The setting for birth can be the difference between a fulfilling and a traumatic childbirth experience*. Just take a moment to re-read that sentence and think about the impact of it...it's a pretty dramatic statement. When you consider all of the aspects pregnant women and their partners invest so heavily in, in terms of time, energy and money, virtually none of my clients spend a large amount of time considering the birthing environment, or how to influence it. And I can understand how a pregnant woman might feel they have little control or influence over their birth setting. But let's delve deeper into why the birth setting is so important and how you could potentially mold it.

In order for labour to progress smoothly, oxytocin must flourish. Oxytocin is a very shy hormone that only flourishes when the woman is calm, relaxed, not stressed and is experiencing no fear or anxiety. Fear and anxiety can interrupt the delicate hormonal...

It all started in 2008. I got married the previous December, and then as expected our eyes turned towards starting a family. After a few months of trying, we got pregnant - hurrahh! The joy of seeing those 2 lines on that stick is just indescribable!

OMG, I'm going to be a mother...the realization started to sink in. With a due date now confirmed for March 2009, let the games begin! I bought the 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' book (the apps weren't around back then!), as you do on your first, and excitedly started to read each week's descriptions...trying not to read ahead...touching my stomach sweetly each week as my baby's size changed from fruit to fruit! My husband and I were so excited. I tried not to think about names just yet, but couldn't help scribbling down a few! I felt a bit nauseous, which I welcomed...ooh that's a good sign! And then I couldn't believe I started showing at about 10 weeks. I loved the little swelling at the base of my abdomen. I visualised...

I know you might be feeling exhausted and exercise is the last thing you feel like doing. However, exercising during pregnancy will actually give you more energy and that's only the start of the benefits!

• Combat tiredness - as we mentioned, exercising will give you more energy and will increase the circulation in your body, and also reduces swelling. 
• Exercise helps with the dreaded constipation also, by decreasing the time it takes food to move through the large intestine. 
• By exercising you are strengthening many of the muscles around your back, therefore preventing back pain which is something most pregnant women suffer from.
• Studies also suggest that exercise helps your sleep patterns by improving the quality of your sleep. 
• All exercise boosts your mood and allows those lovely endorphins to flow!
• It will prepare you for childbirth, giving you greater endurance. Some studies show that a fitter mother is more likely to have a shorter labour.
• If you'd...

Hear from the fabulous Georgina about how she used her Yoga positions to avoid interventions and an induction. It's such a wonderful story! Enjoy...

So I went for my regular check up on Wednesday and they weren't too happy so they sent me into hospital to check the fluid surrounding baby. I went into ER and they kept me overnight. In the morning I had a scan which revealed low amniotic fluid, so they decided to induce me. They broke my waters and contractions ensued. Baby's heartrate kept dropping when I had a contraction so they were continually monitoring baby and I had to stay on my left side glued to my bed...not ideal and most definitely not what I wanted after all my yoga! They took me off to the labour ward after 2 hours but the contractions weren't regular enough to be considered 'proper labour'. So they started talking about the oxytocin drip - oh no!

Armed with my Yoga knowledge, I knew if I could get up and do some of your super yoga moves, I could get my labour...

We were chatting in class the other day and the subject of following your gut instinct came up. The one thing that has served me in life has always been my gut instinct. I always go by it. I try never to make a decision if it just doesn’t feel right…but what do I mean by that? How can you go with your gut instincts when you really aren't sure about what is happening...particularly in labour and birth? How can you really get 'in-tune' with your gut and really, really trust it?

Let me give you a relevant example… I’ll set the scene…I was in labour with my 2nd little boy. It was early morning. My waters had started to break the day before but my contractions weren’t doing the business yet. My husband wasn’t allowed stay with me that night as I wasn’t in established labour…so couldn’t go to the delivery suite. I spent several hours that night walking up and down stairs, combined with a little rest,...