FYC Village Doula Blogs

Fill Your Cup has birth and postpartum doulas located in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Geelong and Hobart. 

One of the questions I get asked most often is, how do I choose the right doula for me?

Both doulas and midwives play crucial roles in supporting women during childbirth, doulas primarily offer emotional and physical support, while midwives provide medical care and assistance throughout the entire childbirth journey. Together they can work together as a team for your birth alongside obstetricians, paediatricians and other allied healthcare practitioners. 

How to prepare for the first 6 weeks of motherhood?

They say it takes a Village to raise a child, but I would argue your baby is fine - it's the mother that needs the Village. 

In my interview with Jessie Stephens and Gemma Pranita I go in depth about the things to expect once your baby arrives but more importantly how you are going to no just survive but THRIVE in motherhood. 

Nature play is not only a very low-cost activity but has also been proven to have both mental and physical benefits through direct association with nature. It has been shown to improve mood, reduce depression, and alleviate mental fatigue. Children who engage in regular outdoor play benefit from increased flexibility and gross motor skills. Furthermore, I would argue that not only is your child receiving the benefits of nature, but when you share that nature playtime with them, you yourself are also reaping those benefits of being connected with your kids and nature.

Bone broth has gained popularity due to its numerous potential health benefits. Here are some of the benefits associated with consuming bone broth.

Now, if you have been making bone broth by simmering it for half a day and stinking out the house.... here's my recipe for the quickest chicken bone broth. My secret weapon: an Instant Pot:

Instead of downloading schedules, how to’s on nailing drowsy but awake or wondering if your baby is normal, I want you to put that energy into eating another FYC cookie, putting your feet up and reading what I wish every parent knew about their new baby’s sleep. Straight from an infant sleep specialist to your tired & beautiful self, navigating new parenthood.

The US-based team mapped the cellular changes from normal endometrium to the disease state - endometriosis. Further discovering that the different subgroups had “striking difference in gene expression [molecular signature], adding to a growing body of literature to support that endometriomas and peritoneal lesions are two distinct disease entities”.

These ‘biological road maps’ of cellular change, as well as the unique molecular signatures of the two disease subtypes can now be used by researchers across the world to begin further studies into more personalised therapeutics against endometriosis. Hopefully demystifying the challenging diagnosis and current treatment regime of surgery and hormone therapy, which have varying levels of success.

Professor James McKenna's research on infant sleep highlights the importance of breastfeeding and co-sleeping for optimal infant development and well-being, as well as the need for safe sleep environments to reduce the risk of SIDS. His work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the complex nature of infant sleep and the ways in which different sleep practices can affect the health and development of infants.

I have been making this dessert since I was 15 years old. It is a berry tiramisu that can be whipped up in 15 minutes and made one to two days in advance. It is delicious, refreshing and so easy to prepare, utilizing beautiful Australian berries, which are just my favourite thing to eat at this time of the year. Most importantly, the title of the dish is slightly deceiving in that it doesn’t have coffee in it, which I adore because I detest coffee.

Ever wondered why people tell you that skin to skin with your baby is so important?

Well, let me tell you a little bit about the magic of a baby being born. 

Following the birth of your baby your brain receives messaging that a baby has arrived (interestingly thanks to the birth of your placenta, not baby) and a wonderful hormone called prolatin begins to upregulate. As you would expect from its name, prolactin is responsible for the initiation of lactation or production of your milk supply. 

Another hormone which is critical for breastfeeding is oxytocin. 'The Love Hormone'. Oxytocin is responsible for the milk ejection or removal of the milk from your breast into your bubba's mouth. 

Introducing our bubbas to solid food is supposed to be an exciting time for everyone, however I appreciate that it can cause some angst as well. Choking, mess, which foods do I start with? Do you go with baby-led weaning… what is baby-led weaning? And all that stuff.

The 6-week Check-up. This is typically a huge milestone placed on mothers, a time where evidently we can all ‘get back to it’ and we can return to ‘regular programming’. But let me assure you that, it’s not always the case. 

Whilst your bubba may have penciled in a shopping list of appointments with the maternal child health nurse, GP and/or paediatrician, mama’s are often only afforded a single ‘6-week’ follow up appointment and sent on their merry way. So let’s talk about the type of care and observations you should be looking for from your Village of Health Professionals. 

Very rarely do we recommend products for our FYC Mamas, we believe every mama and babies journey is unique and therefore the MUST HAVES are just not going to fit for everyone. 

BUT, there is one product that we suggest for our Mamas, something tried, tested and tested again. A product which has lifelong functionality, not something you will be selling off on Facebook Marketplace in 3 months time. 

Behold, the Mama Trolley.

Our guided steps to a gentle c-section. Now, this may not be your story, planning the c-section, perhaps it has been bestowed upon you, but remember it is still your body, your birth and we are here to empower you each step of the way. 

We've fast-tracked the research part, skipped past the Google Rabbit Hole and wanted to share some of those books with you. In these books you will learn how to nourish yourself, kick postnatal depletion to the curb, develop an understanding about normal infant behaviour (think sleep and feeding) and how best to prepare for The Fourth Trimester. The authors of these books have all walked the walk and developed these books from years of research and experience in their specialist fields. 

Did you know that 95% of women stepping into motherhood say they would like to breastfeed, however only 39% are exclusively breastfeeding at 16 weeks.

In our podcast interview with Dr Pamela Douglas, Founder and Medical Director of POSSUMS Neuroprotective Developmental Care, I asked her why we see such a significant decrease in rates of mother’s breastfeeding journeys. Her response: 

‘The health system is letting women down..they don’t have the clinical skills to be able to deal with the distressing problems women encounter while breastfeeding’

Much of the problems Dr Douglas describes comes from nipple pain, which in her opinion is highly over medicalised at the moment. Typically stemming from continual breast tissue drag from incorrect fit and hold of the mother:baby dyad. 

Which birthing class do I choose, Hypnobirthing, hospital classes, Calm Birth, SheBirth or a really personalised one on one chat with a midwife? Come and choose your Birth Class adventure!

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based  prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and unapologetically critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is the author of two bestselling books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.

Let's talk QIARA probiotics. If you're pregnant or already a mama I'm sure you've seen it advertised, talked about and maybe been a customer. This off-the-shelf probiotic has been hailed by some mothers as a 'miracle preventative and treatment for mastitis' for a number of years now. But how does this tiny sachet of white substance work its magic? Let's start from the beginning.

As women we are wired to thrive through community. Through connection. Through learning from other women of all ages. This is where we come into our own. We share thoughts and lessons, recipes, feelings, troughs and triumphs.

Chicken Brodo. You cook the chicken and veggies to make the Brodo stock, saving the cooked chook and veggies for another (easy to prep) meal. Then cook the Popetti (fancy word for meatballs) in the Brodo stock, add some pasta, maybe some extra veggies and you are done! This recipe is incredibly adaptable, and you can really add any mix of veggies you like. The reason I keep coming back to this recipe is that ease that it provides from the rest of the week, always something to whip up.

I was helpless in that moment. I could not calm her, every time I tried to move closer to her it would set her off again. All I could do was sit and watch and wait with tears rolling down my cheeks. I had to be the calm in the storm.

So there you have it, my two favourite resources for getting unstuck in parenthood. When big emotions start bubbling in our house, I call on Dan Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson and Steve Biddulph for some advice.