KEEP IT SIMPLE. Avoid making life more complicated than it needs to be.

PREGNANCY IS A TIME OF GROWTH – not just the tummy. Work through the emotional stuff that comes to the surface.

INTELLECTUALISING WON’T HELP.  It hinders birth. Get real and be honest!

PLENTY OF REST. Plenty of exercise and good food.

DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR POWER. Honour the goddess!

TRY TO HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE on your own with the baby for at least three or four weeks after the birth.

HAVE HEAPS OF CUDDLES with your man or a close friend.

USE YOUR INTUITION. You know what to do.

BE IN THE MOMENT. “Catch-life-as-it-flows.”

MAKE TIME FOR SOME ZAZEN each day. It is revitalising.

DON’T TRY TO BE SUPERWOMAN. And for God’s sake, keep your sense of humour. Otherwise, you are done for.

REMEMBER, we are all sisters on this amazing journey through life.

An extract from Helen Laing’s wonderful book “Birthing in Paradise – An alternative approach to child birth”

If you want to keep your birth as natural as possible then practice regular relaxation, listen to your intuition and trust your body! Listen to what your body is telling you, not what other people are telling you. No-one knows your body like you do. If you feel comfortable with this and trust what your body is telling you, you will know if everything is okay, or if you need to make changes.

Avoid interventions wherever possible, otherwise you may start the ‘cascade of intervention’, whereby one intervention leads to another, then another and another. Work with your body’s natural endorphins and oxytocin.  They are there for a reason and make labour so much more comfortable, as long as you don’t block them out with artificial substitutes. Find out more ideas on what you can do in my eBook on ‘Childbirth Preparation’.  Available at:  www.childbirthpreparationebook.com

Due date is calculated by adding 7 days and 9 months to the start of your last menstrual period.  This is of course, assuming that you have a regular 28 day cycle! If not, the dates may be out by 1-2 weeks.  That is why ‘due date’ can be anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks gestation!  So don’t let your doctor tell you that you’re ‘overdue’ when you get to 40 weeks and 1 day (or earlier!). You’re not technically ‘overdue’ until you go past 42 weeks! Of course, if there is a concern for the mother or baby’s wellbeing before this date, there may be an indication to start labour sooner.

Generally though, mums know their cycles better than anyone else and should know by how they’re feeling and how much their baby is moving, as to whether anything is wrong.  So listen to your body, trust your intuition and allow the baby to choose it’s birthdate.

During pregnancy, women have a heightened sensitivity and very keen intuition. We receive many insights and visions in this time, which may be your baby trying to communicate with you, or it may be your subconscious letting you know what’s best for you.  Listen to these messages, write them down and above all…Trust your Intuition!