FYC Village Doula Blogs

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 Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and unapologetically critical of outdated dietary guidelines.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.