I firmly believe that however different a pregnancy or birth experience is from the one that was expected or hoped for, those experiences can still be positive if parents receive sensitive support and trusted practical information to confidently navigate the journey.  However, finding your way in the dark, on your own, through this journey, with a world of conflicting advice and helpful and unhelpful stories, makes for unecessary worry at a time that should be amazing and exciting.

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Sadly in our society we often find this birth and parenthood journey rather complicated and daunting, because often we grow up know very little about it. The last birth most of us ever were present at, or saw with our own eyes, or felt with our own emotions, was our OWN! The last time we have been around babies is often when an older relative or friend or a parent had one and that was ages ago- right?!  Modern cultures also mean that family often live far away.  In such a 'modern' world we have lost the earth-shakingly indespensible value of experienced, friendly, 'mother figures' and we have missed the vital life lessons of having birth and babies around us, growing with us as we grow.  It’s times like these that you want to connect with all that, which is probably why we reach out for support and why you have reached us here.  I was a child and a parent-to-be of this 'modern world' too.

 

I was frustrated and disappointed that the antenatal education I received didn’t match up to my needs as a mum-to-be, that it didn't properly prepare me for the reality of birth or give me a balanced and full view of the options available to me in birth and beyond in those early days and weeks.  The social and support network benefits that I gained however were worth every penny.

I also found it frustrating that a lot of education available tends to offer their approach to birth in silo of other just as valid approaches, which forces parents-to-be have to make hard choices with birth prep, when what they actually need is to experience different approaches to go onto make the best decisions for their baby's birth. 

 

Admitting that my expectations were somewhat way off reality and I had had a relatively uncomplicated birth too, looking back I realised that my husband and I weren’t informed enough to make and take a lot of decisions about our new family during and after birth, and that maybe if we had had the opportunity to experience other approaches we/I would have birthed our daughter differently.  When we came home I realized just how much I and we weren’t prepared for and what a learning curve we were on.  That said we found our own way at our own speed.  Fast forward a few years and I have equally realized what a difference it would have made if we had received more  thorough, realistic, and pragmatic information from the off and how much confidence we would have gained as new parents from knowing all our options and fall back options in a less 'this is the best way' style.  And so I was truly inspired to help others achieve better births and early parenthood experiences.

 

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