Dear First name / friend,

I started the month with a doula home meeting and then I had a little vacation with my family to get prepared for a busy month full of educations and births. How are you doing with the new pandemic restrictions? I would love to hear from you.

In today's newsletter:

🎈Cesarean awareness month

🎈Childbirth experience expectations

🎈A brand recommendation: Imroz Herbal

🎈Book recommendation: Mindful Birthing

This month is cesarean awareness month. First of all let me send my love to all belly birth mamas. 

Cesarean is not an alternative for birth. It is a life saver operation for the mother and the baby when needed. So it is very vital to have that option. It is not safer or easier than vaginal birth. It is definitely not about the ability of a woman to give birth or the power of a woman. Sometimes nature needs help too or a mother may choose to have a cesarean. 

It is important to know your choices though. When you have a c-section, you can have preferences too. You can choose to have a mother-baby friendly cesarean. Also there are things to be recovered after the baby's birth. Therefore it is important to learn the physiological needs for birth and cesarean during pregnancy. 

I wonder about your opinion about cesarean and about your experience if you have First name / friend I would be happy to hear if you reply and write to me.

What matters to women during childbirth? What affects the satisfaction of women for their experience? So, what do women want?

👉🏻The campaign “What Women Want” surveyed 1.2 million women from 114 countries about general needs about healthcare including the childbirth experience. 

👉🏻An other research had done 35 studies in 19 countries about what matters to women during childbirth. 

👉🏻An other research reviewed 137 reports about pain and women's satisfaction with the experience of childbirth.

(Please click and see the references)

What are common of all studies:

*active involvement in decision making

*to be able to choose her birth companion, practical and emotional support from birth companions

*giving birth to a healthy child in a clinically and psychologically safe environment

*women’s personal expectations and cultural beliefs

*the quality of the relationship with and the amount of support from caregivers and the medical staff

*personal expectations

Well then, birth support should be a standard and every mother should be able to get support. To be able to actively involve in decision making, every family should be informed before labour and should participate in a childbirth education. Every woman should be able to reach all of the above. Imagine a world in which all families are satisfied with their birth experience and all babies born in such environment!

What are/were your expectations? Can you relate with those above? 

I want you to meet a brand that comes from nature: Imroz Herbal. The brand owner, Deniz produce everything by herself from the medicinal plants being grown in her own field. You will find mother-baby products that you can use during pregnancy and after birth. I personally use almost all of her products and lavender oil and hydrosol with the couples I work with during birth and postpartum. You can click the link below and check her instagram account @imrozherbal

I have started to re-read my birth related books and I would like to recommend you Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke. 

You can find many practices inside to use during pregnancy, birth and after birth. I really like the approach to be present during labor contractions because the sensations during contractions change as the labor proceed. That's why we practice these with my couples during our childbirth education sessions together. 

What I also like is the informal meditations inside the book. After you give birth, you may not have time to sit and meditate but you can turn your daily actions in to mindfulness practices (like brushing your teeth, changing diapers, breastfeeding…)

Enjoy!