BEST OF 2018

Welcome to the last newsletter for 2018.

Whatever Life Stage you are at,
may you find merriment and meaning,
experience belly laughs that bring tears to your eyes,
and sing aloud with the freedom of knowing that it is your enthusiasm that matters!

May 2019 be one where you chose love, and love chooses you.

If you are signed up, you would have come here via the monthly email. There you'd have read my terrible, but enthusiastic, poem and seen this months storytime: my very favourite christmas story. 

If you would like to explore Christmas inspired stories further, my awesome friend, Hollie has put together a lovely advent option: The  'Goddess Inspired Advent', is a weekly story telling (audio with images), emailled out to you - starting this Monday.  Each email includes further suggestions for ways you can celebrate.  

The very bestest ever calandars for 2019 can be found here. They are the artworks of my sister.  I am particularly fond of her Daisy Cartoon, that I'll be adding a Daisy Zine and sticker to the next 5 orders.  AND!!! all orders of the book via my website before Dec 18th will also get a spine tingling Christmas bonus!  

These are the things that have caught my eye this last month:

This short piece explores the concept of 'quality time'
 
​This post discusses breech birth at home and the importance of autonomy.  This year I heard a wonderful story of an unexpected breech birth at home.  All was well and the mother commented that it was good not knowing, as there was no time to overthink it. She believed all was well, and so it was.   She trusted her care provider and felt respected, as did her partner.  They were relaxed, calm and accepting of the process.  

The What Women Want Campaign, with the facebook pages:
  #WhatWomenWant and #safemotherhood4all 
Where women are sharing images of themselves holding  sign stating what they want with maternity care.  Our voices are powerful - especially when we come together in chorus.​

With Summer here, you may be wanting some tips on coping with the heat whilst pregnant or you may be wondering about alcohol and breastfeeding:

Summer Pregnancy - Keeping your cool

 The Australian Breastfeeding Association guide to Breastfeeding and alcohol

Below, you can listen to a song - Summer Time, but not as you know it.  Recorded in a moment of complete unabandonment, captured at the point of it's creation, in anticipation of my first time attending the Wise Women Gathering,  

---

New Blog Post: ​​GUEST POST by Kim Lock: breastfeeding promote or protect

Posted with permission, this originally appeared on Kim's author page on Facebook.  With her permission, I have created a guest post to make it easier to share.  Kim is an old friend, wise beyond her years and one of my favourite authors (in case you're looking for some Summer reading).

New in Resources
Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing

This report by Sarah Buckley has been added to the Member Resources.

BEST OF 2018
A round up of the more useful, thought provoking and all round awesome must-be-shared widely articles from this year:

Does feminism care enough about childbirth?  By the very awesome Rebecca Schiller

Dr Allison Barrett discusses the extremes of decision making.

Sara Wickham - Seven Useful Words for the birth room.  This is a short, but very powerful reminder of how to retain the power balance during labour.  

Ted Talk: Transition to Motherhood  Have you heard of matrescence?

Kegals: good or bad? or something else entirely.  Katy Bowman allies with The Kegal Queen to get to the bottom of the issue.

Pocket money pitfalls...a playground pay gap. ..what do you think?

How Dangerous is "Advanced Maternal Age"? This article addresses the 'high risking' of women based on a single factor.

Sara Wickham's Untangling tocophobia

Unexpected Homebirth - keep your shoelaces one! (Sara Wickham)
​
On a personal front: An article I wrote on a whim back in January on my wordpress has been my 'best of' in terms of readership. It explores The Trouble with Consent, which became the theme for 2018.  

---

Most Popular Story Time of 2018:

Will 2019 be the year we start talking about
​Informed Decisions instead of Informed Consent?