Mars' Bio

A birth activist, with a desire to see the ‘colouring in of the landscape of birth’ and finding out the reasons for the maternal and neonatal morbidity rates amongst the BAME community, Mars created Abuela Doulas a doula preparation course primarily, but not exclusively, for women of colour. Her desire for reproductive justice led to the creation of the ‘Reproductive Justice Retreat’. Mars was recently recognised in the Mayor of London's Hidden Credits campaign and continues to speak out against cultural safety and reproductive justice.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abueladoula/

Twitter: @Abueladoula

Instagram: @Abueladoula

Time Stamps

Abuela – Spanish for Grandmother as Mars loves to bring Grandmother energy in.

4.14  Among the variety of reasons given for the underlying causes of the disproportionate health outcomes is often an assumption that the black body is faulty and the black woman is  stupid. The blaming the black body points to eugenics which says white bodies are superior to black bodies.

Comparing what happened when we discovered that babies born to mothers who smoked were more at risk and an education programme happened and action was taken. Whereas black women are just labelled as faulty.

Looking at reasons why black women access antenatal classes and care later - looking at links to history, including experimenting on female slaves,  eugenics and assumptions to challenge.

 Looking at the suggestion of economics being a factor as black women statistically have less money.

Summary of the message is that black women are dying because they are too black, too stupid and too poor.  This is blaming the victim rather than the system and structure that she has come into.

James Mario Sims ' The father of modern Obstetrics' But who extensively tested on black women without analgesia.

13.49  Drop assumptions and see the human in front of you.

15.30 Looking at what happens when we took our colonial ways and dumped them on developing countries then moved on to kinder methods but look back in horror at what is being done there yet the coloniser started that practice. Plus a look at cultural appropriation of other skills such as baby wearing.

22.51 You may not be the one who set up the system but you are still benefiting from it as it was constructed to benefit white people. WE need to be anti racist not just not racist. Anti racist is active whereas non racist is passive. Get up and call out racism where you see it.

25.07 We know we can do better for all people but watch out for privilege calling out over the voices of black women in spaces where women are gathered to talk about issues facing black women.

Its not pie. We are not wanting to leave you with less.

28.55 Constantly facing daily micro aggressions raises your cortisol levels and you may explode for a minor aggression on the back of many others.

31.00 Look beyond initial defence as a white woman as no-one is accusing you of being a violent racist.

We need to think and look at how differently black women are treated when they wish to home birth or whether they are offered the same length of time to birth in birth centres as white women.

34.00 Historically women's movements have failed black women. The Suffragettes were told to march at the back as this is for all women.

39.44 Watch in spaces where the black woman gets forgotten. #metoo was started by a black woman (Tanana Burke) but this is often forgotten. 

What are our priorities? Notice where most outrage and coverage occurs and what this says about our beliefs.

42.11 Advice to pregnant women: Find your black birth keepers find people who understand and know your stories , the ones who know what it is to be black and birth. Remember the mortality rate is incredibly low 40 in 100000 but for white its 8 so get good information. Find good people to follow and learn from and to listen from. If you are not getting the care and support that you expect from your health care professionals or  if your midwife or doctor are being racist know that you can change them.

44.00 black labelled as aggressive and threaten to take care and support away from you, white women easier to request change easily many don’t know they can do it but when black it’s a whole other ball game say to pregnant black people find out good black birth keepers   reach out to black birthing community and get information and support there who and where you can turn to to give yourself a better understanding of system you are going into lots of us out here. But fe of us given a platform and those who have have to fight to get and keep it in a sea of white experts.

46.30 Vision for the future:  That people be valued, listened to and able to give birth with grace and dignity. As simple as that. Collectively raise up the most vulnerable and then the next most vulnerable until we are all healed.

49.45 If you hear something that makes you uncomfortable file that away and deal with it later, Do not throw it back at the person who just said it.

If we listen then we will heal the world.

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Naraya's Bio

Time Stamps:

Naraya takes us back 22 years to tell us the story of her first child when the only thing she knew about birth was what the mainstream was offering including the gynaecology checks and ultrasounds and had no teachings on meditation or about natural birth at all. All went well until Naraya started to  feel intuitively something wasn't sitting well with her about the hospital

Naraya changed to a 'Birth House' and did a birth education course with her husband and felt happy with her change of plan as the house was beautiful with slings from the ceiling and a birth pool.
6.54 all was well until her due date came and went. The Birth house was new and under scrutiny and so they were nervous about anything going wrong and at 32 Naraya was already considered old.

9.49 The doctor pulls the 'dead baby card'insisting Naraya should be induced. Instead she asks for the evidence and the doctor scrambles and has no answer.

11.50 Naraya discovers an elderly experienced midwife who has supported 8000 babies to be born and changes her care, then goes into labour the next morning

19.00 Naraya wants women to know this is a natural thing, that nature knows how to do this and our bodies are nature and know how to do this. Naraya suggests we need to ask the question why birth has been taken over and medicalised and how does this dis-empower us.

23.00 Naraya was able to hear her bodies intuition despite having no skills in meditation and even seeing that as some kind of cultist thing at the time.

26.00 Be discerning on what information you take in and your choices.Absorb information on what can go right and our best practice. Tailor your birth to your needs and preferences.Choose your environment to give birth in consciously.

28.46 Have trust and faith in our own capabilities and in God /Creator/Universe  - whatever your name for it is, Trust whatever happens is to and for our highest good of our babies and ourselves. Something may  not be comfortable to live but may be for our growth and expansion.

35.00 We have choice and choice on what to think in the moment that can give us a sense of power.

37.32 Naraya tells us the story of her second child, an unexpectedly earlier than planned child who was therefore born in a tiny remote mission hospital in Kenya.  Naraya has since done much clearing work and forgiveness work on her negative feelings about being pregnant at the wrong time that will have flooded her new baby.  (see re to The Journey above)

45.00 During her first pregnancy Naraya spent a lot of time communicating with her body and in her second it was more about connecting with her baby. She asked her baby to come early and start with her waters breaking as the rains were about to start in Kenya.

And her baby listened! This was exactly what happened.

The birth was beautiful and forever linked to the hibiscus flowers her husband brought her to smell as she was in labour.

1hr. Naraya listened to her body which stopped contracting if she lay down and it turned out this may have been she feels due to a slightly shorter cord and needing more gravity to bring baby down. All went well.g.

Naraya would like everyone to have choice and connect to nature. She would like environments of warmth, connection and for all to be listening to the woman's needs in the moment with medical births available for true needs but not default starting point.

 Naraya asks us to lift the relentless conditioning that birth is painful and we have been cursed with painful birth  ( a mistranslation of the bible as has been discussed in many articles where different people translated the same word differently depending on if they were talking about women in birth or men working in the fields for example.)

Liz's Bio

The Calm Birth School also has an on-line Hypnobirthing Programme available across the world. Liz is a positive birth believer and committed to the work of helping women to create calm & empowered births around the world

Time Stamps

Hypnobirthing was the tool Liz discovered in her first pregnancy that helped her with her fears both of the birth and of the pain relief drugs that she felt she would need. Liz booked her husband and her onto a course and they didn't look back.  She then went into her first birth with little of no fear at all.

6.40  Discussing how hypnobirthing tools can be applied to any situation and how they helped with learning to trust her intuition

8.15 Women are more powerful than we give them credit for and growing and birthing a baby.

10.25 Hypnobirthing is a full l antenatal education programme. Including the physiology of birth and what to do to release the right hormones for birth. 

14.30 Be supported so you don’t feel on your own or lonely. Bring your partner into the experience and work together as a team

15.30 Liz describes how having the hypnobirthing tools and the support of her partner helped her when she had to transfer from home to hospital. She was able to feel frightened then come back to a calm space. 

18.30 How giving birth on the delivery suite with her third  was opposite to her original plan but still didn’t deviate from being an empowering experience. 

21.00  Hypnobirthing is not just about painfree births but about applying the principles to any situation to make it as positive as possible.

26.00  Hypnobirthing supported Liz with the anxiety she had suffered with all her life and she found the affirmations and mind body connection helped in other areas of her life too.g

28.25  Liz describes the way that language can disempower particularly when she hears women saying 'I'm not allowed' and handing over decisions to someone else.

Women are the key decision makers and need to have confidence to talk to their care givers from the perspective of being on the same level. Use the Brain Acronym

34.00  Knowing if you are done having children or not. Talking to your womb and allowing your womb to release emotions including grief.

36.15 Would like all women to approach birth as something that will transform you and your life and for all the future generations. That in birth you are connecting  with your most powerful highest version of you if you can release and let go of fear and embrace the birth. 

41.32 Post Natal Depression Liz describes her journey through PND after the birth of her second with whom she had an amazing home birth experience. She started with a mainstream journey, sleeping tablets and antidepressants but when they didn't work Liz took control of her own healing journey and sought out modalities including counselling, CBT Reiki  until she became better.

The journey has strengthened her. If she can get through that she can do anything. No mountain is too big to climb.

50.00 Advice to others is get support and don't be scared to try something new and keep trying until you find what works.

Kati is a KG Hypnobirthing Instructor.  Check out this previous interview all about hypnobirthing with Heidi Danaher.

Kati Edwards Bio

I’m also a spoken word artist and created a set of poignant birth poetry. I’ve performed at some of the major conferences including Women’s Right’s in Childbirth, Oslo, Norway, the MAMA Conference, Scotland, The Women’s Voices Conference held at The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London and the Doula UK Conference, London.

If you’d like to know more about my speaking engagements, spoken word poetry or you’d like to book me for a study day or conference, please click on the highlighted links.

Time Stamps

Kati at first dismissed the suggestion of home birth as not for her. She had grown up with the idea birth was to be feared. Her mother had handed over everything to a charismatic obstetrician  to take care of her but did not have a great experience.
As Kati met people on her journey who had different views about birth and began to look at the evidence for iatrogenic harm and she changed her mind to home birth. Key point is to be informed about your options

731  Kati's birth was harder than she imagined and she still managed it. and shares her beautiful Christmas birth story here. In hindsight there were some factors that  may have made the birth harder.  Including five midwives in the room, an ill husband and her mum helping out- a little over crowded. Not knowing who was going to be her midwife after shift change was stressful and made labour longer/

14.08 Second birth was easier, once she overcame some challenges of not being listened to in pregnancy  by her midwife and so changing carers to 121 midwives ( a gold standard caseload midwifery model that is sadly no longer running)This birth was filmed for the BBC.

18.13 Kati chose to film her first birth as she was encouraged by seeing real birth videos of women giving birth calmly but they were all second time mums as no first timers had volunteered.

Second time she got to know producer well so she felt familiar and safe and she stayed in the back ground on the day.

23.33 With her second under 121 midwives she experienced a model of care that didn't do routine Vaginal examinations but used other methods to ascertain how far along she was unless she wanted or needed one.  For you communication with your body will let you know if you should choose to have one or not. Know you have a choice.

28.23 Comparing caring for a horse in labour and a human and how you wouldn't move a horse and humans don't want to move to an unfamiliar place either.

30.39 The curse of 'Miss Polite' Experiencing disturbance in the birth space but not wanting to speak up about it.  Talk to your 'good girl; in advance and take steps that she won't scupper your plans by being too nice and polite to speak up.

33.00 Do not let someone touch you to appease them even if they are being nice if you don;t want it you can say no. Explain to your partner in advance that this may happen.

35 .00 No is a complete sentence - Quoting Deborah Neiger from Yorkshire Stork Doulas. Let go of cultural obligations and say what you need.

36.43 Knowing your midwife reduces interventions more than any machines. Kati would also like to see more doulas as standard including postnatal care.  Kati would like to see better understanding of risk so you can make better decisions . See the BRAIN acronym.

Remember induction is not fool proof and you may not meet your baby quickly it may take days.

4145. With KG hypnobirthing  we take women on a journey so they feel calm confident and empowered so birth is safer when women feel like that and not safe when we feel so scared. Find a Postive Birth Movement Group local to you.  Don't leave it until last minute.

44.10 Kati describes how it felt giving birth and shares her analogy of getting lost in a whiteout at the top of a mountain whilst snowboarding.

48.21 Birth physiology says we like to feel unobserved and safe and these were the conditions that got me in Kati's second birth. 

Kati has a psychology background and feels we should take psychological wellness more seriously which means asking and listening to how women are. 

52.01 Say what it is that you need and make own decisions, don’t be coerced into interventions. Do some practice. Surround yourself with positive birth stories as well. . Those who prepare and put in practice tend to have better experiences

Trigger warning. We do mention risks of death and a dead baby story at one point in this interview. Not in any detail but be aware if this may be something that is difficult to hear for you.

Kemi Johnson - Bio 
Scroll down for resources on induction and time stamps.

Time Stamps

Kemi shares how she felt the calling to be a midwife from the age of 15 and how she resisted it until she eventually just had to do it!  Her fears and back pedalling helps her understand women's fears. 

4.30 She used to minimise herself and felt small, wanting to be no bother and this all changed when she had her son and his birth was not good for either of them. Now she no longer hands over responsibility to someone just because of a badge and a few letters.

7.17 Kemi's first child  talking to her in the womb with opinions on what she was eating where she was going. He guided her in everything except for the induction where she was too fearful with adrenalin and excitement which drowned out his voice.  Your baby has a personality and voice, tune in to listen.

Why are we using the word risk on a woman carrying out a bodily function that has been done for millenia? The current paradigm of considering a woman in danger or dangerous is crazy . We can no longer pretend this level of intervention and interference  is best for baby as there are plenty of studies and science that prove otherwise.

12.11 We have to point out the interventions save lives whenever we say they are being used too much but who is pointing out they also kill? This happens. Would the baby have died if there had not been the intervention?

14.00  Know what induction entails and that it is not a guarantee. Kemi thought she would pop a pill then meet her baby in 20 minutes so was excited. Instead she met with a cascade of interventions and a traumatic birth.  

It’s a special thing to let a baby out and have a cocktail of hormones, a dance.  Just like in a dance if there are a couple of things out of place it makes things more  difficult.

1840 The mismatch between the 80% who say they want intervention free birth as 'natural; as possible and the reality.

Kemi is a KGHypnobirthing teacher, and the advantage of a course and hiring an expert is they can read everything so you don;'t have to and crunch down on what is relevant and needed to you and guide you on your path. 

24.53  If you are facing induction ask for more information . Don’t do what I did, Go  woo hoo and grab my case! 

26.00 How Kemi's role in debating society helped her find her voice and despite a strong voice she still notices that it is often the man who is listened to in the room. We need to start in school and celebrate women's bodies including menarche so we are confident to speak up before we become mothers

32.00  You will have skills you learnt in other areas of your life that you can draw on. There are dormant skills that get awakened in pregnancy.kills learning early that you would need later. Something in life that is a skill they can draw on go inside to find it.

Find your voice and use it. Our voices are going to get louder and louder.  Try attending a Positive Birth Movement Group and feel the support of like-minded peers.

35.00 Choose your place of labour carefully to avoid fighting in pregnancy and labour.

3735 The birthing field. There is a bigger energy than Kemi she can feel working through her.  Let it help and guide you.  Find a quiet place where you can hear this.

Be aware that you may have confidence but the system doesn't  or it wouldn't be giving 90% of women sweeps to get labour going.

4328 Kemi wants a revolution and to work herself out of a job. 

46 We are reaching a tipping point: First they laugh, then they hate us, then we win.

47.46 We can know all about what will happen and have practised hypnobirthing relaxation techniques but we have to deal with fears or wont be able to make decisions and access skills,  Be around people who are confident in birth, It's the only way we get onto the planet

Mandy Rees Bio,

(Scroll down for Time Stamps.)

Time Stamps

Mandy compares birth to running a marathon and she knows both having given birth to two children and run ten marathons. She feels the marathon is more mindset than physicality and it was giving birth that gave her the confidence to run. Just as you would train for a marathon we do need to prepare for birth

7.40  How the system creates an atmosphere of fear and that following the system blindly takes away people choices putting them on  a route that serves the system and not that mum and baby.

10.45 Classing you as high risk for a big baby may become a self fulfilling prophecy as it creates fear and may be inaccurate but were you told that?  Check the information and evidence base to make a decision.

Look after your body in pregnancy to keep the positioning optimal and the body in good shape and create space for the baby.

Consider whether you really want growth scans. Can you trust your body is growing a baby without?

18..00 Learning to trust your own intuition and act on it is a big one. This is a challenge as the longer you wait the scarier the pressure from the system to induce. Check what the risks really are, get the proper statistics. Your instincts will tell you if your baby is ready.

22.00 Remember the baby is not an inanimate being and is trying to help you so go inside and focus and communicate with your baby and with touch. Practising breathing with connection in pregnancy will feel like a safe place you can repeat with the baby to reassure your baby once born.

26.00 Our logical society struggles with what it sees as weird or woo woo and  mums may feel a bit weird talking to baby in pregnancy. This is not new. Try sitting there with hand on baby and asking them how they feel and explore their fears and your fears and explain that you have confidence in them.

30.45 It boils down to stop scaring mums, stop making them frightened and frightened of making choices.  Do not accept the dead baby card thrown at you.

The current problem of go in for normal appointment and see that they are booked in for two sweeps and an induction  and they don’t know that it is optional.  Mandy wants everyone women to know they don’t have to do this. Can cancel them or choose

34.00  We shouldn't have to go through a poor first time to learn how to say no and get birth that we want.  Mandy sees some miracle transformations over time in her class so don't be afraid to take steps to release your fears.

37.15 We need to hear more positive birth stories. They are out there but women hold back and can be shamed for having a great story. If you have a negative story find someone who is not pregnant to unpick that with.

 42.58 Mandy shares her hardest challenge was bringing the baby home over the actual birth and how becoming a mother helped her learn to ask for help.   Asking for help is strong not weak Know that struggling is not failing and you are not a bad mum.

52.10  Don’t allow system to do it to you. It is  your body, your baby, your choice. Find out the information you need so that when the  time comes for birth you understand what you want. Never be disappointed. Know it is not your fault know three are choices out there

I've guided hundreds of mums and babies through pregnancy and birth and been there to support even more women in their post-natal journey. I believe that the stronger the connection between mothers and their children, the easier our journeys are. We are a mother for life and we need to be supported. I have created in Blossom what I needed as a new, anxious and overwhelmed mum. My classes and coaching are designed with mothers and their babies at their very heart. They are for mothers to come together and to grow; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Joy Horner Bio

Time Stamps with link to the book Joy referenced. 

Joy shares her winding route to being a midwife twice, in the 80's and now and how things have changed.

5.06 Joy had two different birth experiences despite preparing in a similar way and wants women to know this can happen. In her first he was brow presentation which can lead to a necessary C section which it did for Joy. 

Her second was 'popped out in time for tea ' in a straight forwards hospital birth.

9.30  How both births were transformative in their own way and made her a better midwife. A good lesson is you can't intellectualise your way through birth.  Joy learnt the difference between obstructed labour and normal labour and can spot this quickly now to support women better.

14.33 All about breech birth.  Joy has been on a journey with the famous and now deceased midwife Mary Cronk.  Yes there are additional risks to breech birth but there are also additional risk factors with a caesarean so putting risk into perspective is useful.  Stop frightening the life out of women with risks.

Make sure your care provider is skilled and up to date. If they say breech is more dangerous than c-section of mention the Hannah Trial,they are not up to date with current research. .

19.29 Being on all fours and using gravity negates the need for half the manoeuvres that a skilled midwife knows and can use if necessary. Breech or head down Joy has rarely, never? seen any woman choose to lie on her back with her feet in the air.

23.15 Some useful things to know about breech babies so they don't feel like an emergency if they happen to you.

28.55 Why Joy is becoming more hands off the more she practices and why her role as witness is so important.

33.19 Using art with pregnant women uses the artistic side of brain The right side. Joy recommends the book, Birthing from within by Pamela England.

Exercise - Give five minutes to draw 'The Gates of birth' or sometimes  'The baby within'  A powerful way to see what comes out, in once case it revealed trauma that needed to be released that the woman had thought was complete.

39.00 Thinking of yourself in pregnancy and postnatal as reflecting the four season in nature. 

40.00   Joy recommends a mother blessing over a baby shower and to pass a list around to get friends to commit to postnatal support tasks.

Don’t ask for better demand better and expect it.

48.00  Joy reminds you that human rights issue don’t stop in labour and birth. You can do what the hell you like and your body is designed for this.  We don’t need all this intervention and interference. We haven’t evolved out of being able to birth and most people can give birth successfully with happy and healthy outcomes without even seeing a midwife or doctor.

 Joy's take home: You’ve got it.

She believes that birth is a natural event for which we've been beautifully designed, and that peace on earth really does begin with birth.

Zoe Challenor Bio

Jennie Harrison Bio