Bianca Vermeulen-Smith

The Fourth Trimester.

09/02/2017 by Bianca Vermeulen-Smith Leave a Comment

“The concept of a fourth trimester, drawn from the maternal nursing and midwifery, refers to the crucial three to six month period after birth when many of the physical, psychological, emotional and social effects of pregnancy continue.”

from the Abstract of The Fourth Trimester. Saru M. Matambanadzo. 2014.

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform.

When we talk about a fourth trimester, we are talking about that funny period of time that your newborn doesn’t realise they are not in the womb any longer.

Where, as a new parent, you are transitioning to one of the most significant and life changing roles a person can go through.

It isn’t always an easy transition. For you or your new baby.

It is a trying, beautiful, exhausting, emotional time.

When the minute you get used to a situation, it flips and changes.

New parents, we hear you.

You and your little are getting to know each other.Your little is also adapting to being out of the relative safety and security of you.And can you imagine what a different place earthside is?

Cold, spacious and ever changing.

Having been used to a constant supply of nutrition via the umbilical cord and placenta, they experience hunger. And also have to figure out how to express to you, mama, the one who always just provided for this automatically, how they are feeling.

Having been warm and snug, everything is suddenly chilly and spacious.

Even from always being wet, everything is suddenly dry (well, almost everything. These littles do wee a lot!)

It must be quite the shock.

These are things that no one really tells us. This is the reason so many babies don’t want to be put down. Why so many babies will sleep soundly on the safety of your chest but be wide awake and searching for you the moment they touch the cot.

The solution can be something, theoretically at least, very simple but which is not something always very simple to recognise. Especially with all the well meaning advice given. With societies expectations of independence. The expectation of a swift return to our pre-pregnancy, pre-parenthood lives.

A rod of our own devising?

With society telling us for so long that we will spoil our babies by holding them, will make a rod for our own backs by responding ‘too quickly’ to a newborns every noise, it’s difficult for new parents and their loved ones alike to know how to support each other from an attachment perspective.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that being responsive to our babies can be a huge relief and aid all kinds of things like breastfeeding and resting.

A lot of cultures have very specific rooming in rituals and traditions.

In japan, during a period of ansei, a period of rest and recuperation, it is common for a new mum to move back in with her mother and not leave the house for around a month post birth. This gives mum and baby time to get used to each other and their new roles in the family. Often grandmothers take on the new mamas responsibilities for the home on in this period.

In sub-Saharan Africa, a period of seclusion is also often observed. Allowing mother and baby time to heal together and bond.

There is often very little time allowed for this in western culture and evidence suggest that there a correlation between this and an increase in the instance of post-natal depression (pnd).

In our society, which prioritises independence and a return to life before parenthood, focusing on enjoying the fourth trimester is less likely therefore talking about it and being informed is even more important.

Honouring the fourth trimester.

As a new parent there are lots of ways to keep your baby close that don’t necessarily mean isolating yourselves indoors all the time if that doesn’t float your boat.

The benefits of skin to skin cannot be exaggerated! Spending the time that you are indoors naked and snuggled under a blanket is fantastic for a multitude of reasons.

Skin to skin can help:

regulate babies temperature,

regulate babies breathing and help avoid apnoea,

better able to latch on to the breast if breastfeeding,

boost oxytocin production which is directly linked to not only bonding (it’s often nicknamed the love hormone) but also milk production,

boost melatonin production, aiding both mama and baby to sleep well.

reduction in crying by up to 43%.

For more information about skin to skin have a look at this!

It is well known that breastfeeding on demand is the optimal way of feeding a baby but even if you choose not to do so, for whatever reason, responsive feeding and feeding on demand has many benefits. Whether feeding from the breast or via a bottle learning your baby’s hunger cues can be incredibly important.

These often include but aren’t limited to:

rooting at mama’s chest,

sticking out their tongue repeatedly,

putting their hands in their mouth,

smacking lips.

This is what the NHS has to say about responsive feeding.

Accepting offers of help is not always easy in our society but can be incredibly beneficial to honouring this period of time. Often close family and friends want to help but don’t want to intrude.

Let them intrude! Ask them to pop the laundry in, make you a hot drink or give the kitchen floor a mop! They will be happy you felt comfortable you asked and pleased to be doing something practical to help!

Daddy bonding is magic too.

Dads, we all know you want to be involved and don’t want to miss out but sometimes are unsure of where to put yourself or how to help. Doing a lot of the same things as mama can work for you too!

We’ve spoken about the importance of skin to skin and almost all the points apply to you too.

Baby, will recognise your voice and will be settled by your heartbeat just like mama. This means that lying topless with a nudy baby is beneficial to a strong attachment between you too.

Other ways of helping can include doing bath time (this can include some magic skin to skin too! Double bonus!); doing nappy changes and generally staying close to mama and baby.

Remember, breastfeeding is thirsty and hungry making work too so feel free to keep mama hydrate and close to snacks she can eat with one hand!

Support in different paths.

Essentially, we all want what is best for our families and newborns. With all the mixed messages it can be difficult to know where to begin.

This is especially true if the new parents you are supporting are choosing to do things differently from you.

It doesn’t have to be a barrier to support though. Making informed choices about what is right for your family is an important and often difficult path to walk.

If a member of your family or friends has just had a baby, don’t hesitate to offer to lend a hand but do try to be mindful of the fourth trimester.

When you go to visit bringing something this new family can pop in the oven can be a godsend. Offering to give the kitchen a once over or do the washing up might seem like an intrusion but its a real, tangible and practical way of offering a hand while not disturbing the wonderful, mind blowing bonding experience your loved ones are experiencing!

Read more about the fourth trimester here.

Did you honour the fourth trimester with any special rituals or did someone offer you some amazing tips for ways to bond with your little during this transition period? We’d love to hear all about it! By sharing all our tips and tricks we build each other up!

Sarah from The Daisy Foundation Talks about WHY Positive Birth Matters.

01/02/2017 by Bianca Vermeulen-Smith Leave a Comment

We spoke to Sarah Lewis at The Daisy Foundation Portsmouth, Southsea and Havant about why postive birth matters, why she does what she does and why she loves it!

Our Birthing Experience Matters.

When I was pregnant with my eldest son, 8 years ago, I had the same expectation as most women when it came to labour – it would hurt but it would be worth it.

My husband and I attended traditional antenatal classes and learnt the textbook information on labour and birth, what to expect in different scenarios, some breathing techniques, and felt prepared.

The reality was, while I’d learnt about labour, I hadn’t learnt about my body and how it works.

I ended up being transferred from a midwife-led unit to the labour ward at a different hospital and gave birth on my back, resulting in a third degree tear (which I was then taken to surgery to have repaired very soon after my baby had been born).

This wasn’t the birth I had planned or hoped for but accepted it as ‘something that happens’ and moved on.

Two years later I was pregnant again.

This time I was determined my birth experience would be different. Having been high on gas and air for much of my first labour I remembered very little and the memories I did have weren’t very positive.

I wanted to remember giving birth.

I wanted to spend those precious first moments with my baby.

I wanted to be informed, empowered, knowledgeable.

Knowing What to Expect When Expecting can be Empowering.

I started to do some research and, much to my surprise, I started to consider homebirth. It wasn’t something I’d ever considered before – homebirth was for hippies, surely? But then I came across a local home and natural birth group full of lovely supportive mamas.

The more I chatted to them, and the more I read, the more I realised that this was something that I wanted to do.

My husband and I attended Hypnobirthing classes with Lyn Cole and suddenly my eyes were opened.

I learnt so much about how my body would work during my labour and the importance of my breathing and my husband learnt how to support me in a really practical way. And he did!

My second son was born at home, in a pool, having only used my breathing to get me through. I spent the first hour snuggled on the sofa, despite a tear, and got those memories I had longed for.

My second birth experience, and what I had learned during my pregnancy, left me feeling really cross whenever I watched programmes such as One Born Every Minute, where mums were shown giving birth on their backs in dramatic scenarios.

It Doesn’t have to be like on T.V.

This was the image of birth being portrayed as ‘normal’. These were the images that would influence how mums-to-be gave birth, because this is how they would believe they, too, should have their babies.

After another evening ranting at the TV my husband simply said to me “well do something about it then”. Those six words changed my life – literally.

They lit a fire in me and I felt determined to find a way to let mums know their birth experiences mattered.

That they could be positive and that they didn’t have to be the same as those they saw on TV. I did some googling and came across The Daisy Foundation.

A couple of emails later and I was signed up to train as a teacher.

I have now been teaching for five years and I absolutely love everything about Daisy Birthing!

Everyone’s Birth is Different and Personal.

The classes are movement – based, easing the aches and pains of pregnancy, encouraging baby in to a good position for birth, and building muscle memory in preparation for labour. Mums learn how their bodies work and how to work with their bodies during labour so they can make things easier, not harder.

They learn breathing techniques that are practical and allow them to focus.

Mums aren’t told how to give birth.

There is no right or wrong way to have a baby and every mum is different.

I love that Daisy Birthing supports this.

The mums in classes range from those planning drug-free home births to those planning scheduled Cesarean births and everything in between. We give mums knowledge and empower them to make informed decisions during their labour. We prepare them for positive birth experiences.

We support them through their pregnancies, listen to them when they need to talk, signpost them to the information they need, and leave them feeling excited about their labour.

Mums also have the option to attend workshops with their birth partners (usually Dad but I’ve had mums and sisters too) so they can prepare together.

A Change for the Positive.

I teach Daisy Birthing because I want to change the way birth is perceived.

I want women to be excited about their upcoming labours, not scared. I want them to know that they have options and that their birth experience is important.

If we can change the way this generation feels about labour and birth, it can only have a positive impact on the generations to come.

Sarah teaches Daisy Birthing classes in Drayton on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-9pm. You can contact her at [email protected] or on Facebook here.

Not in Portsmouth? You can find your local Daisy Birthing class here.

For Hypnobirthing classes with Lyn Cole look here.

Photos by Zuzu Photography

Have you taken a class with Sarah? Or The Daisy Foundation? Has hypnobirthing had a positive effect one your birthing experience? We’d love to hear from you. Please comment and let us know!

11 Ways to Have a Positive Birth

27/01/2017 by Bianca Vermeulen-Smith Leave a Comment

All parents expecting a child, dream of experiencing a positive birth. However, many women, especially first time mums, have the impression that there is one way to go through pregnancy and birth. Television, film and media often present one image of a normal birth.

The NHS also have a very structured approach to guiding women through pregnancy and birth. While this does offer some options and is based on what they believe is best for most people, it can be a bit one size fits all and can leave out many possibilities that could actually give you the perfect experience when bringing your children into the world.

As well as taking these things on board and listening to your healthcare professionals, there are many other resources you can use to make sure you get what is right for you and your family.

There are no hard and fast rules but hopefully some of these will help you achieve the positive and empowering birth we all dream of!

Be Informed.

Knowing what options you have for YOUR birth can be all important. It’s absolutely fine to go with the advice your health care professional says is best as long as you know your options.

NICE ( The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines are a great place to start. Their guidelines are given across all healthcare fields, working with the latest studies and research to develop quality standards and provide a range of evidenced based information for practitioners.

Knowing it’s up to you and being able to make an informed choice can make such a difference with how empowered you feel before, during and after your birth, even when things don’t go exactly according to plan. Your body, your choice.

Know Your Body and What to Expect.

Another way to plan for a positive birth experience is to learn exactly what to expect and what a normal physiological birth can actually look and feel like.

This can include how many women experience a long ‘latent’ phase. This is the bit at the beginning, sometimes days before ‘active’ labour happens and you finally meet your bundle of joy. The bit that can take days and start and stop. The bit that we are advised to stay at home for (if we are planning to go into a birth centre or hospital).

It can also look like a very quick birth which can happen with very little warning, where we don’t even manage to fill the pool we’d been hoping to birth in.

It can look like an elective Cesarean birth. Chosen because you know your body best and know that’s how you will cope best.

It can even look like a unmedicated vaginal breech birth.

With experienced and trusted attendants, all these and so many more are all variants on normal births. Knowing all the different ways your body can birth can help you to manage your expectations and increase the chances for a positive experience.

Knowing the specifics of exactly how the body works during labour can be very useful too.

Understanding the impact of Oxytocin, the love hormone, and Cortisol, the stress hormone, can have on labour can help set you at ease. Our hormonal reactions to our environment can have a direct impact on how we birth.

This can be things like the type and brightness of the lighting while you transition to the birthing space and how relaxing the sounds around you are.

Have you chosen the music being played or others chatting over you about unrelated matters?

Both of these things and others can really affect our hormone levels. We need intimacy, safety and privacy to elevate our oxytocin levels and lower cortisol response.

Take a Class or Two.

One thing I hear over and over relates to learning ways to cope with birth, effective ways to cope with the different things that come up during birth.

There are a range of different birth preparation classes available in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas from or Daisy Birthing Classes, to hypnobirthing classes, to yoga based birthing preparation.

If you are not local to Portsmouth, searching for birth preparation classes, looking at your local NCT chapter or asking your local mums group on Facebook can bring a wealth and variety of information.

Your midwife or other health care professional may also have come across classes or courses locally.

Surround Yourself with Positive People.

When you plan for labour, plan to have people who will be positive influences on your experience.

In most birth centres and hospitals you are permitted to have 2 birthing partners with you. Most mamas to be choose to have their partner in with them but don’t always realise they can have someone else too. The picking of people can have a big effect on how relaxed you feel in your birth environment which in turn can have a positive influence on your hormones and therefore the progression of your birth.

This can be a very useful way of avoiding interventions if that is something you want to do as hormones play a leading roll in all manner of physical aspects of birth such as dilation.

The flip side of this is knowing who isn’t going to cause the opposite hormones to flood your system which can cause labour to slow. So if you know your mum will sit and worry and ask you why you don’t want to try all the pain meds but BFF is cool, calm and collected and will tell you how amazing you are then always go for the person making you feel strong!

Read Positive Birth Stories of ALL types.

Sometimes birth goes exactly to plan. This is wonderful.

Sometimes unpredictable things happen and birth can go down an unexpected path. This doesn’t have to mean you lose the positive experience.

Before birth, reading positive stories of all different kinds of birth from unplanned unassisted homebirths to emergency Cesarean births can help put your mind at ease if things do go off plan.

Tell me a good birth story is a wonderful online resource for reading and sharing positive stories. The other thing to look for is your local Positive Birth Movement group (often to be found on Facebook). These groups often have active Facebook pages that are filled with different types of birth professionals and other mums sharing information, wisdom and support. They also often have regular meet ups which can be incredibly helpful and friendly.

Our local Positive Birth Movement group can be found here. If you are not local to Portsmouth, this is a great place to start

Reading about birth from a positive woman-centred approach can be a big plus too. Some of us can’t bear the thought of knowing what is going to happen because we have been taught to fear it. To prepare for vulnerability and pain. While birth is undoubtedly hard, physical work, it doesn’t have to be the torturous the media and TV would have us believe.

Remember, calm births don’t make for very good drama!

Try reading something like Ina May Gaskins’ Guide to Childbirth, Grantly Dick Read’s Childbirth Without Fear or Becky Reed’s Birth in Focus.

Knowledge is power, remember!

Hire a Birth Doula or Advocate.

Sometimes we have very particular ideas about the care we receive. This could be for many reasons; religion, previous birth trauma or just a simple desire to do things in a particular way.

These things can be achieved by being able to stand your ground and listening to your body and understanding your circumstances. Or you can get your birthing partners to do these things for you. A good thing to remember is B.R.A.I.N.

B- Benefits, what are the benefits to doing this procedure?

R- Risks; What are the risks involved in doing this procedure?

A- Alternatives; What are the alternatives?

I- Intuition; Can I see the sense in this procedure? What is my gut telling me?

N- Nothing; What happens if we wait or do nothing?

However, sometimes we feel too vulnerable or in the moment to fully advocate for ourselves.

We also might want our supporting people to be free to do exactly that; support us. This is one of the many ways a birth doula or advocate can support you. And believe me, many birthing women will profess they are worth their weight in gold. They are professionals with much experience in different births how are there to support you and your choices.

Even if things go completely to plan it can still be incredibly empowering to know you have someone in your corner who understands the process of birth who can help and support you when you need it.

Stay Active.

During pregnancy there are lots and lots of pregnancy specific classes you can attend from antenatal aquarobics to pregnancy yoga . These can both help your body to prepare for birth but also surround you with other women who are all going through similar things to you which can really help to put you in a positive place for birth.

During birth, evidence suggests, that keeping upright and active can really help too. Of course you are not likely to want to go for a sprint, although you know your body best, so if you do, do it! But, by staying upright and doing things like squats and bouncing on a birthing ball can help get your baby into optimum position and help you labour progress.

While some women do find the comfiest position to be on their back, many, many women find allowing gravity to assist really helps. There is also evidence to suggest that your pelvic opening can increase by up to 30% while upright!

Positive Affirmations.

These words and phrases, which can be used throughout pregnancy and birth can help trigger feelings of positivity in birthing women. The idea is that our words and language can and do directly influence our emotions and outlook. It can help us see that we are in charge of our bodies and help us listen to what our bodies are telling us. To be in tune with ourselves as it were. It can help remind us of our strength while we feel vulnerable. Head over to Instagram and Pinterest for some ideas.

Address any Physical and Emotional Issues You Have.

Even when you’ve planned things to perfection and you try your best to be positive,to plan for a positive birth there may be things niggling away in the back of your mind.

Physical or emotional things can have a big influence on our whole outlook. These things could be worries, back pain or unresolved trauma. They can have a big impact even without us realising they do. Getting these worries and niggles seen to, whether that means getting a back massage or talking to an impartial therapist about a past trauma, can be very useful.

It’s certainly better to work out these issues before you go into one of the biggest, most intimate and life changing events of our lives so that you can have exactly the experience you deserve!

Don’t Pin All you Hopes on your EDD.

Your estimated day of delivery is exactly that. Estimated. However, in the excitement and build up to meeting this new wonderful human you’ve created, through the positive birth you’ve prepared, we can get a bit fixated on THAT day. Some figures put the percentage of births arriving on the due date as low as 5%!

It can be hard as the day approaches and you and all your well wishers want news and a lot o the time there is simply none to give…Yet. Don’t worry the day will be upon you before you even realise it!

A wise person once said, “The days are long, but the years are short.” And it’s truer than we believe!

and finally…

Hire a Birth Photographer!

OK so let’s be really honest here, hands up, it would be mad of me to write this list and not include hiring a birth photographer!

You’ve been to all the effort of making your birth positively, absolutely dreamy! You’ve told yourself positive affirmations until you feel like the superhero you are! You rock! You’ve had the back massage and done the weekly yoga.

Now, ask another mama how many details they remember about the business of actually giving birth. I bet they tell you its all a bit hazy. Well, worry not! Hiring a birth photographer can mean you have a tangible keepsake of your strongest, most superhero-ish moments to look back on for years and years to come!

And don’t just take my word for it, read this blog and this blog about how great it is from my mama’s themselves! I didn’t even have to bribe them ;0)

Was your birth experience positive? What are your top tips? We’d love to hear your experiences or if you offer services that can enhance someones birth experience please leave a comment on the form below! We can’t wait to hear from you!

Karla’s Birth. A Positive Birth Story.

15/01/2017 by Bianca Vermeulen-Smith Leave a Comment

I spoke to Karla about her positive birth story…

Hi, Karla, when were you due?

1st August!

How were you feeling? Relaxed? Impatient? Uncomfortable? Ready? Informed?

Definitely uncomfortable and impatient towards the end, but also relaxed! And so, so ready and excited!

How did you prepare for birth?

I did a daisy birthing course with Sarah Lewis – it was fab! I did nothing with my first and went into it a bit blind but I was definitely much more prepared and informed with Albert which gave me the confidence to have a home birth.

Anything stick in your memory in particular from birthing Albert?

How big he was. You imagine this tiny little baby coming out but my first thought was ‘my goodness, he’s massive!’ And then the overwhelming love that came as I held him, smelt him, cuddled, kissed and fed him!

Which is your favourite photo? Why?

This one. It just perfectly captured that moment that I had been waiting for, for what feels like a lifetime. Finally getting to see what/who he looks like; holding him.

It’s so strange, one minute they’re inside you, the next they’re in you arms but that is the best moment and feeling (with Albert and Douglas, my first born) I have ever experienced in my whole life. I would do it a million times over if I could!

During my pregnancy I had hoped for a homebirth but for a variety of reasons this wasn’t meant to be so especially excited to be invited to photograph Karla’s homebirth and sincerely hoped she’d get the birth she dreamed of.

Karla is actually a personal friend so I knew the room she was setting her birth pool up in quite well, having spent many an afternoon crafting in there! This made technical things like knowing which lenses to bring easier. I also knew the space was quite small and with the pool inflated there would only one be spot where I would be able to stand and not get in the way.

Working unobtrusively is one of the things I think is most important as a photographer during one of life’s most intimate and intense times.

I really aim to be a fly on the wall.

I feel so lucky to have been at a home birth. The atmosphere was one of quiet assurance, trust and calm. Even with big brother asleep in the next room! Being able to photograph Nan and Big Brothers first meeting with baby was incredible privilege too.

During Karla’s labour there was a pocket of time during transition, that magical line, at around 7cm dilation, where the hormones change and active labour truly begins,that was truly incredible to witness. Before this moment, Karla had been totally in the room with us between contractions. Talking and laughing with her husband and midwives. Then all of a sudden that changed .

Once the contraction seemed to stop she kept her eyes closed, her breathing was definitely measured and conscious. She was ‘inside herself’ working with her body, her baby, listening and obviously becoming intimately aware of what her body needed. She spent a couple of contractions like this, almost quieter than previous contractions.

Then all of a sudden she lifted her head and ROARED! It was amazing.

So powerful. So in control. So natural.

A beautiful 10lb baby arrived shortly after!

This is another of my personal favourite photos. It is so demonstrative of the lushness of newborns, fresh out of the wrapper!

These little toes, the vernix, so special and all too often unnoticed in the emotion of the moment. For me it really captures exactly why I do what I do and how a mama might look back in years to come and be transported right back to that place.

Earthside Birth Photography. The start of the Adventure.

Earthside Birth Photography – Who are we?

11/01/2017 by Bianca Vermeulen-Smith Leave a Comment

My name is Bianca and I am a photographer who specialises in birth. That moment where everything changes.

I am a mum, a feminist and a positive birth advocate. I volunteer as a breastfeeding helper, helping to run a weekly support group. I am in awe of women, their bodies and their power. I aim to unobtrusively capture that power and the wonder in every Birth whether at home, birth centre or hospital.

Those first few moments are so important, that golden hour where everything changes can pass in such a blur and I consider it an incredible honour to be there helping mamas retain a tangible keepsake of moments so infused with emotion that to look back on them brings hope and joy.

If you are in your second trimester (if you are further along please still get in contact to check availability) and you think you might be interested in having something to look back at in years to come and live in Portsmouth and surrounding areas please get in contact to discuss our options.

Earthside Birth Photography. The Start of the Adventure.