As strange and even ridiculous as this statement sounds it’s a more common thought to occupy the mind of new parents than you might imagine.

It might be tempting if you hear a parent say this, to mollify them. ‘Don’t be silly’ you might say. Or ‘that’s daft, a baby can’t hate anyone’ you might try ...

If there is one thing we should all know about perinatal mental health, it’s this:

I consider myself to be very lucky. I love working with parents because I know first hand how unhelpful perinatal anxiety is to the bonding process.

I know how damaging everyday anxiety is to our sense of self, our ...

As a pre & post natal specialist who hold groups for mums and babies you become used to reading the signs of a mum who has had a rough time with her birth. My heart aches for the women who tear up when others talk about their positive birth, or have to leave the room completely. The women who strugg...

I am sure that many birth professionals reading this will think ‘I do offer a service to listen to folks birth stories.’ And I know that many will be listening and hearing parents birth stories as part of their role as a doula getting to know clients, or as a hypnobirthing teacher discussing their v...

Research suggests that PNA is as prevalent as PND in new parents, effecting as many as 20% of parents in the first year. Yet, despite this many HCPs lack the knowledge to identify anxiety in new parents often dismissing what they hear as ‘normal’ worry.*

GAD scores are routinely used by mental heal...

I will be completely honest with you, when I first decided to study Clinical Hypnotherapy, it was because of my own rampant problems with anxiety and addiction. However rather than face, what I perceived at the time, as the stigma of a mental health problem I decided to learn about my experience rat...

There are record numbers of nurses and midwives leaving the NHS and they are stating intolerable stress and pressure as the reasons, according to separate reports by the RCM and RCN.*

The numbers of nurses and midwives at a glance appear to be up because recruitment drives are bearing fruit, sho...

It was very upsetting to read about one of the biggest maternity scandals ever at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust last week. 40 years of ‘toxic’ culture within the maternity services there has lead to the uncovering 326 cases of suspected poor care.

‘Bill Kirkup, who chaired the Morecambe ...

I started surveying parents about their debriefing experiences about a year ago.

My reason for the survey was because as a therapist working with traumatised parents I often heard that they had under gone a debrief with their HCP  and that very often it had been a re-traumatising process that had b...

Ever stopped to think why our birth stories are so important? No matter how many years that pass, we will always remember the day our children came into the world.

The number 37 bus was stuck in thick traffic as it inched from Richmond to Isleworth on that damp and slightly depressing afternoon. I ...

To be a part of such a huge and tangible difference to a person’s emotional wellness and parenting journey is no small thing. Witnessing these kinds of transformation is magical, life changing and humbling all in one go. I am very lucky to have received feedback from most of the parents that I have ...

Here guest blogger, doula and Nurturing Birth course facilitator, Sophie Brigstocke, explains just some of the ways a doula can bring relief to parents hit by a difficult birth experience.

As a doula, I hope that every woman will have a truly positive birth.  I hope that she will feel listened t...