The Birth Collective

*This is not goodbye*

Really it’s… ‘we will see you soon… let’s stay in touch ‘❤️

When we launched The Birth Collective in 2020, it was with the intention to improve access to trustworthy, relevant information for birthing women and families as they navigated the health system and became parents.

We hope we have fulfilled this goal and provided you all with something worthwhile, valuable and enjoyable. We are grateful to all our contributors for sharing their expertise. We’re extremely proud of the platform we have created, especially, when we were able to provide support during the pandemic.

Over the past few months however, we have become increasingly aware that with our young families, our jobs working in the NHS, and other commitments, we just don’t have the time to continue to support and to grow The Birth Collective, in the way it deserves. So with great sadness we’re announcing the birth collective is saying farewell as a business.

We understand that this may cause some concerns, especially if you have subscribed to a course from us recently. Don't worry, you will continue to have access to your courses for 12 months from the date of purchase and we hope that the courses provide you with what you need to prepare for your birth. You are also welcome to reach out to us if you need to over the coming months.

As individuals we remain good friends and we’ll all be still around as we each pursue our own paths:

Brooke is currently based at a busy London Hospital. You can follow her  where she provides a range of information on women's health, pregnancy and her journey training as an Obstetric & Gynaecology Doctor

Leah has created the most incredible Online Pregnancy Yoga Plan. She is coming to the end of her maternity leave and will be returning to the NHS in October. Be sure to follow her

Carrie offers a range of in-person and online birth prep, hypnobirthing, postnatal support & women's circles. She continues to work as an NHS midwife part time. You can reach her via

We want to thank you for being part of this community and coming on this journey with us!

With love & gratitude,

Leah, Brooke & Carrie # # #

⁣The Birth Collective just turned 2 💥⁣
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During the summer of 2019 we came up with an idea for an online birth preparation course. We brought together over 25 years of combined experience working in the NHS maternity system and created it.⁣
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We spent months writing, recording and editing and launched on Mother’s Day 2020. Little did we know what was about to happen with the pandemic! But how serendipitous to have launched at this time. ⁣
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Since we came up with the idea for The Birth Collective, 2 babies have joined our family. You’ll notice Brooke is pregnant in our original course. Carrie had the honour of being her midwife when she birthed her 2nd baby. Last year Leah welcomed her 1st baby to the world which is so exciting!⁣
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We have supported 𝟒𝟔𝟖𝟎 of you through our courses! Over the last 2 years we have created several pre-recorded courses & run a range of live webinars. We have collaborated with incredible birth workers and brands.⁣
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We have worked on the front line throughout the pandemic. We are navigating the current maternity crisis. But there have been so many wins too. Leah celebrated completing her Obs&gynae training and can now apply for consultant positions. Brooke has successfully passed her exams for her training. Carrie continues to enjoy learning about physiological birth.⁣
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Thank you to everyone who has joined us along the way!! ⁣
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To celebrate our milestone, we are offering 50% off ALL of our courses with code 50OFF⁣
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If we have supported you in some way over the last 2 years please share below ⬇️

*What is my baby covered in?*

Babies are often born covered in a creamy-looking substance called vernix caseosa, a protective film that benefits sensitive newborn skin.
The meaning of the name vernix caseosa is “varnish of a cheesy nature.”

A naturally occurring biofilm, vernix begins to cover your baby’s skin during the second trimester. The sebaceous glands — which are responsible for producing oil in the skin —begin to produce vernix at around 17 weeks of pregnancy.

The creamy, greasy substance mostly composed of water, lipids, and proteins. It contains enzymes and other innate immune proteins that have antibacterial properties.

The Benefits of Vernix in the Womb is to:

* Protect the fetus from damaging substances, like urea and electrolytes, in the amniotic fluid.
* Help with thermoregulation.
*During a vaginal delivery, vernix acts as a lubricant and a protective biofilm, and also acts as an antimicrobial cover against any bacteria in the ge***al tract.

The Benefits of Vernix Caseosa After Birth:
* It acts as a natural moisturizer to prevent dry skin.
* It may have antibacterial properties. Vernix could protect your newborn baby from getting a skin infection shortly after birth.
* It has antioxidant properties. Vernix contains antioxidants like vitamin E and melanin, which help slow down cell damage due to free radicals.

When to Wash the Vernix Off:

In the past, most hospitals and birthing centers would bathe babies within 1-2hours of birth. Now, however, this practice is changing, as more is known.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends waiting at least 6 hours before bathing and ideally waiting longer. The WHO also recommends not wiping off the vernix at birth.

The main reasons to wait with your baby’s first bath include:
* Keeping warmth and stabilizing blood sugar levels. The stress of having a bath right after birth could cause a drop in blood sugar levels.
* Allowing time for breastfeeding and bonding.
* Helping prevent dry skin. Leaving vernix on for a few hours can help keep newborn skin supple and hydrated.

Were you surprised by this?👇🏼

📸credit

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The fear tension pain cycle⁣
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We enter this cycle when we experience fear. We sense danger. Our primal response to danger is to release the hormone adrenaline which triggers the survival response ‘fight, flight, freeze’. ⁣
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Fight or Flight causes blood to be diverted to the heart, lungs, arms and legs. Our hearts beat faster, we are on high alert anticipating whether to fight or escape. Our arms and legs are strong ready to respond.⁣
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Why is this unhelpful during labour?

Blood is diverted away from the uterus! The uterus is muscle. Muscles need blood flow to work efficiently and comfortably. The uterus is working out (contracting) during labour. If it’s working without optimal blood supply it will be lacking oxygen and energy required to cause contractions that open the cervix or push the baby downwards. The contractions are likely to become more painful, irregular and may even stop! Labour stops progressing and interventions occur.⁣
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How to free yourself from the cycle? Here are 3 easy ways:⁣
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😮‍💨Calm breathing in through the nose for a slow count of 4, out through the nose or mouth for 6⁣ anytime you feeling stressed. Practice for at least a minute
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🤫 Quiet, safe, unobserved, calm, warm environment
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🧠 Positive reinforcement about birth during pregnancy to help you acknowledge & release fears
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To find out more join our Live Hypnobirthing Course beginning Sunday 6th March and running over 4 x 2hr weekly Zoom sessions. Course pack posted out to you. Led by an experienced midwife and Hypnobirthing instructor. Visit our website to book your space. Save £50 with code RELAX


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🖤It’s time for the autumn sale!!🖤
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We want to make accessing high-quality, empowering information about pregnancy and birth available to as many people as possible.

We’ve dropped prices across our website, with a huge 40% off on every one of our online courses. ⁣

It’s never too early or late to get started, as you have access to all this amazing content for 1 year.
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Check out the incredible savings on our comprehensive courses, designed & taught by experienced health care professionals. ⁣⁣
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💫Complete course £95 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £𝟻𝟽 ⁣⁣
(𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭 & 𝘺𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴)⁣⁣
💫Hypnobirthing £30 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £𝟏𝟖⁣⁣
💫Postnatal & Feeding £25 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £𝟏𝟓⁣⁣
💫Prenatal Yoga £25 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £𝟏5⁣⁣
💫Birth after caesarean £35 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £21
💫Refresher course for 2nd time + £35 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £21
💫Gestational Diabetes webinar recording £20 𝐍𝐎𝗪 £𝟏𝟐⁣⁣
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🌟Do you know someone who would love the chance to watch these courses? Gift vouchers are available!🌟
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Take advantage of this huge saving before the sale ends.

Don’t forget to enter code AUTUMN𝟒𝟎 at checkout 💖⁣⁣

Any questions about our courses? 👇🏼

Pain Relief in Labour⁣
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>There are many options available⁣
>It’s okay to change your mind and plan in the moment - your birth plan is flexible⁣
>Not all pain relief is available in every birthing location⁣
>Do your research- Learn about your options beforehand⁣
>Talk to your birth partner about how you like to be comforted in times of pain or worry⁣
>Moving throughout labour has been shown to help with progression of labour and pain relief so try lots of different positions to find what works best for you (some examples include rocking, kneeling or walking around)⁣
>Sensations can feel stronger if fatigued, not eaten for a while, dehydrated, cold or in an unfamiliar, bright, disturbed environment⁣
>The position of your baby can impact how contractions feel. For example ‘back to back’ positions may cause contractions to feel powerful in the lower back. Moving into positions that feel good for you can help⁣
>Research has shown that having Doula support in labour can help reduce perceived pain in labour⁣
>Childbirth education that includes complementary therapies has been shown to reduce epidural use in labour⁣
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What are your top tips for pain relief during birth? Share your thoughts below ⬇️ ⁣
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Post written by the amazing Helen from

By now you may be wondering if you are ever going to get a decent night's sleep. Popular beliefs about when a baby should sleep through the night are based on studies in the 50's and 60's on formula fed babies.

However, it is NORMAL for babies - especially breastfed babies to wake and feed at night throughout the first year at least.

Popular myths suggest that 'good' babies sleep through the night, sleep alone and do not require any attention throughout the night. The pressure on parents is intense.

Expecting a baby to sleep alone and for prolonged periods is unrealistic and potentially harmful.

Encouraging babies to develop mature sleeping patterns before other processes such as controlling the regulation of temperature and hormone production can be harmful. Arousal from sleep is thought to be an important mechanism protecting babies from fatal heart rate or breathing episodes that are associated with SIDS.

I know your baby's wake ups are tiring but it helped me to know that it was those frequent night wakings that were actually keeping them safe.

With that said - the average amount of sleep in 24 hours for a 6-9 month old is approximately 12-15 hours. 💤

With 10-11 hours being during the night and 3-4 hours in the day (over 2-3 naps).💤

The typical awake time is about 2-3.5 hours.💤

Night awakenings are still normal at this age with only 22.3% of 8 months old sleeping through the night.💤

Separation anxiety and other developmental leaps can cause issues for night time sleep.💤

What is normal.....
Night feeds
Short naps
Contact naps
Feeding to sleep

What are your experiences of baby’s sleep so far? Can you relate to the above?

We talk a lot about making birth a positive experience and this should be regardless of how birth happens. Vaginal birth isn’t always an option if baby is in a breech position or if you have had a multiple previous C section delivery. In some cases, you may choose to have a C section for your own reasons. Here are our tips on making an abdominal birth a positive experience for you:-

Stay informed and be involved in as many decisions as you can - have a flexible birth plan where you have considered the possibility of a C section and what is important to you will enable you to feel some control.

Consider dropping the drapes - during the procedure itself, the drapes are a barrier so that you don’t see what is happening inside, as baby is delivered you can ask them to lower the drapes so you can see them as they enter the world.

Delayed cord clamping - it is beneficial for the baby to have this as they receive some extra blood from the cord. This is now usually pretty standard during a C section, but may not always be possible if there are concerns with bleeding or a low lying placenta.

Skin-to-skin - although this is more difficult to achieve in a C section, it’s not impossible and the midwife can help. Wearing the hospital gown back-to-front allows for easy access and helps with this too.

Ask to play your own music - listening to something familiar and calming is a great way to keep calm and stay positive. Make your own playlist & bring a speaker in case there isn’t one already there. It may not always be possible, but the team will always do their best to accommodate putting yours and baby’s safety first. We included mp3s of affirmations and relaxation in our Complete & Hypnobirthing Courses.

Last but not least, stay calm - although abdominal birth and vaginal birth are different, staying calm will enable you to have a positive experience. Use Hypnobirthing techniques such as controlled breathing, visualisations and affirmations to keep you going. We cover these in detail in the hypnobirthing module of our Complete Birth Preparation Course, which is also available to purchase separately.

Share your experiences and top tips with us?

Prenatal Supplements

There are so many out there, but what do you actually need? Here are the key points to remember when it comes to pregnancy & supplements.

1. A healthy, balanced diet will give you most of the vitamins and minerals you need during pregnancy.🥗

Folic acid and vitamin D are important for your baby, NICE recommends you should take supplements to make sure you are getting enough. Folic acid is known to reduce the risks of birth defects such as spina bifida and vitamin D supports bone and muscle health for both you & baby. ☀️

400mcg of folic acid is only required in the first trimester, except for in certain medical conditions where it can be needed at a higher dose for the duration of the pregnancy. Therefore most people can safely stop taking it after 12 weeks. 💊

Vitamin D should be continued after birth for as long as you are breastfeeding (or longer if you know you are deficient!). 🤱

If your blood tests show that you are anaemic in pregnancy, your doctor or midwife will give you an iron supplement. Otherwise, you do not have to take an iron supplement in pregnancy. 🩸

There is no need to take any other vitamin and mineral supplements unless your GP prescribes them. Some women choose to take a pregnancy multivitamin , which is fine if you choose to do so.

Be careful taking any supplements that are not specifically formulated for pregnancy. It is important you do not take vitamin A (retinol) supplements, or any supplements containing vitamin A. Too much vitamin A could harm your baby.

Methylfolate is sometimes recommended to women with a genetic mutation in an enzyme (MTHFR) which stops their body from breaking down folic acid into its active form methylfolate. However, the current guidance still recommends taking folic acid unless otherwise advised to by a medical professional.

What did you take whilst you were pregnant?

Welcoming yet another new member to our team…

Here at The Birth Collective, we are creating a space for evidence-based information which on our social media pages is free and available at your fingertips. We want to support you all through the journey that is motherhood. Whether that be through our instagram or page or if you’re a subscriber to one of our many courses. We pride ourselves on having evidence-based material, created by professionals working within the NHS with years of experience in the area of birth and beyond. Our latest addition to the team is no exception…

Eloise will be joining us as our ‘Resident GP’. Her role will include creating relevant, evidence-based and really useful content for you all around postnatal health for mum and baby. She will also be doing some Q&As for us around women and newborn health. We are so so pleased to have her on board officially, although she has been guest posting for us for a few months now :)

Eloise works as a GP in London with a specialist interest in women’s health. She has also worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Australia and is currently training to be a menopause specialist. She wrote the ‘Postnatal health and Wellbeing’ leaflet for the Family Planning Association and is in the process of writing a new leaflet about newborn health.

Eloise is a mum herself, with 2 girls aged 4 and 1 who have taught her masses and keep her busy. She has learnt a lot from her own experience of having babies and is keen to try and raise awareness of postnatal health and wellbeing.

Having a baby can be the most exciting and special experience but it can also be daunting. Eloise has set up an Instagram page to raise awareness about the postnatal period and provide relevant information and useful resources. She feels passionately that the postnatal period should not be forgotten and nobody should feel alone.

Do you have any questions for Eloise?

With each deep breath, I feel better and better

One of the key components of Hypnobirthing is controlled breathing. We often hear a big focus on breathing when it comes to birth from our friends to our midwives.

Why is breathing so important?

Breathing helps you to relax. Slow deep breaths stimulate the parasympathetic response in our body which tells our heart rate and blood pressure to decrease and also signals the release of endorphins - which are essentially our natural pain relief (otherwise known as happy hormones).

Slow deep relaxing breaths reduce stress hormones and they also importantly encourage blood to flow to the uterus during labour. This means that the muscles of the uterus are getting the oxygen then need during contractions or surges - which may help labour progress well and also feel more comfortable.

There are so many breathing techniques out there - however the key thing is to find what works for you and relaxes you. Here are some top tips for getting your breathing techniques in gear for the home run:-

1. If you forget everything else remember to make the exhale longer than the inhale
2. Try lots of different breathing techniques - however you choose to do this whether it is through a course, reading techniques in a book or online - try a few out and see what feels best for you
3. Once you’ve found your techniques, practise them - ensuring that you’re well versed in them will enable you to use them when you need to and with ease.

If you’d like to learn more, we include both Hypnobirthing and Yoga breathing techniques as part of our Complete Birth Preparation course or alternatively in the individual Hypnobirthing and Prenatal Yoga courses, which you can purchase on our website - link in bio 😊

Did you/do you plan to use breathing techniques during birth? What did/have you done to prepare?