We Are Positiva

10 years since the wonderful Claire had an idea which creating impact beyond imagination and literally saves lives…I think that’s worth celebrating!

🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳

We have been busy at Human Milk HQ and will be celebrating in style (see slide 3), there will be some freebies, and we will be sharing what we’ve been up to and what we are building.

I’ll also take this moment to say that Community is everything. That’s how Claire and I are even connected, and that’s how we’ve now extended the kind of support we give each other to others that we know would benefit from it.

Check out the Human Milk community page (link in bio) to see what’s available to you. In person in Bristol (with plans to expand) and online coaching calls.

Come as you are! We’re building this together! 🙄❤️

Currently sat on a delayed plane from Lisbon and can’t wait to join everyone!

Founder of , Lisbon for Parents, Moms for Moms Lisbon and many more sub groups connected to these. Relocation expert and helping families find community and explore Lisbon.

I’m Proud to call Giulia my dear friend and happy to make a small contribution to supporting her with the Moms for Moms group… excited to talk today!

As part of our series around World Mental Health Day…Today is a talk with Marina about transgenerational trauma.

Very interesting topic around the patterns, behaviours and trauma we adopt from previous generations of our family.

Hosted by Giulia

f you’re based in Lisbon, Join the Facebook group Moms for Moms Lisbon. Link in stories.

Look forward to seeing you there!!

Today at 14:15 GMT Clarinda will be talking with me about post partum mental health…including how to notice the signs and manage symptoms of post partum depression.

If you’re based in Lisbon, Join the Facebook group Moms for Moms Lisbon. Link in stories.

Look forward to seeing you there!!

🌎Today is World Mental Health Day and we kick off a series of talks for mums and mums-to-be in Lisbon!!🇵🇹

I’ll be talking about nurturing your mental health in the journey from pregnancy, birth & early days of parenthood.🤗

⭐️Today, Tuesday 10th October at 13:30!!⭐️

I want to emphasize how these World days aren’t on a pedestal but it simply gives us an opportunity to focus our attention on the topic, in this case mental health.

Life is busy. Life is messy. & we have different experiences to navigate in our life at different times. For. Eg Pregnancy & Parenthood…So we all need that little reminder to check in with how we are managing our mental health and perhaps learn some new ways of navigating it.

Most of all to do it in community. So Lisbon peeps, join the group and I can’t wait to see you on the call later.

For the rest of the week we will have talks with…

Wednesday - on postpartum
Thursday - on transgenerational trauma
Friday - on the importance of community

5 years ago, I was living in Leeds, in the UK.

On the 6th August 2018 we found out that our application for a lovely little flat in our desired neighbourhood in Lisbon had been accepted. 🥳

In the SAME WEEK we also found out we were pregnant with baby no. 2. 😅🤪It wasn’t exactly planned that way. We’d wanted to have a second baby but not quite yet. FYI…there’s never exactly the right time to have a baby.

Either way, we were ALL IN on both fronts. Moving countries. 🇬🇧>🇵🇹Becoming a family of four.👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

I get first hand how difficult it is to live in a different country to your own and navigate the complexities, challenges, fears, language barriers…whilst being pregnant and anticipating giving birth in a completely new system.

I like to think of these big life shifts as Changing Seasons. Having a child IS changing seasons.

For me, what proved to be essential for me feeling confident about taking control of my experience of giving birth was
A) knowing what to expect in labour
B) knowing what to expect of the medical system, especially in this new country, Portugal.
C) knowing how to communicate and advocate for myself.
D) Having the tools and techniques to manage the sensations in my body.

These were equally important to me when pregnant for the 2nd time, if not even more!

You don’t have to do this alone. There’s a whole heap of information out there, however, it’s not all made for you. If you’re anything like me and this resonates with how you want to feel about your birth then get in touch.

I’ll be running a Group Hypnobirthing Antenatal course in OCTOBER.

Be knowledgeable. Feel confident. Feel supported.

📸 1- first ultrasound scan of baby no.2 in the UK
2 - who loves a chunky baby?! 🥰 5months old in Portugal

For the people at the back…

Hypnobirthing is for ALL types of births.

There are many people that tell you that Hypnobirthing is only for “natural” births. You’ll often find me correcting them.

Most people come to me for a natural birth and by that I mean a physiological vaginal birth (to make the context super clear). This type of birth is possible, I’ve experienced it myself twice…but the reality is that for a wide range of reasons this isn’t always possible, nor is it always people’s choice.

And I believe people have the entire right making their own choices.

What is THE MOST IMPORTANT when it comes to the way that I teach is that pregnant women make decisions that are right for her with the support and advocacy of her partner.

That means that her decision to have a physiological natural birth, to use pain relief, to be induced, to have a caesarean (planned or unplanned)…

where she decides to give birth at home, at hospital, at a birth center…

Using a birthing pool for a water birth or only during Labour to relax from the heaviness or any pain.

Hypnobirthing provides you with the facts and info to know what to expect from all of the above mentioned, as well as what to expect from the medical systems and how to communicate your decisions and collaborate with your caregivers.

Let’s be real, if you’re heading into something that feels very unknown or you know you want a better experience the next time round…you’d want to know as much as possible so you are able to make those decisions from a place of knowing.

My clients will tell you that doing a course is a “game changer”, that it gave them confidence that they didn’t have before knowing, it gave them practical and hypnotic tools to manage the progression of labour, their partners were far from being the lemon in the corner, and that they felt in control of the decisions that they made.

To find out about the next course running in October send me a DM for an early bird discount.

Share with pregnant friends and family.

📣Mums to be, Here are 5 ways to feel confident about giving birth

✨Let's dive right in with these tips:
1️⃣ Educate Yourself:
Knowledge is power, people! 💡 Read up on the birthing process, attend childbirth antenatal classes, watch real birth videos (DM me for some!), ask questions, and talk to mums who have been there. Understanding what to expect will help build your confidence.💪🏽

2️⃣ Surround Yourself with Positive Vibes:
Create a supportive birth team as well as friends and family…anyone who will be your best cheerleaders 🤗 Their love and encouragement will make you feel confident, loved, and ready to take on anything!🥰

3️⃣ Practice Relaxation Techniques:
Breathe in, confidence out! 😌💨 Deep breathing techniques, meditation, Hypnobirthing self-hypnosis, and yoga help reduce anxiety and increases relaxation during labour. Plus, it's a great way to slow life down and connect with your body and baby.🤰🏽

4️⃣ Visualise a Positive Birth:
Picture yourself having a smooth and powerful birth experience with absolute confidence in yourself. Whether you’re loud🦁, quiet🐭, dancing 💃🏽, or very still 🧘🏼‍♀️ and focussing inwards. Picture having your partner by your side🙋🏻‍♂️ Close your eyes…Picture holding your baby in your arms🤱🏼

5️⃣ Create Your Support System:
Remember, you don't have to do this alone! 🤗Besides choosing your caregivers…Lean on your partner, family, and friends for emotional and physical support. Their presence and love will give you the added dose of power to do this! 🥰🙌🏾❤️

✨Keep in mind, every birth is unique and however you give birth this will be the most powerful experience you ever have on so many levels. ❤️

Embrace the journey, trust your instincts, ask for support, and know that you've got this! 💥🙌🏾❤️

Spread the positivity. Share this post with mums-to-be who could use an extra boost of confidence! 📲❤️

7 years ago today so many things changed…

Not only on this day but everything since, and continuing…

Besides the obvious…having a baby, becoming a mum…

✨I didn’t know giving birth could be in the slightest possibility pain free until I experienced it.

✨I didn’t know just how important but underestimated and undervalued choice is.

✨I didn’t know how important it was for my husband being by my side fully educated and fully advocating for me and for us.

✨I didn’t know how the can of worms would open up about all the obstacles within the medical systems and how I’d feel called to help with this.

✨I didn’t know how to parent…always learning, still a work in progress!

✨I didn’t know it would be the gateway to a change in career later down the line.

✨I didn’t know about entrepreneurship.

✨I didn’t know that this birth would fire me up to teach Hypnobirthing to other people.

✨I didn’t know how being a “supermum” would lead to burnout.

✨I didn’t know I’d go on to have a 2nd child…and be done 😅

And now my 7yr old is nearly as tall as me 🤣

Happy birthday Henry and Happy Birth-day to me too ❤️

📸Photo is on the morning of the day that I gave birth, starting to feel gentle contractions/surges. Went out for brekkie after this photo and before labour progressed, of course!

You can always always always change your mind…

Whether you agree to an induction or don’t want to go ahead with the date they scheduled for you.

Whether you originally didn’t want an epidural and then decide you do, or the other way around.

If you planned for a home birth but labour starts and you decide you’d prefer to go to the hospital. (FYI…it’s not so easy to do this the other way around because the midwives wouldn’t have been assigned to visit you at home).

You can always change your mind…

About your caregivers. If you are having issues, not being listened to, feel intimidated or uncomfortable, you are legally allowed to ask for another caregiver. During Labour, you (or your partner) could gently but firmly speak to the ward director and say that simply that it’s not working out for you with this person. Or if things are coming up during pregnancy, do your own research and find someone else.

Whether you want that extra growth scan or not…it’s just an estimate and can sometimes add pressure on you for an unecessary induction…Unless you’ve got gestational diabetes, having a “big baby“ is not a reason to be induced.

Is there something that you’re not sure about or worrying about?

& in other news you may have noticed that I’ve “changed my mind” with my branding. Right now, I’m having a complete brand adjustment in what you see but also the way that I work and you will be seeing more soon. Hope you’ll like it as much as I do.

2nd photo…solo hiking on the Ilkley Moors 🤓My holiday therapy happy place, a moment away from the family holiday madness! 😅❤️

📣Some thoughts for the weekend.💥

What do you think about these statements?