Would you rather stand aside, or stand up?

 Full Milk asks Won't Somebody Think of the Fathers!
And raises some excellent points, relevant not just to breastfeeding, but also to birth - and life in general.  Women are consistently expected to step aside, to accommodate the needs of others - in this case, the father.  The blog post was a response to an article written on a major 'news site'.  
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Last year I wrote about fear and belief dictating choices, and the problem when this dictation comes from the partner.  in this case it is not selfishness, as full milk is addressing, but 'protector' behaviour, that usually stems from mistaken feelings of ownership over a partner and her choices.  

In both cases, the partner fails to be a supporter.  [His] needs and feelings, beliefs and fears, overide the reality.  The biological importance of the mother-baby dyad is pushed aside as irrelevant or dispensable, and this is NOT ok.

It is not just 'protective' or self-interested partners making decisions for us, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) does this too: 

Carolyn Hastie of ThinkBirth, calls out the AMA on the matter of Birthing in the Bush. This is a matter close to my heart - rural and remote women are robbed of choices.  Birth before arrival is a very real possibility and continuity of care (let alone of carer) is a pipe dream.

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​​When we stand aside, and allow others to make decisions for us, there is a very high chance that those decisions will not be in our best interest (as we see above).  The person or organisation we entrust our decision making to will have bias.  If you are handing over your power - you want that person to share your bias. 
​But why hand over your power, when you can stand up and assert yourself?

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Gratitude
​- the power of the Thank you Note -
looks at the impact of 'Thank you' in the workplace.  

also on the theme of gratitude:
The August 2017 newsletter looked at fear, gratitude and sleep, which explored the key to raising confident, happy kids.  Gratitude is a deep feeling, that opens us up to be more empathetic, compassionate and self-assured.  

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This is Catherine Bell, the Birth Cartographer. She would love to Represent doulas, and the awesomeness they bring to birth

in the spirit of Thank You
Nominate and Vote for your 
Doula Representative 
           of the Year
In honour and celebration of the incredible work Doulas do and in anticipation of International Doula Week  – Doula Conference are calling once more for nominations for
‘Doula Representative of the Year’ for 2019.
This award is about nominating someone to stand as a representative of the profession - to work towards continued clarity of the role and collaboration within the birth work community.
Nominations and voting close on March 15: 
You can nominate Catherine Bell, who will be attending this awesome conference and would use this award to add strength to her campaign:
let's make the 'pregnancy package' happen! 

Once Catherine has accepted your nomination,
be sure to share the voting with all you know!  Catherine is your voice!

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