Breastfeeding Program starting on 30th January so you know the truth about your supply. Send me a message if you’d like more information. #learnthetruth #breastfeeding #lies See more

19.01.2022 , . The birth you feel will cancel out your last terrible experience, the birth that will help you feel complete. And maybe it will be. But *I* know, so often it’s about more than that. And that’s the reason why I don’t so much teach about how birth works but about what is holding you back from the experience you want.... Women who have worked with me to prepare for their VBAC have gained so much insight and wisdom about what they truly want, what is blocking their way and ultimately learning what is needed. My ‘Learn to VBAC’ program is on offer for the next week with a $60 discount, plus with lots of juicy bonuses. These personalised 1:1 mentoring sessions mean you will be able to move through any questions and doubts you have about your birth, see what is standing in your way and work out what is needed to have the birth you want. And for this week only the program will also include the added bonus of my specially crafted relaxation meditation created by Rebecca Sonsie - an experienced midwife, hypnobirthing educator and birth art facilitator. She has the most divine relaxing voice. And I’ll be adding an extra Village Call in as well, so that you can join the supportive community of women to help you gain even more of their wisdom. For the first three women who decide to join me on this personalised program, you will also receive a week of personal messaging support from me via the Voxer app. If you think you are ready to start diving deep into what you need for your birth, this value packed program is really going to help you. So let’s talk. Message me for more info. https://bit.ly/33Cwx5w #youwantit #whatdoyouneedtodotogetit #letsdothework

19.01.2022 . My client said that as we finished our session that she had set up with me to help her work through a major decision she was facing in her life. She also admitted that she had known the decision she wanted to make before our call, but she hadn’t felt ease around making it. Because we have worked together in the past she knew the session would help her to consider a range of things she hadn’t thought of and most importantly that when she sp...oke to me, I would have no agenda about what her final decision would be. She valued this space because she knew it would mean a result where she would feel more at ease about her final choice and also have gained a full understanding of why she was making it. Her choice was the same, but the difference could be found in her feelings. I love the way this woman knows she is worthy of feeling good and is prepared to dig into what lies beneath. If you know feeling good about what you are choosing matters to you too then come talk to me about my ‘Journey to Autonomous Birth’ program, which is being offered at 12% off this week in celebration of Christmas. You deserve to feel good for your birth. #rightdecision #feelgood #youareworthit See more

19.01.2022 - ’ Beck shares with us her distressing experience of pregnancy loss at 15 weeks and how that led her to seek out more support for her next birth. Beck talks about the process of discovering what type of birth she wanted but how her self-sabotaging people-pleasing behaviour meant she didn’t put her own needs first. Beck goes on to share with us how reflecting on her traumatic birth experience led her to once and for all, address her life-long destructive behaviours. She shares with us how through this transformation process, she ultimately found her happiness. https://spoti.fi/2JbeJJg @audreysdreamearth #podcast #peoplepleaser #happiness

19.01.2022 is so untrusting and unknowledgeable about physiological birth that it can only interfere (even with the best of intentions). Poking, prodding, hustle, bustle and coercion at a minimum. To use this space to help you means not just understanding the biology of your birth but how the system interferes with it. And also considering when that interference might be of personal benefit to you. How do you align to what will roll out in a space... like that and how do you honour yourself and your baby if you are deciding to enter it? It's complex, it’s nuanced, and many birthing women find themselves engaged with the oppressive structure of this medical care during pregnancy or birth even if they didn’t intend it. Learning to utilise it, requires a shift in perspective and priority as well as a big picture view of your birth and knowing what your goals look like. This type of preparation isn’t light or glossy, but its depth will show you answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. If you are ready to dive deep and learn how to really know yourself for your birth, it’s time to start exploring what you want during this time. So you can birth however you need. #birthpreparation #deepdive #dothework See more

19.01.2022 Podcast - Justine’s ordinary and extraordinary freebirth Justine joins us to share how she overcame her tumultuous indecision so that she could freebirth her first baby in autonomy and joy. She recalls in detail how difficult the process was to take full responsibility for the birth she wanted and show up for herself by releasing the deeply held blocks that she knew were holding her back. Justine describes her birth to us in all its ordinary and extraordinariness. https://spoti.fi/31IiKLH

19.01.2022 ’ . As I puffed at every step of my run tonight, I couldn’t help but think about what it means to show up for myself. I’ve been a bit slack lately with my running, I let a couple of runs slide, then another couple, I found excuses why I couldn’t go. And as each day passed I knew I would find it harder and harder to get back into it because the first run back would be a rough one (and it was), but tonight I did it. I just decided to get it done. I dropped ...it back by a km and knew it would probably feel a little uncoordinated, that my rhythm would be off, my breath uneasy, and I was kind to myself about it. The important bit was that l made the first step. I know the next one will be easier and I’ll be reminded why I love it. It’s never too late. This is the same with preparing yourself for your birth. It’s never too late to have your first conversation, maybe it will be tough, it will probably be uncomfortable, but it will make the path ahead easier. Because you’ll be lighter. I’ve seen it time and again. I’ve seen what happens when women start revealing themselves, when they learn about themselves. I’ve seen the changes, the transformations. I’ve seen women see themselves as they never thought possible. Could this be you? It’s never too late. Send me a message if you think it could be time for you, I’d love to chat. #itsnevertoolate #prepareforyourbirth #itsjustonestep #itsokaytogetuncomfortable #transformation See more

18.01.2022 Podcast - Emma’s discovery of freedom Emma shares with us her first traumatic birth experience and the vulnerable story of how her second birth did not turn out the way she hoped. Emma tells us how owning her decision-making has meant a transformation of her life and her mothering, and shares with us what ultimately led to her discovering a sense of freedom. https://spoti.fi/3fjrcEr

18.01.2022 ? So many new mothers are inundated with the most rubbish advice about breastfeeding their baby in the first days after birth. It’s infuriating to witness and especially so knowing that it can be avoided with just a short amount of time invested in education. My breastfeeding program has been designed to address so many of the troubles I’ve experienced myself and seen in the many many women that I’ve worked with over th...e years. I know the misinformation women face and I know how easy the solutions are. If you are ready for ease in your breastfeeding journey and to understand what is going on instead of being on the receiving end of terrible advice then ask me about my 4 week online program beginning at the end of January. #beprepared #geteducated #breastfeedingconfidence See more

18.01.2022 . She’s the life of the party, she brings it big, she’s loud. And lately she’s been sad. Really sad. It’s broken my heart and admittedly triggered some old stuff for me (don’t worry I’ve been working on it!). ... I’ve been helping her recognise her own inner motivation for happiness for as long as I can remember and I can see it at work here. She knows how to figure things out for herself. She knows how to care for herself. And she knows she’s so worth it. Watch this space, she’s going to have some exciting news to share soon. #selfworth #extrovert #intrinsicmotivation See more

18.01.2022 - ’ Beck shares with us her distressing experience of pregnancy loss at 15 weeks and how that led her to seek out more support for her next birth. Beck talks about the process of discovering what type of birth she wanted but how her self-sabotaging people-pleasing behaviour meant she didn’t put her own needs first. Beck goes on to share with us how reflecting on her traumatic birth experience led her to once and for all, address her life-long destructive behaviours. She shares with us how through this transformation process, she ultimately found her happiness. Link in bio. @audreysdreamearth #podcast #peoplepleaser #happiness

17.01.2022 ? You will see care-providers - and even other people who know her - run to their arsenal of fear-inducing, coercive statements the second they get even a whiff of a woman knowing what she wants for herself. And most certainly when that thing she wants isn't in line with what they think she should choose. Cue the predictable trope about risk, what THEY would choose, how THEY aren't comfor...table. And if that doesn't work, just watch them sift through their well-worn bag of tricks for the dead baby/woman card, or the incident they have previously witnessed in order to terrorise her away from what she is wanting for herself. And you know what? It's BORING. It would be laughable if a) they weren't using someone else's tragedy for their own end and b) if it didn't work so damn well. The thing is, there are risks in all of our decisions, but women are smart and they already know this, and ultimately women get to choose for themselves. Always. And these care-providers need help. This type of behaviour reflects a deeply harmed and terrified person - or a sociopath, take your pick. They have work to do, to process their own pain and trauma, so that they can help women understand all the pathways and the possible outcomes, so women can take the responsibility of it all for themselves. But in the meantime, if you do want a space that is there for you to figure out what YOU need and one that doesn't burden you with outside fears, then come and have a chat with me. Because I already know you know yourself best. #womenownbirth #birthhowyouwant #stopwithyourfearmongeringshit

16.01.2022 ’ that it’s so often the conversation covers topics that aren’t related to VBAC or even about birth at all. What? I know, right.... Preparing for birth seems to be such a catalyst to showcase what it is about ourselves that has always got in the way of getting what we want. Are we an over-thinker, fearful, shy away from conflict, worry about what everyone will think of us, need to be liked, to be approved of? And you know what? We can ignore all of that if we want to and keep thinking that we can read one more book, do one more breathing course, say no to one more examination, scan, appointment but these lessons and learnings are right there, ripe for the picking. We can actually take this time to work through them. We can see why we always seem to find ourselves in the same dilemma, the same awkward conversation, the same scenario that we didn’t want to find ourselves in. And for a lot of us, this work can be uncomfortable, it can remind us of what we’ve tried to hide, lock in a box and not work through. But it can also be glorious and freeing. This is the work I do with women at the time of their births, so that birth might look like you could never have imagined. There is so much possibility for you right now, if you’re willing to dig in. So, if you’re planning your VBAC, my program is rocking it out this week with a $60 discount and a bunch of bonuses. Come on, join me, there’s so much in it for you. #shiftyourhabits #findanewway #dotherealprep

16.01.2022 , and only a day after hanging out the washing and holding a peg in my mouth which weirdly and immediately made me gag, I excitedly and urgently rang the office of my sister’s obstetrician. Desperate for an appointment, I wanted to ensure I didn’t miss out on her care. The thing is, whilst I did get in, I made a HUGE mistake. I began attending appointments where I was weighed, had confusing conversations ab...Continue reading

16.01.2022 Any conversation with Dr Sophie Brock - The Good Enough Mother is a good conversation

15.01.2022 Have you listened to our podcast conversation yet? https://bit.ly/2Q6ZK2z

15.01.2022 ‘ ’. That’s what someone called me today and I had to laugh, and I replied that if you ask the women I work with they’d probably agree wholeheartedly. Accountability can be hard to deal with sometimes, especially over such intimate topics as I work on with women. It can be tough to be asked hard questions or be reminded about a goal you set that you aren’t keeping to.... Just this morning my friend rang me and told me I should go for a run while the weather was cooler, since I’d been saying it was too hot over the past couple of weeks. I felt kind of grumpy that she was poking me about my laziness which of course she wasn’t but because she prompted me, it was on my mind all day. This evening even though it was threatening rain, off I went. It was great (well it hurt the whole time), but you know what I mean. I was so glad she had raised it with me, it wouldn’t have happened otherwise. The thing is, I really love the women I work with; I see their vision for themselves and I see the blocks they face. I’m there for the uncomfortable conversations, and the push back when they don’t want to hear my probing questions or any reminders about what they once told me they wanted for themselves. But what I know is, I’ve been doing this for long enough to know what sits on the other side of that discomfort, when women grow into new versions of themselves, when they go where they were scared to, they see whole new possibilities for themselves, and they like it. I’m here for it. Accountability can be rough but if you want someone to lovingly call out your bullshit, then I guess that’s me. I wonder what awesomeness we could discover together, for your birth and your life. #accountability #bullshit #compassion See more

15.01.2022 You would like to breastfeed your baby. You want to be able to enjoy your first days, weeks and months together. You’ve heard sad, difficult stories about how breastfeeding hasn’t worked out for so many and the journey has ended before they were ready. You don’t want that to be you. You want to be relaxed, sure and satisfied. In this popular, discussion-based four week program, you will discover a path to breastfeeding confidence. You will learn to cut through the clutter of ...‘dos and don’ts’ of baby care, including infant sleep information, and identify what supports - and what can undermine - breastfeeding your baby. Starting Thursday 12th November, 11am (ACST) Send me a message to find out more.

14.01.2022 Working with Leisa was one of the most important decisions I made for the preparation of my vbac. I gained clarity about what was holding me back by digging. Leisa has a way of questioning without questioning YOU. I am so thankful to her and only wish there were more people like her to help women through their birth-and that i had known of Leisa for my first pregnancy." - Irene https://bit.ly/33Cwx5w

14.01.2022 , , , ? When you own your birth, it’s just birth. So many labels for birth, and it intrigues me. Why the need to assign a descriptor to our most basic of biology. A physiology that knows how to work, that already tells our body what feels best.... What does packaging up a birth and putting a name on it do? Helps you learn, comforts your body, lets you escape care-providers, sets you apart from others, gives you confidence? Would we just call it birth if it still belonged to women? Our innate, most basic and intricate biology. Labels won’t trick your abusive care-provider, labels won’t help you escape interventions determined to be given, labels won’t change the most wonderful and powerful of experiences. Do the work to create your own autonomy where you are in charge, you do the choosing, now that’s something simple. That’s birth. If you want help with that send me a message. #justbirth #autonomy #ownit See more

14.01.2022 women experiencing during their first weeks of breastfeeding is thinking something is wrong when it isn’t. They just don’t know it. Imagine wasting your time bogged down in unnecessary confusion about how you are breastfeeding your baby, trying huge volumes of things, sending yourself into despair to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. This is what hundreds and thousands of women are doing in the earliest time of their baby’s life. It’s a wast...e of your energy that could rather be spent on feeling confident and wonderful with your baby. If you want the foundation that helps you avoid the junk most women are experiencing get in touch and ask about my class that begins at the end of January. #breastfeedingmyths #breastfeedingsupport #feelconfident See more

13.01.2022 My daughter is so much braver than me. She gets involved with so many initiatives and loves to try new things. She wrote a book recently (along with 400 other children) and we went to an event to celebrate them all. A rare photo of us together that’s not a selfie #girlpower #motherdaughter

13.01.2022 Hey mum, I’m about to do something amazing but first I’m going to push you to the edge of coping by feeding every half an hour, then just when you think you can’t stand it anymore I’ll stop and do my new thing. Hang in there, we’ve got this. A sign I wish all babies could hold up for their mothers just before those major milestones! The thing about breastfeeding is that it’s not just about getting past the first couple of weeks and figuring out how to get comfortable an...d pain free.l, it’s about understanding normal infant behaviour and the relationship of breastfeeding beyond it being about food. So often women misunderstand what is happening with their baby and think there isn’t enough milk and they turn to supplementation with formula. This is why my class is different, we talk about so much more than the basics and I help you learn the tools to move you through the months (and even years) so that you know how to keep breastfeeding for as long as you want to. And without your baby needing to hold a sign! Message me for more details about my upcoming confident breastfeeding program. #confidentbreastfeeding #keepbreastfeeding #onlinelearning See more

12.01.2022 Learning to understand what happened in your birth, can also help you see what sits behind your decision-making and the way you see yourself. If you are willing to delve, what you find out could change your life. This work is deep, vulnerable and powerful. If you are wondering if it’s time to heal your birth get in touch to find out more. #healyourbirth #transformyourlife #movethroughit

12.01.2022 . At the effect of fear, worried about what others will think, intimidated by authority. And this uncertainty can keep them from so many other critical decisions. I provide a space for this doubt to be sifted through. A space where I trust the woman to be able to work out what is best for her and her birth. I offer observations about what she has said and what it can mean, and I prese...nt pathways for consideration that she may not have even thought about. And what rises in this non-judgemental space is a sense of clarity. It can take work, there might be multiple layers to work through and it might not be clear immediately, but I know her intuition will show itself and ultimately, she will take responsibility for her own decision-making. If you find yourself stuck about what to choose and what is right for you, send me a message to find out how to move forward. You don’t need to stay there, what you truly want is waiting to be discovered. #clarity #howtochoose #trust See more

11.01.2022 I’m joined by the lovely India to discuss the potential overwhelm of breastfeeding advice and information if you don’t have a strong foundation of knowledge from the beginning. I love her insights and love hearing how she navigated it all. Send me a message if you’d like to know more about my upcoming January Confident Breastfeeding class. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIrUkTfFYdY/

10.01.2022 ’ ? Just get an induction, the baby is already cooked. Are you still pregnant?... Come on baby, hurry up, mama wants to have a drink. Is it safe to wait this long? You should have had this baby by now? Aren’t you over it? The comments and questions go on and on and are relentless and they come from all aspects of our society. Impatient care-providers who cannot wait to stick their fingers inside you, mess with your cervix and get that baby out as soon as possible. Family members who apply pressure with concerned hints and suggestions that you should listen to your care-provider. Curious friends who want to know when the baby has arrived and who make thinly veiled jokes. Yourself, who can’t trust and is steeped in fear because we don’t know birth, trying every trick to make this baby come. Our understanding about variation of timings has been lost, and in its place a factory-like service that forces us into boxes regardless of the damage. We know that induction causes harm and does not statistically provide benefit over waiting, yet it is offered routinely by industrialised maternity care regardless of the absence of need. The clock is need enough to them, and its pervasive ticking has infiltrated almost everyone. It is distressing to see women in this space, I want to reach out and let them know that waiting is okay if that’s what they want. But the thing I have learned is that it’s hard, because it takes deep work to undo this conditioning of fear, to move through the endless pressure to find clarity for yourself about what it is that you need. I hope more women can get there. What about you, did you feel the pressure? #induction #overduerecognitionartgallery #cantwait See more

10.01.2022 , , but as fear in childbirth is so pervasive at what point is your decision-making being done out of fear? Do you even realise that your fear is doing the choosing for you? Unchecked fear can allow your brain, which has been systemically coated in fear your whole life, to sabotage your carefully planned for birth. Care-providers might even wield your fear as a weapon against you. How do you create a healthy balance of fear and trust..., how do you peel back the thick layers of societal laid fear to reveal the shining ball of instinct that knows how to guide you? How do you find a place of comfort to weigh up what feels best for you, rather than a decision based on the old pattern of a knee-jerk reaction? It does take your work, your self-reflection and your personal discovery into the deeply held beliefs you have developed. It is a process that leaves behind old thinking and creates an opportunity for a new space that allows you to make decisions based on what you know feels right for you. Fear has a place, but it needs to sit in the corner, so your instinct and self-knowing can take centre stage. In this space there are choices you didn’t even know you could make. If you want help moving out of fearful decisions-making you know where to find me. #dontletfeardothechoosing #fearsucks #findyourwisdom See more

10.01.2022 . I’m working with a woman who is launching her breastfeeding support business which is focussed on helping women who have had difficult breastfeeding experiences. And through our discussions I was reminded how often women who are perfectly capable of feeding their babies are undermined by confusing and/or wrong advice and how upset it makes me to hear of those women’s experiences. And I knew it must be time to offer my next online breastfeeding class. M...y class cuts through the bullshit, so you can identify all that wrong advice and stay ahead of the rubbish that has been known to bring down many a breastfeeding journey. Send me a message to find out the details and jump on my list for next year’s first class so you can confidently breastfeed your baby. And if you are grieving your breastfeeding experience ask me about Claire and how she can help you move through your grief. #breastfeedingjourney #confident #avoidthesabotage See more

08.01.2022 Planning your birth after caesarean can often feel challenging, with needing to work through your own concerns and the ones of the people around you. This is an opportunity to get ahead in your planning! My 'Birth Preparation and Planning' workshop helps you start digging deep into what is bothering you, what you want and how you make decisions. It also helps you consider how to build a plan for your birth that is as individual as you. Send me a message if you’d like to access this workshop for FREE for a limited time.

08.01.2022 ’ . Today when she was asked to share something about herself she said that she has two dogs (at her dad’s house!) and she’s loud. I love that she owns it, isn’t ashamed of it, doesn’t play small. ... I wonder how long she will keep this vision of herself - forever I hope. I was only sharing with someone today that it’s taken me 30 years to find my voice again after it was continuously shut down when I was a similar age. Our society finds loud girls a challenge and tries to shame us into quiet. I think we may have met someone to break the cycle. I’m here for it. What about you? Are you raising a cycle-breaker loud girl? #cyclebreaker #loudgirl #proudgirl See more

08.01.2022 ? Being moved through a process of topics without your input? Each time you try to bring up what you want are you shut down or placated with a ‘we’ll see how it goes’? Do you worry about what this means for your birth? Are you starting to think of strategies and tricks to avoid interacting with your care-provider? Wondering how you will avoid the interventions you don’t want, but know this is the way your care-provider regularly... behaves? Firstly, I’m going to ask you the question I always ask, why are you birthing where you are worried about your birth choices not being respected? I know this feels confronting. It is challenging asking yourself why you make the decisions you do, how you are making these choices. Is it fear, is it to not rock the boat, is it to keep other people happy? And are you okay with that? The truth is, you can stay with what you are doing, ducking and diving, or you can start working out what you really want. Only you can decide the right answer for yourself. I specialise in helping women work out what decisions work best for them, if you are struggling in this space, send me a message to find out if one of my programs can help you. It can feel so much better for you. #dontbeafraid #decisionmaking #readyforachange See more

08.01.2022 -? And how is that different from other decisions? And what sort of impact can it have on your birth? Some women don’t worry at all about the type of decisions they will make in their births, they will go with the flow, follow their care-providers advice and some of those women do go on to have great birth experiences. But many don’t. For a vast range of women their experiences end up nothing like they had hoped, and they are left feel...ing devastated and traumatised. And this is because many women are trying to have a particular type of birth in an environment or with people who do not support the birth they are wanting. The way you make decisions in this space will most likely really make a difference to how you feel about what happens to you. Are you prepared to forego the type of birth you want? Or, are you prepared to make some vastly different decisions? Because something must shift for your goals and decisions to be in alignment. I know this doesn’t sound like very sexy birth preparation, but it is fundamentally important, and if you don’t spend the time on it you could feel very disappointed. You wouldn’t build your house without a solid foundation, please don’t plan your birth without one either, otherwise you are relying on luck that nothing will shake that foundation. And I know your birth is too important to you to rely on luck. If you want to learn more about how to check in on your goals and your decisions and to see if they are aligned, you can access my free webinar on this topic here: http://bit.ly/alignmentprocess #decisions #alignment #freewebinar See more

07.01.2022 If you are on IG come and join me now in a live with Gena Kirby to discuss obstetric violence. PS this in only the first video of my story... come over to IG to see the rest

07.01.2022 ’ . There’s more to it than learning how to duck and weave around care-provider policy. And whilst these things can be helpful they aren’t addressing the real problems that lie in the state of birth in our culture. The state that our industrialised maternity system is in, that is responsible for assault, coercion, bullying, unnecessary interventions, birth trauma and PTSD. For the most part, the usua...l type of preparation isn’t enough to counter the deep-seated fear our society holds about birth. And the ones that hold some of the deepest fears are often our care-providers and this fear is increased by the autocratic model the system exists in. And if you are interacting with that system your own fear will surge in response, your own conditioning of responding to authority will show itself, your need to keep everyone happy will come to the fore. And this is where the beyond work is critical to your preparation. If you want to find out more about what you can do to prepare beyond the ordinary so your birth is about what YOU actually want then send me a message to see how I can help. There’s more out there. #nottheusualbirthpreparation #beyondthefear #dotheworkforyourbirth

07.01.2022 ’ . Today when she was asked to share something about herself she said that she has two dogs (at her dad’s house!) and she’s loud. I love that she owns it, isn’t ashamed of it, doesn’t play small. ... I wonder how long she will keep this vision of herself - forever I hope. I was only sharing with someone today that it’s taken me 30 years to find my voice again after it was continuously shut down when I was a similar age. Our society finds loud girls a challenge and tries to shame us into quiet. I think we may have met someone to break the cycle. I’m here for it. What about you? Are you raising a cycle-breaker loud girl? #cyclebreaker #loudgirl #proudgirl See more

07.01.2022 ’ ? Whilst obstetric violence is often physically abusive with stories that will make you recoil in horror (although stories that others still justify on a regular basis), it also can be described as the coercion and manipulation that so many women face. I remember once hearing a woman tell her midwife that she did not want any routine vaginal exams in labour and the midwife responded, ‘but I like to do them’.... I recall hearing a woman explain that she didn’t want a particular type of monitoring during her labour and I saw the obstetrician whisper something in her ear. I later found out that she had asked her if she wanted her baby to die. One of my clients told me that at her first pre-natal appointment her midwife took one look at her and told her she would be more likely to tear and bleed. There is the obstetrician who yelled at a woman do you want yet another dead baby on your hands? when she refused routine birth interventions at 37 weeks, pregnant after a previous loss. Another woman, during her appointment had a doctor whom she had never met, call out from an adjacent office to say that she would be induced at 38 weeks. Then there was an obstetrician who tried to convince a woman that a repeat planned caesarean would be a better option because her husband would appreciate her vagina staying intact. I’ve been told about midwives in tearooms who laugh over birth plans and the things women bring into their labouring space to help them feel comfortable. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, I know that these types of occurrences are commonly accepted as a norm of giving birth in our society and I know that there are those that will argue that these examples don’t constitute violence. But they do. Just like emotional abuse is now being recognised as domestic violence, so should these every day actions by care-providers be seen as obstetric violence. An article written in 2018 concludes that ‘obstetric violence portrays a violation of human rights and a serious public health problem and is revealed in the form of negligent, reckless, omissive, discriminatory and disrespectful acts practiced by health professionals and legitimized by the symbolic relations of power that naturalize and trivialize their occurrence.’ Is it time to expect more from those who take on the care of women who birth, women who are not just vessels for the sole purpose of producing a baby? Rather, we are fully autonomous humans embarking on a fundamental experience. And let me tell you what I tell every woman I work with, no one cares more about the well-being of your baby than you and anyone who attempts to make you feel otherwise is in the wrong job. If you are wanting to process what happened in your birth please get in touch to see how I can help. #obstetricviolence #birthtrauma #womenownbirth

07.01.2022 Throwback to that time my daughter got to try out some radio presenting. Seeing this photo got me thinking about my podcast. Today I recorded an interview with one of the women I walked with who dove head first into her work with me and did the internal exploration of herself to find out what she was truly willing to do to have the birth she wanted and knew she deserved. I can’t wait to share it with you! Showing up and sharing our stories is vulnerable work and I’m grat...eful to each and every one of them for being willing so that other women can learn from their experiences. If you are interested in hearing the transformation these women experienced at the time of their pregnancies you can search for ‘Earthside with Leisa Masters’ on your podcast app. #podcast #transformationalbirthstories #freebirth

06.01.2022 "" . Because if the way a woman is breastfeeding isn't perceived as perfect, a woman will be subject to a level of advice that at best will overwhelm her and at worst will distract her from a real problem that she may actually need help with. Our society has become so destructive to women's breastfeeding journeys by outright discouraging it, with shaming and pushing of artificial feeding, or by inundating women with "help" th...at they do not need. Breastfeeding is no longer widely visible to women nor a baby's behaviour understood. And like birth, breastfeeding has become agreeable within only a narrow scope and any variations are unsupported and unacknowledged as normal. If women don't have the foundational information about breastfeeding, the trust to know how to feed and care for their own babies as they individually need, then the fragility of the way our society sees breastfeeding will undermine that dyad at every turn. For most women and babies, breastfeeding works just fine, but overcoming myths and misinformation is the real challenge of breastfeeding at this time. If you would like to build your breastfeeding knowledge, get in touch with me to find out about my group mentoring program that will see you moving through the early weeks and ongoing months with confidence. #breastfeedingmyths #breastfeedingknowledge #breastfeedingclass See more

06.01.2022 When a woman is committed to her growth and vulnerability it so incredible to witness

06.01.2022 Join Karen on her story as she learns how to love herself. https://spoti.fi/336ge2g #podcast #birthstories

05.01.2022 ? Will all your carefully laid plans crumble at the first hurdle, the first prod by your care-provider? In that vulnerable moment will you have the ability to make the decision that is right for you or will you make one that is due to fear and compliance?... Because what happens in that moment often makes the difference to how you feel about your whole birth. And I know that matters to you. I know you want to be sure about what you are choosing for yourself. Having the confidence and sureness to decide in a way that is right for you isn't something most of us possess, because we've had a lifetime of conditioning that has stripped us of the capability. This capacity to be sure is something to learn, to practice, to grow into. And once you do, this knowing will be there for your whole life. Come change your birth and your life. Learn how to chose for yourself in those critical moments. Send me a message to find out about my free decision-making webinar. #itmatters #decisionmaking #startlearning See more

05.01.2022 Emma’s discovery of freedom. https://bit.ly/3fIE0pa

05.01.2022 ‘ ’. That’s what someone called me today and I had to laugh, and I replied that if you ask the women I work with they’d probably agree wholeheartedly. Accountability can be hard to deal with sometimes, especially over such intimate topics as I work on with women. It can be tough to be asked hard questions or be reminded about a goal you set that you aren’t keeping to.... Just this morning my friend rang me and told me I should go for a run while the weather was cooler, since I’d been saying it was too hot over the past couple of weeks. I felt kind of grumpy that she was poking me about my laziness which of course she wasn’t but because she prompted me, it was on my mind all day. This evening even though it was threatening rain, off I went. It was great (well it hurt the whole time), but you know what I mean. I was so glad she had raised it with me, it wouldn’t have happened otherwise. The thing is, I really love the women I work with; I see their vision for themselves and I see the blocks they face. I’m there for the uncomfortable conversations, and the push back when they don’t want to hear my probing questions or any reminders about what they once told me they wanted for themselves. But what I know is, I’ve been doing this for long enough to know what sits on the other side of that discomfort, when women grow into new versions of themselves, when they go where they were scared to, they see whole new possibilities for themselves, and they like it. I’m here for it. Accountability can be rough but if you want someone to lovingly call out your bullshit, then I guess that’s me. I wonder what awesomeness we could discover together, for your birth and your life. #accountability #bullshit #compassion See more

05.01.2022 My work is steeped in helping women recognise their self-worth. Whether it’s for their birth, their mothering, their work or for their whole lives. We’ve been conditioned our whole lives to please and to pander and often do not have the tools to put ourselves at the centre of our own lives. Seeing women change their lives through our work, most often unexpectedly, brings me so much joy. ... I am always incredibly grateful to hear the words of these women. #selfworth #selfesteem #showingup See more

05.01.2022 ’ , . Let’s stop needing to search for ways to pick up the pieces afterwards. Let’s stop reassuring women that they can figure it out in the system. ... Let’s put our effort into helping women abandon the system that was never there for them in the first place. Let’s take this opportunity to recognise that birth trauma is in fact an appropriate response to violence and harm. Let’s instead focus on the problem and not the outcome and then women might find themselves less likely to need to have this response. Let’s help women to find the pathways to healthy, happy, normal, physiological, biological birth where we don’t have to recover from the harm of being abused. Life is not without trauma, that might come to us whether we can help it or not but the brutality that women face day in and day out in a system that gaslights, with harm that is dressed up as help, must be called out. That’s what I want to see this week. If you want to work through what happened to you during your birth, send me a message, let’s talk about it. #birthtrauma #obstetricviolence #thesystemharms See more

04.01.2022 ? We have been birthing our babies since the beginning of time. Why do we need to do all this conscious preparation, why do we need to dig so deep? If you’ve been lucky enough to come from a line of women who’ve shown you birth birth where biology is represented in all her glory then you will have trust for the normalcy of it written into the deepest part of your brain. This will drive your belief in your body’s ability and the...re will be so many less barriers for your journey to birth. But that experience is rare now. Now our brains are layered in doubt and fear, our conscious and subconscious are filled with birth as trauma, birth as dangerous and birth as painful. And to add more layers to this, our maternity system is steeped in paternalistic and infantilising behaviours. To step out from under that weight into a clearer space, to strip back each layer and examine it, does take this deep work. But it is freeing work, as each layer is peeled back, the air feels clearer and your path less cluttered. With medical interventions in birth continuing to increase, and access to care that supports unhindered birth steadily decreasing, this work has never been more necessary to discover what you need for yourself. So the question isn’t why are we doing it, but rather why wouldn’t we be? #prepareforit #dothework #youwontbesorry See more

04.01.2022 , ’ , , , . The questions you had remain unanswered, the connection you wanted unfulfilled. Do you feel like you are on an assembly line?... So many care-provider interactions are like this. Women feeling unheard, dismissed, and personal goals ignored. And if its like this in your pregnancy, how will it be in your birth? Will they make space for your baby to come when its ready, or will you need to meet the dates they’ve decided on? Will your labour be supported to unfold as it needs, or will there be an arbitrary timeline that you’ll be expected to meet? And if you don’t, will you receive the standard roll-out of interventions to get your labour in line with their desires not yours? What if that doesn’t work, what happens next, instruments, surgery? This is the story of so many birthing women. What they wanted fallen by the wayside of other’s expectations. But there are ways this can be different for you. You don’t have to wait for it to turn out like this, out of your control and with someone else’s decisions. You CAN change this, starting now. If you want something different, if you want your own needs front and centre, now is the time to figure out how to do that. If you feel you are ready to make your own story for your birth, talk to me about setting up a free time to chat, so we can see what’s possible for you.

04.01.2022 , . Women struggling to juggle all that is necessary to mother our babes in an unsupportive society with competing needs and unrealistic expectations. Women share their anger with me frequently, and with it comes their shame and regret. And I understand, it comes to me too. I carry the anger from my childhood as my mother raised me far from her own support network and with my father frequently away. It became my norm to be on the r...eceiving end of her frustration and annoyance and I feel how that influences my own mothering. It feels even harder with the rise of the perfect imagery of social media and if I didn’t hold so many stories of other women, then I would feel alone in my struggles with maternal anger. My daughter and I discuss these challenges together, in a hope that she will be able to move one step further in the cycle breaking and be released from the feelings that I know too well. I share this with transparency, and nervousness. And with a hope that as we learn to support each other more deeply that some of this anger may ease, but that in the meantime we can feel validated that this mothering gig is hard and overwhelming. And sometimes with unwanted feelings. I am so pleased that on Wednesday, @drsophiebrock will join me for a live to discuss maternal anger in more detail, drawing on her experience as an expert in breaking down the taboos of mothering and share how she guides women through this vulnerable time. #instagramlive #anger #mother See more

04.01.2022 . I’m always so honoured to be welcomed back to celebrate milestones and it was a wonderful night of reminiscing about the way Justine’s birth unfolded and the extraordinary work she did to step into her decision to freebirth her baby. We remembered the pivotal moment in her decision-making when she was answering the question prompts in my ‘Birth Prep’ online course. It was the moment when... she finally knew what path she needed to take to have the birth she wanted for herself. For a limited time, this course is available free to anyone planning a VBAC. So if this is you, message me for a link. You don’t know where it could take you! Love you Justine, thanks for choosing me to walk with you. #clientlove #cantbelieveitsbeensixmonths #beautifulbirth See more

04.01.2022 , . When we are in the midst of our experiences this isn’t always easy to hear, but when we take the time to reflect we can often see something that we couldn’t see before that is here for us, for our learning. As I moved through the dark days of my birth trauma I couldn’t see anything of value, only my pain, hurt and anger.... But after a while, with someone beside me, I could see the light. And the light was me. I emerged new, expansive and grown. Out of my trauma came strength, determination and a sense of self that had not been there before. And it was beautiful. Where are you at when you reflect on your traumatic birth? #birthtrauma #birthhealing #findyourbeauty See more

04.01.2022 ? Are our care-providers offering us options, sharing their knowledge and expertise in an unbiased way and accepting our responses as the final word? They should be, right? Most of the time women tell me they dread their appointments. They know they are going to face a range of tactics to convince them to agree to certain interventions or procedures. Ones they want to say no to but are frightened they will agree to.... In online groups I hear over and over how you can just say no, but this is ignoring the complexity of power dynamics, our upbringings around authority figures and the added subtle message that to say no makes us selfish and uncaring of our babies. Whilst undoubtedly most care-providers genuinely believe they are providing the safest care to women and babies they are overlooking the most vital of factors they are ignoring women, the person who cares THE MOST about their baby. It seems increasingly impossible to maintain this status quo care-providers not listening and women unwillingly handing over their fundamental rights in birth. What can we do? Can we change the way we respond to conversations; do we walk away from these conversations all together as an ever-increasing volume of women are choosing to do? I don’t have the answer for you because the thing I know is each woman is on her own journey to discover what she needs. And the other thing I know is that immense shifts are possible when women are asked the right questions, when they are placed at the centre of the conversation, when we trust them to make all the best decisions. It’s time to change, and the system isn’t doing the changing, so it’s down to you. What are you prepared to choose, what are you going to do, to make sure this birth is exactly what you need it to be? If this makes you think YES! If this is what you know you are ready for. If this is what you know you need to make your birth your own, then let’s talk. PS if you are planning a VBAC for your next birth get in touch as I’m providing free access to my Birth Prep and Planning workshop this week. #makethechange #yourbirthyourway #dontcountonluck

03.01.2022 , ’ . Your deepest fear is that it will be. . You feel stuck, too terrified to move forward but knowing you must do something, so that it doesn’t happen again. You want someone to get it. You want someone in your corner. . Being pregnant again after a birth that ended in caesarean, and wanting something so different for yourself this time, is a space that so many people don’t understand. It can make you retreat int...o yourself and not know where to turn. . Planning for your vaginal birth can be liberating as you move through your fears, being able to see what happened last time and move towards a different story for your future. . It is so possible, and within your grasp. A birth as powerful as you. . If you are planning a VBAC, there’s one more day to access my ‘Birth Preparation and Planning’ course for free. Send me a DM to find out how. . And if you want to ‘Learn to VBAC’ we can talk about that too. #birthtrauma #vbac #healing See more

03.01.2022 , but many women will be able to clearly share the occasions when she was lied to during her pregnancy and birth. These deceptions range from outright lies to get you to do something for the convenience of the care-provider, to omissions of risk factors when promoting benefits of an intervention, to misleading women about policy to get them to do something because of fear and discomfort. And everything in between. Sitti...ng here, I am running through in my head the vast volume of lies I have heard said to women. Honestly, it is exhausting. So how the heck do you figure it out? Firstly, you need to learn what you want for yourself, and then you need to start asking questions. This is going to provide your first and very obvious clue. Does your care-provider love being asked questions, happy to share answers with you about what you have asked? Do they seem relaxed and interested to learn that you know what you want for your birth? If the answer is yes, then you are off to a great start. This is what trusted relationships with a care-provider can look like. If the answer is no, then that is not great. Your care-provider is just that, a provider of services - they work for you. Of course, you have engaged with them for their expertise, but that should come with a personalised approach to your needs. And here you have a choice. You can stay with a care-provider who isn’t interested in what you want, and who is very set in what they will be deciding for you, and this is the space of tough decision-making. This pregnancy and birth is just not going to be about you. Is that okay with you? It will be for some women, and that’s alright. Only you can choose what you are comfortable with. But if you aren’t okay with a care-provider not holding you at the centre of your care, you’ve got some work to do to figure out your next steps. You deserve to have a relationship with someone who cares about you and what you want. You are worth it. What about you? Have you experienced care-provider lies? What did you do? #lies #obstetrics #questioneverything See more

03.01.2022 I love it out here. It is the place I love to go. The wind blows my worries away and the sea is an ever changing hue of green. Do you have somewhere you go, that takes you back to yourself? #nature #myplace #tropics

03.01.2022 When I was in my 20s I lived and worked in southern Africa. While I was there, I experienced a break-in where I was held at knife point. I didn’t know what would happen while I sat on the floor in a corner with a machete above my head. My house and things were searched and taken, and I didn’t know if I would be raped, cut, or killed. Thankfully I wasn’t physically harmed. Afterwards, I tried to get on with life, accepting what had happened but mostly just putting the experi...ence to the side. It wasn’t until over a decade later when someone was describing their own violent experience and subsequent PTSD, that I realised that I had experienced all the signs of the same. The flashbacks, the middle of the night terror, mood swings and anger. I was so grateful to be able to put a name to it, it somehow enabled me to make sense of it. I see something similar now that I work as a birth professional. We are socialised to believe that birth is bad, so when we then do experience a bad birth, we just get on with it, but this time with a newborn to care for. I so often speak to women who can’t put the words to their trauma, but they know something isn’t right. The more we talk about what birth trauma looks like, the more we help women put a name to their experience and perhaps enable them to start to process what happened to them. Experiencing trauma is a huge deal, it gets written into our DNA. If you feel bad about your birth, but you can’t quite put your finger on why, please reach out to someone who will understand. It is possible to move through it. #birthtraumaawareness #traumaticbirth #healing See more

03.01.2022 . This healing should not be dependent on another birth for permission to be processed, and in fact perhaps it is unfair for that next birth to have so much pressure on it to be the vessel for healing. The healing work can, and I would even suggest, should be done for its own sake, because women, babies and births are worth this time and dedication. And I have seen what happens when this time is taken, women emerge rele...ased from the heavy weight of the pain of their births. When this work is done, to move through healing, then another birth can, with its own story, provide a fulfilling experience for a woman on its own terms. And it is magnificent to see. Taking the time to release your birth can allow your next birth to shine in its own right. #birthtrauma #healing #healyourbirth See more

02.01.2022 - ’ I met Karen several years ago when she approached me to work with her as she planned to birth her fourth baby vaginally after three previous caesareans. In this podcast we discuss how Karen realised that her fear was just too great to let go of and how after a long labour where she navigated difficult hospital policy, she decided to have a fourth caesarean. Karen shares how, since her son’s birth, she has been striving t...o master her fear in all facets of her life. Karen also gets vulnerable talking about her mothering style and how disconnected she was from her first three children. She shares that through self-reflection she has learned how to love herself and what that now means for her family. https://spoti.fi/336ge2g #masteryourfear #bevulnerable #transformyourlife Salubrious Source See more

02.01.2022 Journey with Justine as she grapples with deciding what she wants for her birth and find out how she chooses what is exactly right for her. Hear the whole episode on the Earthside Podcast here: https://spoti.fi/31IiKLH

01.01.2022 . Dreading every appointment with your care-provider, feeling trapped into a situation that you don't want, or need is so oppressive and anxiety-inducing. Having your baby's wellbeing held over your head, as though you are negligent for wanting to make choices that feel best to you, is not okay. Do you want to break free? You can.... When you examine what is keeping you stuck in your current space, you can start to move away from it, into what feels good and right for you. It's so freeing to trust yourself, to no longer have other people's fear impact you. If you are ready to start feeling the freedom for your birth (and your life) let's start talking. You deserve this. #moreoutthere #birthinfreedom #youdeserveit

01.01.2022 ‘ ’ .’ I’m told this often about my breastfeeding group program. Women share with me the multitude of ways their breastfeeding experience was undermined from the earliest days and also as the months go on. They tell me how they were able to navigate terrible advice, misinformation and unsupportive comments through the knowledge, tools and perspective they gained from attending my program.... My four week program (3 x one hour group calls and 1 x one-to-one call) provides a strong foundation to understand breastfeeding as well as how to navigate the hurdles that will come your way. Beginning 30 January, send me a message for more information. #breastfeedingsupport #breastfeedingjourney #getintheknow See more

01.01.2022 Are you craving connection with other mothers and women? If you live close to Darwin I have some wonderful news! On Saturday 28th November the , , will be held at our gorgeous lake side house. Get in touch if you’d like to find out more.

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